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Ordway Blog: Stay connected here with what is happening at Ordway and take a look at what is going on behind the scenes.

Set Design: The Making of Cinderella

Mon, Dec 5, 2011 5:26 PM by Marinda Bland

There are many artistic ingredients that go into creating an Ordway original production.  Of course there is the cast and the orchestra, but there are also artisans and designers who contribute to making the show shine.  Cinderella’s set team were nice enough to share some set drawings and photos, and so we are able to offer a sneak peek at the making of this classic fairy tale-turned-musical.

  The set for Cinderella is being designed by Chad Van Kekrix.  Chad worked on our productions of Yankee Doodle, Blues In The Night and Love, Janis.  He is a much sought-after designer and has worked at many theaters in town. He also designed the lobby of Penumbra Theatre.

Before we hire a designer we first consider what kind of a design would be right for the production.  In other words, we come up with a suggested jumping off point for the basic concept of style and content for the show.  In the case of Cinderella we were going for a colorful, fractured fairy tale look. 

  A few years ago we produced another popular fairy tale - Beauty and the Beast  - and we had a lot of wonderful set pieces laying around in storage.  It seemed like a shame to let them go to waste, so we were hoping we could find a way to incorporate that scenery into a new design for Cinderella. After meeting with a few designers we decided to offer the opportunity to Chad. Many meetings followed about what the set might look like. We gave him pictures of the various pieces we had in storage and asked him to begin sketching some ideas.

 

   

His “doodles” eventually became color renderings of the various set pieces.  The individual pieces were then combined to create full stage color renderings.

From there we move into the technical blue print phase with specific technical information for the builders.  A scaled model is created of the actual scenery.

 

 

And the building begins.

 

All of the scenery is being built or redone at The Penumbra Scenic Studio, which is overseen by Jason Allyn Shchwerin.  Jason has been the technical director of almost all of The Ordway’s self-produced shows, so we know we are in good hands.

The scenery was installed over two days and the cast will join in tomorrow for technical rehearsals.  Technical rehearsals or “tech” is when we put all of the show’s components together for the first time.  All of this leads up to the final dress rehearsal, previews and our exciting opening night! 

See you at the Ordway for this wonderful production of Cinderella!

Posted in Theater Season, Cinderella, Musicals, Live

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Ordway Extra Live: 9 to 5: The Musical

Wed, Jul 13, 2011 5:18 PM by Ryan Jones

The Ordway Extra for 9 to 5: The Musical was tonight at the Ordway. Tonights topic: Reimaging the Workplace.

Watch the recording below to see James Rocco talk about 9 to 5, and listen to some amazing singers!

Posted in Live, 9 to 5: The Musical, Ordway Extra, Theater Season

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Ordway Extra Live: Guys and Dolls

Wed, Jun 22, 2011 3:59 PM by Ryan Jones

Earlier tonight was the Guys and Dolls Ordway Extra. Topic: Frank Loesser—American Master. James Rocco lead us through the story of Frank Loesser, plus great renditions of classic Loesser songs.

Watch the recording of the live stream below!

Posted in Guys and Dolls, Live, Ordway Extra

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Watch the 65th Annual Tony Awards LIVE This Sunday, June 12

Fri, Jun 10, 2011 5:05 PM by Ryan Jones

This Sunday, June 12th at 7pm, the 65th Annual Tony Awards honors the best of the Broadway season. Celebrate the big day by watching the all of the action leading up to the big event LIVE from the Red Carpet right here!

Launch the 2011 Tony Awards Live Video Console >

We want to hear from you! What was your favorite Broadway performance of the year?

Posted in Tony Awards, Live

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Ordway Extra Live: Next to Normal

Wed, May 11, 2011 3:26 PM by Ryan Jones

This is the recording of the Ordway Extra live stream for Next to Normal. Topic: Defining Normal.

The Extra was hosted by Dr. Charles Schulz, MD, Professor and Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of MN Medical School. Dr. Schulz was joined by Andrew Gadtke, the author of "Regular and Decaf." They present a discussion on psychiatry and the road to recovery.

Posted in Next to Normal, Live, Ordway Extra

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Ordway Extra Live: TU Dance

Fri, May 6, 2011 1:34 PM by Ryan Jones

Watch the recorded live stream of the Ordway Extra for the sold out performance of TU Dance. This Ordway Extra features a conversation with painter Ta-Coumba Aiken and educator Kristy Pierce. They talk about ways in which TU Dance opened up their artistic process to the community and will share their personal experiences as artists and educators working alongside TU Dance. They also speak to the influential roles that other artists, such as Ernie Barnes, can have on a creative trajectory.

Learn more about TU Dance >

Posted in Live, TU Dance, Ordway Extra

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Ordway Extra Live: BeijingDance/LDTX

Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:35 PM by Ryan Jones

Watch the Ordway Extra for BeijingDance/LDTX!

This Ordway Extra features a conversation with Artistic Director Willy Tsao, facilitated by Macalester College professor Dr. Frederik Green. They discuss Tsao’s background and the path that led him to his current position, as well as the environment for the company and modern dance both in China and around the globe.

Posted in Live, BeijingDance/LDTX, Ordway Extra

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Watch the 2010 Sally Awards

Mon, Mar 21, 2011 3:33 PM by Ryan Jones

The 2010 Sally Awards happened tonight at Ordway's McKnight Theatre. Watch a recording of the live stream below.

Learn more about the Sally Awards and the new award this year for Arts Access >

Posted in Announcements, Live, Sally Awards

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Live stream of Ordway's 2011-12 Season Announcement

Wed, Feb 23, 2011 4:12 PM by Ryan Jones

The event went great, now watch our recording of the event that happened tonight at 6pm! (Skip ahead to 12:00 into the video.)

See all of Ordway's 2011-2012 Season >

 

Posted in Announcements, Live

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This blog is a group effort by Ordway staff, actors, artists, musicians, dancers and all those involved in the creative process of performances, programs and events at the Ordway to provide a behind the scenes look at what happens onstage, backstage and in support of the work presented at the Ordway. We also hope to  discuss pertinent topics in our industry.

The purpose of this blog is to engage with you in the blogosphere. We wish to let you know that our posts do not go through any official editorial process for spelling, grammar or fact checking, therefore errors may occur – please be kind! Every blog post is open for public comment, questions or suggestions and the Ordway chooses not to pre-screen these responses. That being said, we do reserve the right to remove any offensive, illegal, or inappropriate content at the Ordway's sole discretion.

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