Merrily We Roll Along, based on a book by George Furth with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, is about three close friends who grow apart over twenty years due to the pressures of fame and fortune. The story follows Franklin Shepard backward through his life to see how he came to be the rich and successful man at the beginning of the play. It ends at an apartment rooftop where he and his best friend, Charley Kringas, meet their third lifelong friend, Mary Flynn.
There were tons of small components to focus on for this show, all of which were tracked with a build/buy list and a hand props tracking sheet. My props assistant handled all of the set dressing upholstery repairs because of the intense amount of hand props and stand-in rehearsal props required of me to create and provide.
The majority of the hand props and dressing were pulled from storage, but a third pair of binoculars, a fabric swatch book, a “Just Married” sign, a “Kennedy Family Tree”, and plenty of other paper props were created in addition to what we already had pulled from stock. I made binoculars from two sizes of cardboard tubes, black duct tape, tie line, and plastic tube caps. The director ended up only needing loose fabric swatches for the blocking he had in mind, so the fabric swatch book I created became part of the stock. I pulled several different images for the paper props from the internet, and then created and printed some basic manuscripts with a copy-pasted Latin script. The “Just Married” sign and the “Kennedy Family Tree” were made from poster board and a sharpie to keep with the cheap, DIY feel of the nightclub scene. The “Kennedy Family Tree” was inspired by the recent Broadway rendition of Merrily We Roll Along.
The five lavalier microphones needed for the interview scenes went through three renditions. At first, the director and scenic designer spoke about earpieces and handheld microphones. When seeing this in action, the director decided to pivot to all actors involved in that scene wearing lavalier microphones. The style for that time was a lot clunkier than the director had envisioned, so even though they weren’t quite accurate, we decided on a smaller design without any wires attached and a perpendicular clothespin instead of the parallel pin from the first iteration. I appreciated the design change because it gave me a chance to use foam for the microphone bit and a smaller dowel that would be lighter and put less strain on the clothing.
For the party scenes, we bought plastic wine and champagne glasses to fill with glitter glue, Mod Podge, and paint for the different liquid looks we were trying to achieve. Because there needed to be so many, the design team opted for cheaper options when creating the drinks. My favorite process was creating the fake food for “The Blob” scene. The director wanted it to look rich and decadent as both a nod to Gussie’s line about drinking and gorging on sweets, but also to emphasize how out of place the three friends are. We didn’t have any horderves already made, so with inspiration from Dolce&Amaro, a bakery in downtown Greensboro, I replicated the look of fruit tarts, puff pastries, and macaroons. The main components of these desserts were created from model magic and a wire brush for adding texture, but salt dough, newspaper, masking tape, and paint were also required. (See process below for more detail.)
In addition to being the props artisan, I also assisted with the sound tech for this show. I had previously sound-designed “9 to 5” with a live orchestra and ten over-the-ear microphones which gave me the necessary knowledge to assist on this show with a similar set-up. The sound tech was new to our process, and so I aided in mic tests, board set-up, monitor speaker hook-up and testing, and frequency testing for the microphones.
I appreciate shows that call for a lot of attention to detail because something as small as stickers on suitcases can tell a great story. I’m excited to continue working on shows with this same level, and greater, of attention to detail.
I help with the Greensboro College department's show photography. To see more show photos from "Merrily We Roll Along" and other collegiate productions, click below.
Director: David Schram
Choreographer: Ashley Hyers
Music Director: Blake Moran
S.M.: Danielle A.
A.S.M.: Kirra H.
T.D.: Sean S.
Set Designer: Sean S.
Lighting Designer: Sean S.
Scenic Artist(s): Arabella M. & Jordan I.
Prop Artisan/Mgr.: Jordan I.
Asst. Props: Caitlin Q.
Sound Designer: David Slifer.
Sound Op.: David S.
2nd Audio Technician: Jordan I.
Lighting Op.: Danielle A.
Spot Light Op(s): Gerrod W. & Caitlin Q.
501/Production Lab Asst.: Brandyn Myers
Costume Designer: Jerica R.
Costume AD: Zani BJ.
Wardrobe: Casey P.
House Mgr.: Magnus C.
Copyright © 2024 Jordan Ingersoll’s Theatrical & Artistic Portfolio - All Rights Reserved.
Powered by GoDaddy Website Builder
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.