Capitol City Opera, at the Conant Performing Arts Center. Spring 2020.
Gounod’s five-act opera, based upon the play by William Shakespeare, set in 14th century Verona.
Directed by Michael Nutter
Music direction by Catherine Giel
Chamber orchestra conducted by Michael Giel
Set Design by Christopher Black
Charge Artist: Estefania Perez-Vera
Photo by Annalise Kaylor
A set of four fountains of different sizes, made out of ply wood on rolling carts, were commissioned to resemble a dark concrete texture.
Base-coated with a medium gray, saw dust was added to the mixed paint in order to add another layer of texture at this early stage.
Several layers of spatter, with darker and lighter shades of gray respectively, were applied in order to achieve the old concrete-like texture needed for the fountains.
To add dimension to the fountains, apparent setoff details were painted using trompe l'oeil techniques of light and shadow.
Romeo and Juliette’s final resting place, a dark concrete tombstone, was also originally made of plywood, to roll onto stage easily.
Similar to the fountains, the tomb was base-coated in a medium gray, with several layers of spatter for texturing, and false embossed details painted using trompe l'oeil techniques.
Accents of color and texture would pop out more vividly against the almost all black set, including the railings and arches that conformed the architecture of this world.
Photo by Annalise Kaylor
Photo by Capitol City Opera
Photo by Capitol City Opera
Photo by Capitol City Opera
Photo by Capitol City Opera
Photo by Annalise Kaylor
Photo by Annalise Kaylor