Conference of the Birds by Sholeh Wolpe

Directed by Cecilie Keenan

Asst. Director – Anyah Randolph

Stage Manager – Luke Harmon

Scenic Designer – Rachel Seabaugh

Asst. Scenic Designer – Eric Brockmeier

Lighting Designer – Aidan Murphy

Costume Designer – Danielle Reinhardt

Technical Director – Elizabeth Ahles

Paint Charge – Skylar Revell

Props Master – Dave Doherty

Asst. Props Master – Rachel Seabaugh

A Tree of Trash

Conference of the Birds had a concept surrounding a dystopian world where everything is made of trash, including the props the actors interact with. The major project included on this show was the creation of a large tree branch that hung in the middle of the space.

I came up with the above plan to create the tree. I started with a frame made of chicken wire, which was then stuffed with leftover paper we had in the building. We then sprayed expanding foam into the frame in order to make it completely solid. After shaving that down with a hot wire, I covered the tree branch in strips of cardboard, making sure to layer lots of different textures. We then made around 200 strands of trash scraps and gel pieces and attached these in space with spider wire.

Here you can see the pictures of that process, and also the tree in the final show!