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I'm thinking of doing 2 shows next Fall using 1 set...any suggestions on show combinations?


Kurt Knoedelseder
Theatre Director | kknoedelseder@desmet.org
314‐567‐3500, ext. 1297
233 N. New Ballas Rd. St. Louis, Mo. 63141
www.desmet.org

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We did "The Odd Couple" male and female versions. Neil Simon wrote two versions. Use the same NYC apartment twenty years later for the women. Change the furniture and set dressing, add a  Mets pennant. It was fun for us and our audience to compare the stories. 

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Bob Sedoff
Board member Mn chapter EdTA
Sedoff, Inc.
Edina MN

Original Message:
Sent: 02-24-2016 20:17
From: Kurt Knoedelseder
Subject: 2 shows, one set

I'm thinking of doing 2 shows next Fall using 1 set...any suggestions on show combinations?


Kurt Knoedelseder
Theatre Director | <maskemail>kknoedelseder@...</maskemail>
314‐567‐3500, ext. 1297
233 N. New Ballas Rd. St. Louis, Mo. 63141
www.desmet.org

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:
This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and may be protected by legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this e-mail or any attachment is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify us immediately by returning it to the sender and delete this copy from your system. Thank you for your cooperation.

You could invest in a Unit Set, like the University Interscholastic League of Texas promotes -- modular setpieces that can be used and interchanged according to your needs.

It may not help on the set-dressing end of things -- ie: how you paint 'em and such -- but the ground plans and/or which pieces slot in for which show could essentially be the same.

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Russell Paulette
Rappahannock County Public Schools
Washington VA

Original Message:
Sent: 02-24-2016 20:17
From: Kurt Knoedelseder
Subject: 2 shows, one set

I'm thinking of doing 2 shows next Fall using 1 set...any suggestions on show combinations?


Kurt Knoedelseder
Theatre Director | <maskemail>kknoedelseder@...</maskemail>
314‐567‐3500, ext. 1297
233 N. New Ballas Rd. St. Louis, Mo. 63141
www.desmet.org

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:
This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and may be protected by legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this e-mail or any attachment is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify us immediately by returning it to the sender and delete this copy from your system. Thank you for your cooperation.

We back to back mount two Shakespeare plays each year. Last year we paired Romeo & Juliet with A Midsummer Night's Dream; this year we paired Othello with Much Ado About Nothing.

We used a raised platform last year, which for R&J was painted white and wintry, and then in the interval the tech crew took 7 minutes to redecorate with sackcloth and shrubbery. R&J was a wintry Viking wasteland and MND was set in India. We used reversible flats, so for R&J we painted a black and white Viking village in the background, whilst MND had an Indian-style painted design. We just turned them round according to what show was up.

All that to say, reversible flats are cool. In terms of selection, you'd probably want shows with the same kind of set, or go for super minimal so as to make the transition mostly seamless. We also do four one act plays over two nights, so three shows a night, so again, minimal sets for us are essential and a design aesthetic for us. With the four one act plays, this year we paired 'Woman at a Threshold' with 'Check Please' with 'A Christmas Carol' with 'Postcards from Shakespeare'. All of these worked well with minimal sets. The previous year we paired 'Wiley and the Hairy Man' with 'Heart's Desire' with 'Hush: An Interview With America' with 'Drop Dead Juliet'. All of these plays worked well with fairly minimal sets.

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Phillip Goodchild
Theatre Arts Instructor/Assistant Department Head of English
Ruskin FL

Original Message:
Sent: 02-24-2016 20:17
From: Kurt Knoedelseder
Subject: 2 shows, one set

I'm thinking of doing 2 shows next Fall using 1 set...any suggestions on show combinations?


Kurt Knoedelseder
Theatre Director | <maskemail>kknoedelseder@...</maskemail>
314‐567‐3500, ext. 1297
233 N. New Ballas Rd. St. Louis, Mo. 63141
www.desmet.org

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:
This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and may be protected by legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this e-mail or any attachment is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify us immediately by returning it to the sender and delete this copy from your system. Thank you for your cooperation.

Years ago I paired Oz by Don Zolidis and Happily Ever Once Upon by Virginia Kidd together. Since they are both parodies and are both set in fantastical worlds I was able to use about 80% of the set for both. There were small set pieces that were individual to each script but the shifters were able to move those on and off stage in under 30 each.

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Shira Schwartz
Chandler Unified School District
Chandler AZ

Original Message:
Sent: 02-24-2016 20:17
From: Kurt Knoedelseder
Subject: 2 shows, one set

I'm thinking of doing 2 shows next Fall using 1 set...any suggestions on show combinations?


Kurt Knoedelseder
Theatre Director | <maskemail>kknoedelseder@...</maskemail>
314‐567‐3500, ext. 1297
233 N. New Ballas Rd. St. Louis, Mo. 63141
www.desmet.org

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:
This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and may be protected by legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this e-mail or any attachment is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify us immediately by returning it to the sender and delete this copy from your system. Thank you for your cooperation.

Are you wanting the shows to be different?  I've seen that idea done with Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound.

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Sarah Serbus
Washington MO

Original Message:
Sent: 02-24-2016 20:17
From: Kurt Knoedelseder
Subject: 2 shows, one set

I'm thinking of doing 2 shows next Fall using 1 set...any suggestions on show combinations?


Kurt Knoedelseder
Theatre Director | <maskemail>kknoedelseder@...</maskemail>
314‐567‐3500, ext. 1297
233 N. New Ballas Rd. St. Louis, Mo. 63141
www.desmet.org

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:
This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and may be protected by legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this e-mail or any attachment is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify us immediately by returning it to the sender and delete this copy from your system. Thank you for your cooperation.

I did that for the first time this year for a combo of Shakespeare shows. My seniors did Romeo & Juliet in the fall and my sophomores did I Hate Shakespeare for our 8th grade in the spring as an intro to Shakespeare and a recruiting tool for our drama program. We built the set on castors because our stage is also a rehearsal space for orchestra and were able to move it on and off as needed.


Melissa Minton
Rogers High School
Drama/Speech Department
mminton@rps.k12.ar.us


Original Message------

I'm thinking of doing 2 shows next Fall using 1 set...any suggestions on show combinations?


Kurt Knoedelseder
Theatre Director | kknoedelseder@desmet.org
314‐567‐3500, ext. 1297
233 N. New Ballas Rd. St. Louis, Mo. 63141
www.desmet.org

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:
This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and may be protected by legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this e-mail or any attachment is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify us immediately by returning it to the sender and delete this copy from your system. Thank you for your cooperation.

Several years ago I designed a set for use in The Odd Couple followed by Play it Again Sam, and it worked well. It wasn't in a high school, but you can see photos and a description of the thought process on my blog, at https://setdesignandtech.wordpress.com/2016/02/06/two-shows-on-one-set-re-tasking-a-set/

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George F. Ledo
Set designer
www.setdesignandtech.wordpress.com
www.georgefledo.net

Original Message:
Sent: 02-24-2016 20:17
From: Kurt Knoedelseder
Subject: 2 shows, one set

I'm thinking of doing 2 shows next Fall using 1 set...any suggestions on show combinations?


Kurt Knoedelseder
Theatre Director | <maskemail>kknoedelseder@...</maskemail>
314‐567‐3500, ext. 1297
233 N. New Ballas Rd. St. Louis, Mo. 63141
www.desmet.org

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:
This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and may be protected by legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this e-mail or any attachment is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify us immediately by returning it to the sender and delete this copy from your system. Thank you for your cooperation.