My early work as a set designer. Here are some models and drawings for produced and unproduced works.
Life of Galileo
Life of Galileo is regarded as one of the German playwrights Bertolt Brecht’s greatest masterpieces. The play follows legendary astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei in the latter part of his life and his struggle to prove the Copernican theory of a heliocentric universe. At the onset of the action, Galileo is a scientist and a teacher of certain renown in Renaissance Italy. He builds his own telescope, the first of its kind in Italy, and — through its use — discovers a revolutionary astronomical breakthrough. Copernicus’ theory — that it is the Sun, not the Earth, that is the center of the Universe — has long been known but never believed. When Galileo discovers the four moons of Jupiter, however, he knows he has found Copernicus’ long-sought proof. Galileo’s claims are pitted against the Catholic Church and all of the Pope’s authority, who see these findings, and the man who claims them as a threat to their religion and status. Through Galileo’s struggles against the Church, Brecht is able to show the audience a humanizing and compelling portrait of the great scientist, torn between his scientific principles and his desire for a comfortable life that compliance with authority affords.
La Traviata
It is no exaggeration to say that La Traviata is the world’s best-known and most loved opera. A connoisseur of human emotion, Verdi’s music so precisely conveys the many shades of emotion that the feelings seep unimpeded into the heart of the listener, forcing one to live through the story along with the heroine.
La Traviata is based on the famous novel The Lady of the Camellias by Alexandre Dumas, fils. Contemporaries claimed that the novel was a fictionalized account of the real story of the author’s relationship with Marie Duplessis. With her intelligence and beauty, the young courtesan conquered Parisian high society as well as the young Dumas himself, who was drawn to her for her sincerity and the beauty of her soul. And though the word ‘traviata’ means, in translation from the Italian, ‘fallen woman, the opera La Traviata is a story about how a person is elevated by love. This contrast serves as a foothold in the whirlpool of feelings that immerses the audience in this wonderful performance.
I am a graduate of Ithaca College with a degree in Art History and Theater history. Double major. Yikes. What do I do for a living, you might ask? Well, I’ve worked in television, movie, and theater productions; for two years as Executive in Charge of Development at Bona Dea Productions, two years as Production Executive of The Weisberger Theatre Group, one year as an Assistant Producer at Zollo Productions, as an Art Director of “Out of the Box,” Walt Disney’s critically acclaimed daily series produced for The Disney Channel and most recently a Project Manager for my brother’s construction company.
Over the years, I have worked in various capacities on numerous television, feature film, and theatrical productions. Highlights include the films: Robert Redford’s “Quiz Show (with Ralph Fiennes, Rob Marrow),” Alan Parker’s “Mississippi Burning (with Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe),” “Naked in New York (with Eric Stoltz, Kathleen Turner, Whoopi Goldberg),” “The Substance of Fire (with Sarah Jessica Parker, Timothy Hutton, Tony Goldwyn);” the plays: “Angels in America,” David Mamet’s “Oleanna,” and “Down the Road” (with Eric Stoltz).
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