Christopher David Gauthier
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  • HIGHLIGHTS
  • Design Projects
    • 12th Night
    • A Christmas Carol
    • The Boy Friend
    • Cold Comfort
    • Fourplay: New Work by Excited Writers
    • Ga Ting
    • Gruesome Playground Injuries
    • Hardline Productions >
      • Redpatch
    • Herr Beckmann's People
    • Honest Fishmongers >
      • Hamlet
      • King Lear
      • Measure for Measure
    • The Illusion
    • It's A Wondeful Life: a musical adaptation
    • King Charles III
    • The Lawyer Show 2010 - AS YOU LIKE IT
    • The Lawyer Show 2011 - A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM
    • The Madness Of George III
    • The Matchmaker of Montreal
    • Munscha Mia
    • The Priory
    • Proof
    • Romeo and Juliet
    • Spinning You Home
    • Treasure Island
    • The Winters Tale
  • Resume
PictureAntigonus (James Elston) the hand crafted birches behind him - photo by David Cooper
The Winter's Tale
by William Shakespeare
November 19th - December 13th, 2009 at Studio 58 : Langara College


DIRECTOR Anita Rochon
SET DESIGNER Christopher David Gauthier
COSTUME DESIGNER Marina Szijarto
LIGHTING DESIGNER Jonathan Ryder
MUSIC COMPOSER/DIRECTOR Alison Jenkins
PRODUCTION MANAGER Carol Chrisjohn
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Bruce Kennedy
CARPENTER Robin Richardson
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR STUDIO 58 Kathryn Shaw

Cast:
LEONTES Mike Wasko
and the acting students of Studio 58

A cold war Russia (Sicilia) and a 70's trailer park in Canada (Bohemia) became the settings in Anita Rochon's hip take on The Winter's Tale.  Winter birches in a kind of forced perspective became the basis of the design serving as trees or pillars as required, with cloth banners providing removable walls to quickly reconfigure Sicilia for the many scene changes, while green gingham "curtains" rolled across to top the trees in Bohemia. The "clowns" home and the base of the festivities in Bohemia was a "canned ham", a trailer (again in forced perspective) complete with would burnt sign "The Shepherds". The trees were hand crafted and painted by Studio 58 students from sonotubes, wood, and wallpaper. The dedication of the students (mostly non-production students with little to no experience in set/prop/costume construction) at Studio 58 never fails to excite and impress me. 
Of course it helps when the technical support provided by Bruce Kennedy, Carol Chrisjohn and returning grad Robin Richardson is so high. 
(Thanks to Artistic Director Kathryn Shaw for having the confidence in me while I was still a student to entrust me with this project - I will always be grateful.)

Photos by the designer except as noted by David Cooper.
David Cooper Photography

Please click on a photo to see it full sized.

"Director Anita Rochon, costumer Marina Szijarto, set designer Christopher David Gauthier and lighting designer Jonathan Ryder all work in perfect harmony transforming Sicilia into the oppressive cold war Soviet Russia with its blacks, greys and touches of reds, and a Bohemia full of life with its hippie love-in, complete with camper van..." - Mark Robins Gay Vancouver
"The Winter's Tale" bare stage
"The Winter's Tale" bare stage
Mike Wasko as Leontes "shoots" the bear (upstage behind the scrim) - photo by David Cooper
Sicilia, top of show (Mike Wasko and Studio 58 acting students) -photo by David Cooper
Sicilia, "the trial" (Andrea Yu, Melissa Dionisio, Mike Wasko and Studio 58 acting students)
Sicilia (Michelle Johnson, Melanie Desbiens and Studio 58 acting students) - photo by David Cooper
Sicilia, "the arrest" (Mike Wasko and Studio 58 acting students)
Sicilia (Melissa Dionisio, Jason Clift, Mike Wasko and Michelle Johnson)
Building "The Winter's Tale" at Studio 58
Set Model of "The Winter's Tale"/Bohemia
Close-up of "The Canned Ham"/trailer
The "model" comes to life.
Bohemia (Studio 58 acting students)
Bohemia
Bohemia (Studio 58 acting students)
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