Student theatrical designers for “The Secret of the Wings” share their creative process
Image retrieved from uwlax.edu
February 22, 2023
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Department of Theatre and Dance is proud to present “The Secret in the Wings” by Mary Zimmerman, a telling of lesser-known fairy tales surrounding a young girl and her babysitter.
Along with nine student actors, “The Secret in the Wings” is being brought to the UWL stage by a creative team composed of both UWL faculty and students. The creative team includes eight student designers or managers who fill roles like assistant director, stage manager, scenic designer, and more.
Performances are Feb. 24-25 and Mar. 2-4 at 7:30 p.m. with Sunday matinees Feb. 26 and Mar. 5 at 2 p.m. in the Toland Theatre, Truman T. Lowe Center for the Arts.
UWL senior T Mentjes is the student scenic designer. Mentjes is double majoring in both theater design and visual arts, and this is their first show as the lead scenic designer. Mentjes said that because of the wild nature of the script, they were able to have a lot of creative control over what the set could look like.
“It’s just a crazy fun script about spooky fairy tales. A bit of horror, a bit of absurdism, this show is just a delightful mix of nightmare fuel and comforting childhood memories,” Mentjes said. “I could go wild with making the set whatever I wanted because it didn’t need to make sense.”
To make the set fit the absurdity of the script, Mentjes said that they needed to consider every small detail. They said that alterations had to be made to set pieces as foundational as the main wall so that the lighting team could access it, and that set pieces from older shows needed to be adopted and adapted to fit “The Secret in the Wings”. Mentjes said that communication with the other teams was necessary for the success of the set. They said, “It was a very enlightening and positive experience for me because I truly had an amazing team beside me the entire time.”
Working as the student technical director is UWL junior Brodyn Byington. He said he worked closely with Mentjes to put the set together. “I like to think of the scenic designer as figuring out what the set wants to look like, and myself as the technical director figures out how to build the scenic elements,” he said, “We have actually been having production meetings since November, and by the end of December, T had provided me with sketches, drawings, and scale models of what they wanted the set to be.”
Byington is majoring in theater arts with a technical and design emphasis, and “The Secret in the Wings” is his first show as lead technical director. He had previously been the assistant technical director for other UWL productions including “She Loves Me” and “A Christmas Carol” in the spring and fall of 2022 respectively.
“I love working on the technical side of production because I like to know how everything works,” said Byington. “I’ll go see shows at other theaters and just be so captivated by trying to figure out how everything works. So being able to be centrally involved in the process is just so cool to me.”
While putting “The Secret in the Wings” together, Byington said that his number one concern was safety. He said that there are hidden exits and entrances for the performers to use, including a trap door. “We have to make sure everyone on stage is aware that there is a trap door open, so nobody inadvertently steps into it. With something like this, we run it a whole bunch of times to make sure the actors, crew, and designers are all comfortable with it,” he said.
Another crew member concerned with supporting the other members of the production is Louden Ferguson. Ferguson is a UWL senior with a double major in theater performance and archaeology, and they are one of the dramaturgs for “The Secret in the Wings”.
“A dramaturg is essentially a researcher,” Ferguson said. “Their job is to find the background information and context necessary to understand the play and inform the choices made by designers and performers.”
They said that the information gathered by the dramaturgs is used amongst the production crew and shared with the audience in the lobby of the theater. They said, “Without the technical side of a production, there isn’t really much of a production to speak of. The best plays come about when the tech and performance sides of the production are working closely together throughout the process, which is luckily what we were able to have here.”
UWL junior Julia Milne is the stage manager for “The Secret in the Wings”. In order to create a positive environment for the show, Milne said that she focused on creating a safe space where both the performance team and production team members could feel empowered to do their best work. “Working on the technical side of a production allows you to help create the world and environment of the show,” Milne said.
These four members of the production team would like for fellow UWL students to come see “The Secret in the Wings”.
Mentjes said, “There is so much time, passion, and love put into this show to get it where it is today. We have been working on this play since November of 2022.”
Milne said, “If you like psychological thrillers, Grimm’s fairy tales, or horror, you will love The Secret in the Wings!”
Byington said, “I am really thankful for this theater department and for how trusting the faculty are of us as students. Of course, they are still involved to make sure we don’t do anything stupid, but one of my advisors and faculty technical director, Megan, has very much let me have a huge role in this production, and I am so grateful for that. I have found that to be the case in every production I have worked on here, and I think that is really cool. I would like to thank Megan, Ben, Mandy, Greg, and all of the faculty for making this process so inclusive for students.”
