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I wish I was a Mechanical Engineer

Posted on by Andrew Sellen
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Ron Barth, President of Resource Furniture, demonstrates and explains their amazing line of Italian-designed space.
This video is pretty cool. I have been thinking of ways to to give set pieces dual purposes and this video validates my idea. (Thank you, Shane, for sending me this.)

Space is always an issue  in theater and even more so at The Western Stage, now that 2x4BASH will be in the mix of the main season productions. I have one piece built but still working out some mechanics  for Dog Sees God. Right now, the units have two roles within the same show. I can’t wait to talk to the other designers about their needs and how we may apply this idea to cross set pieces between shows. Space-saving furniture is key, in my mind, due to the fact that two shows are in the round, relying hugely on furniture alone to set the scene.


The Relevance of Theatre

Posted on by Andrew Sellen
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Theatre is all about exploring the human experience and computers are a major part of the modern lifestyle.  Technology has changed today’s audience tremendously due primarily to the instant access of information.  It has improved the way we produce theatre technically to meet the needs of a smarter audience.  Theatre is the ultimate social network streaming live through every brain present.  This non-physical connection between player and viewer is a give and take flow of energy feeding each other continuously.  The relevance of theatre today is more important than ever.

Theatre began as a tool to educate the masses in an entertaining way. Familiar situations and experiences were used to teach moral lessons or explain difficult concepts .  Night and day, good and evil, life and death, action and consequence. The beauty of theatre is that it has not changed much in that sense.  Contemporary plays have improved the perception of theatre, bringing the stories and characters closer to our time.  To the greater majority, however; theatre is viewed as old and stuffy.

Audience members have shifted their attention to other mediums.  They abandoned old fashion ways of thinking and living to keep up with technology.  People want to travel the world and explore themselves. They want to surf the web for information and make an impression on the digital world. Everyone is craving a connection and obsessed with the social network.  They watch movies and reality TV on their lap tops waiting to be inspired.  Although the content may be thought provoking and entertaining, it is still missing the live experience.  Human beings rely on all the senses to experience a moment and when one is missing we don’t absorb the situation completely.  We may not notice what is missing but we know that something is.  The advantage of being present is one can feel the actor’s emotions rather than simply observing and hearing the expression of the emotion.

There is something amazing about the feeling of sitting in the house anticipating the performance to come.  Sharing this experience with other audience members only validates those feelings.  When the goose bumps strike up with the orchestra and the curtain opens, the viewer is transported to a place between familiar and fantasy yet it is still a present reality.  Not Live via satellite but a live in the flesh interaction of characters at the mercy of the crowd.



16 ?’s about me

Posted on by Andrew Sellen
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Name: Andrew John Sellen Age: 32
1) Where did you grow up? San Juan Bautista, CA

2) Educational background:  The first semester right out of high school was at  West Valley College in San Jose and I got involved in the scene shop building Babes In Toy Land.  Then I moved back to the Gilroy area and enrolled at Gavilan College where acting classes led to auditioning for spring children’s theatre where we put on a show for grammar school kids.  I got hooked and went out for big fall productions and began helping with prop and set construction.  Ten years of off and on classes I finally discovered The Western Stage.  I gained incredible experience that then allowed me to work in the industry in Vegas and L.A. putting school on hold.   I would like to finish my Theatre Arts Degree.

3) What is your earliest theatre memory and how did you initially get involved?   My earliest memory must have been in 4th grade walking as a class to watch one of the Christmas shows performed at the mission in San Juan Bautista by El Teatro Campesino.  Next was in High school watching Quidam By Cirque Du Soleil in a tent set up on a San Jose parking lot.

4) Most memorable moment in theatre:   Playing Edgar in King Lear.  I came on stage in nothing but a loin cloth as Poor Tom to the roll of laughter but then return as the masked hero to defeat my brother in a real broad sword fight. Very exciting

5) Favorite ice cream flavor and why:  Coffee gelato because I love coffee and Mint chip gelato because it reminds me of my childhood.

6) What do you love most about theatre?  I get to pretend.

7) Who in the theatre/entertainment industry do you look up to? Theatre:  Theodore Michael Dolas.  He taught me most of everything I know in theatre. Entertainment:  George Lucas.  Do i really need to explain why?

8) All-time favorite play and/or musical? One play and/or musical you’ve yet to see but is next on your list?  Macbeth… oh shit! Can i say that in a theatre blog?

9) What is your guilty pleasure?  Bacon

10) Theatre wish list (shows you would like to work on in some capacity):  Any show would be great.  I just want to work.

11) If you could describe yourself with a commonly used term, phrase, or piece of equipment related to theatre, what would it be and why?  A double swivel Cheese Burrow because I am a little corny and a little bit of an ass but twice the fun as your average single rigid Cheese burrow.

12) Finish the following sentence: “If I wasn’t in theatre, I’d probably be…” filthy rich and miserable

13) Where do you see yourself in five years?   I see myself happy, balancing my family life with a career in theatre.

14) Who or what continues to inspire you as you work in the theatre?   My wife Rebecca and two sons Quest and Phoenix.

15) Where will I be able to see you/your work when I come to the BASH this year?   Master  Carpenter ; one set design in thrust and one set design in the round, and one lighting design.

16) Words to live by:   “Measure twice, cut once.”  ”It’s only paint.”