The finished set for Little Shop of Horrors ended up being something to be proud of. And though I would love to take the credit for its success, it comes not from me, but from a group of very committed high school kids who were both willing to listen and follow instructions, and to lead each other through all that sticky decision making that comes during the creative process.
What my students learned is remarkable. So, let me remark:
Here you see Skid Row - envisioned, planned, built, painted, and lit - all at least in part (and sometimes in full) by a bunch of high school kids. The understood the need to represent a rustic, urban beauty, all while maintaining the needed acting areas. And...it all moves!
Here is the inside of Mushnik's Skid Row Florist, complete with Audrey II. I might post some seperate pictures of Twoey myself later.
Though I know I'm not completely sure how it all came to be in the right way and the right time, I'm pretty glad it did. It served our play well, and if I'm here on this blog to dissect creative processes, then I'd like this to stand as one of those products that stands as a parallel to its process. The action of bringing this to life was about collaboration. It was about not stepping on the green squares while the floor painters were in action, while still getting the cabinets primed before class was over. It was about making sure all the props got set during You Never Know without being seen by the audience and without running into Pod #3 while it was being moved. It was about making sure the guy next to you had what he needed, all while doing your best to get what you're responsible for done. The creative work done for this show was a stunning example of how a group of creative people really can achieve something that is greater than the sum of its parts.
And when you're the guy who's responsible for all of those creative people, and you realize that your greatest role in it all was to push them in the right direction, it becomes hard to take too much of the credit for yourself. But this never was about credit. It was about giving people a chance to create something that wasn't there before. And that they did. I hope everyone involved is as proud of themselves as I am of them, but I don't know if that's possible.
What my students learned is remarkable. So, let me remark:
Here you see Skid Row - envisioned, planned, built, painted, and lit - all at least in part (and sometimes in full) by a bunch of high school kids. The understood the need to represent a rustic, urban beauty, all while maintaining the needed acting areas. And...it all moves!
Here is the inside of Mushnik's Skid Row Florist, complete with Audrey II. I might post some seperate pictures of Twoey myself later.
And when you're the guy who's responsible for all of those creative people, and you realize that your greatest role in it all was to push them in the right direction, it becomes hard to take too much of the credit for yourself. But this never was about credit. It was about giving people a chance to create something that wasn't there before. And that they did. I hope everyone involved is as proud of themselves as I am of them, but I don't know if that's possible.
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