“Do you want to see a fairytale rave? Of course you do,” said Ferguson.
Tickets for “The Secret in the Wings” are on sale online at www.uwlax.edu/theatre-arts. Tickets are also available for purchase in person at the box office in the lobby of the Truman T. Lowe Center for the Arts or by calling 608.785.6696. Box office hours are Monday through Friday 1-3 p.m. or one hour before each performance.
IF YOU GO:
WHO: The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Department of Theatre and Dance
WHAT: “The Secret in the Wings”
WHEN: Feb. 24-25 and Mar. 2-4 at 7:30 p.m. with Sunday matinees Feb. 26 and Mar. 5 at 2 p.m.
WHERE: Toland Theater, Center for the Arts, 333 N. 16th Street, La Crosse, WI 54601
COST: Tickets are $20 for adults; $18 for seniors and non-UWL students, and $8 for UWL students with ID. Tickets purchased/printed at the box office or over the phone will have additional fees. Tickets for “The Secret in the Wings” are on sale online at www.uwlax.edu/theatre-arts.
CAST: Paige Verbsky, Bao Xiong, Caitlin Elenteny, Linnea Lerwick, Julia Maynard, Gavin Muller, Ryan Hustedt, Eddie Doerr, Jake Gesteland
CREATIVE TEAM: Greg Parmeter (director), Julia Milne (stage manager), T Menjes (scenic designer), Carson Kreger (props designer), Louden Ferguson, Anna Halvorsen (dramaturgs), Grace Happe (assistant director), Ben Golden (lighting designer), Laura Felde (sound designer), Brodyn Byington (technical director), Joe Anderson (costume and makeup designer)
PRODUCTION TEAM: Adam Bloom, Tracy Joe (assistant stage managers), Kathryn Moran (music director), Megan Morey (scenic shop supervisor), Mandy Kolbe (scenic design supervisor), Ben Golden (lighting/sound supervisor), Laurie Kincman (production manager), Michelle Collyar (costume shop manager), August Jennings, Carson Kreger, T Mentjes (crown creators), Thomas Hall (light board operator), Jess Miller (sound board operator), Julian Goldstein, Katie Gruber, Rhyen Larson, Amanda Limoni (run crew), Addie Carlson, Milia Ismilova, Josephine Rush, Kalia Xiong (costume run crew), Adam Bloom, Brodyn Byington, August Jennings, Tracy Joe, Sam Kallie (scene shop staff), Landin Ahrenholz, Olivia Ahrends, Carmen Crandall, Sara Duffy, Charlie Dyar, Logan Felker, Kaj Jensen, Hailey Kluck, Kennedy Kopcha, Sutton Krug, Kaden Leonard, Ryan Lisota, Naomi Meek, Andrew Momsen, Janessa Olson, Julia Panfil, Stella Patton, Ava Pleshek, River Podjasek, Kalia Rude, Olivia Sampson, Morgan Schmidt, Taylor Skinner, Sera Speltz, Will Vaillant, Wyatt Wilken (scene shop crew), Laura Felde, Kaj Jensen, Carson Kreger, T Mentjes, Jess Miller (props/paint staff), Ester Hammen (props/paint crew), Sage Goetsch, August Jennings, Linnea Lerwick, T Mentjes, Irene Swain, Elin Voegeli (costume shop staff), Molly Friday, Riley Fredrichsdorf, Katie Glazer, Joaris Guzman Rivas, Maria Lanham, Julia Maynard, Cecilia Rice, Avery Romann (costume shop crew), Brodyn Byington, Leo Chavolla, Tracy Joe, Linnea Lerwick (light/sound shop staff), MJ Baumann, Dylan Boerner, Payton Carothers, Matt Chavez, Kasey Hammill, Ariel Hartleben, Angela Heck, Daniel Kelly Jr., Brooks Kraus, Daniel Krause, Connor Pangburn, Finley Richgels, Nick Wenger, Gabby Zinnel (light crew), Alexis Miller, Alec Taylor, Tyler Zdziarski (publicity crew), Amanda Visger (front of house manager), Hayley Bach, Avery Johnson, Eva Johnson, Al McKarns, Alivia Mendez, Keyara Perkings, Julia Schmit (front of house), Caitlin Elenteny, Chloe Hart, Emma Kohl (box office), Joe Anderson (poster design), Louden Ferguson, Anna Halvorsen (lobby display)
