Scenery Notes on Houlton Ballets

Scenery Notes on Houlton Ballets

Notes on sets designed by Jack Barkla, Judith Cooper, Robert Ellsworth, Donald Yunkers, and Kevin Jones.

Minnesota Dance Theatre Records
Performing Arts Archives

1988

10/28/88

SCENERY NOTES ON HOULTON BALLETS

KNOXVILLE: SUMMER OF 1915
Design by Jack Barkla
Downstage there is a painted black scrim framing the stage in an oval of falling leaves. Through the scrim we see two rocking chairs and a fragmented front porch consisting of a forced perspective deck unit and four hanging pieces (one porch section two wall sections of the house and an ellipse that matches the shape of the oval of falling leaves). A large pennyfarthing tricycle and a hand-made quilt complete the scenery and props.

WINGBORNE
Design by Judith Cooper
Wingborne is two sections of soft goods (cheesecloth) hang upstage creating translucent, dripping mosslike shapes. The set available is the original set for small to medium size stages.

CARMINA BURANA
Design by Robert Ellsworth
The set for Carmina is primarily made of muslin shaped with safety pins. Multiple panels move in various configurations to reveal scenes, tableaus and to create the various atmospheres demanded by the ballet. This is a "found materials" set that is greatly changed with lighting.

ESSAYS OF NIGHT
Design by Donald Yunkers
Two painted scrim circles with a ramped platform create the illusion of a sphere with a ramp through it. The ramp lights from below.

RITE OF SPRING
Design by Kevin Jones
A metal sculpture tree in bronze and gold tones sits on a 2' high platform upstage right. the tree dominates the stage at 18' tall and 12'-14' in width.

HOULTON/CRUMB DREAM TRILOGY
Ancient Aire
Design by Judith Cooper
Circus apparatus including two small trapezes, one large trapeze "seat" and a neck spin apparatus and two wire rope ladders hang downstage of three macrame panels.

Diabolus
Design by Judith Cooper
A soft goods hanging in black and red highlighted in the center by a silver mylar strip. A platform flies and a rope comes in from above. There is a webbing swing hanging mid stage and two Harlot hammocks upstage. Two Archangel ropes hang downstage.

Contemporary Aire
Design by Judith Cooper
A silver metalic curved cyc wraps the stage in the image of melting metalic genitals. Two truss shaped ladders and the platform from Diabolus fly in from above.

10/28/88
SCENERY NOTES ON HOULTON BALLETS
CONTINUED PAGE 2

BILLY THE KID
Design by Kevin Jones
Billy has a 60' (approximately) groundrow painted with a desert landscape.

PETER AND THE WOLF
Design by Jack Barkla
Peter is a large Russian trunk that opens into a exterior of Peter's house. The tree unfolds and the Duck carrier her Duck pond (Rosco dance floor) into position.

THREE MOVEMENTS FOR EIGHT
293.6
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
NO SET