While hamming it up for photos around town and on campus, Wendy White said she felt propelled into a scene from the movie Greencard.
White, Jonathan Robinson and Steve Lyon posed as bosom buddies to create the images for the gigantic 24-by-48-foot backdrop in the University Resident Theatre Company's musical Merrily We Roll Along.
"I really did feel like I was in Greencard -- like when Andie MacDowell and Gerard Depardieu posed for photos they said they took on their vacation in the Alps. We established a past that never existed. You have to make up a circumstance under which the three of you would have done something like that," said White (junior-theatre arts) who plays the novelist Mary.
The photographers arranged the three lead actors in recognizable scenes such as a local bar, a skating rink and a costume party. They wanted to convey the sense that the characters were best friends, said Steve Lyon who plays the lyricist Charley.
"(The photographs) are supposed to be from a span of 15 to 20 years, but we did them in a span of three or four hours on a Sunday afternoon," said Lyon (graduate-theatre arts).
This set provides the specific environmental and symbolic needs to help the actors communicate the playwright's themes, said Daniel Robinson, assistant professor of theatre arts.
The successful movie producer and composer, Frank, played by Jonathan Robinson, looks back on his life to examine his relationships and artistic integrity, which he compromised for money and fame, Daniel Robinson said.
The musical's structure, a series of flashbacks and memories with each scene taking a step back in time, generated the idea to literally surround Frank in snapshot memories like a scrapbook, Daniel Robinson added.
"I think it helps the audience understand the tragedy of lost friendship," White said, adding that it triggers the audience into perceiving the depth of their relationship beyond the brief scenes.
But creating the backdrop and portals that frame the stage was more complex and time-consuming than the flash of a camera.
Photocopying the black and white collage of photos onto acetate, Daniel Robinson said he projected and enlarged the 12-by-24-inch copy onto a muslin cloth the size of the entire back of the stage. An eight-person crew painted a light gray base on the backdrop and filled in the images with dark gray to look like a real photo. The frame on which the crew painted the collage was too small to stretch the entire cloth, he added.
Although having such a large image looming over him may be daunting, Lyon said he tries not to think about his photo behind him while he's acting.
"It's challenging trying to live up to this bigger than life image," Lyon said.
But White said she initially had qualms about posing for the photos.
"At first, I wasn't nuts about the idea of my picture being 10-feet tall on the back of the set because I don't think I photograph well," White added.
But the backdrops and portals fit in with the rest of the abstract set, which has no specific time period or style, Daniel Robinson said. All of the set pieces are on wheels, which the cast members roll onto stage as they enter a scene, he added.
Note:
-- Merrily We Roll Along plays at 8 p.m. Feb. 19 and 20 and 22-26 at The Playhouse Theatre in the Arts Building. Shows will be at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Feb. 27.
