STAGE DESIGN + PROPS + POSTER DESIGN
THE ADOPTION
World premiere at the Montreal Fringe Festival - June 2022
World premiere at the Montreal Fringe Festival - June 2022
Written and directed by Mael F. Cheff (Winner - Spirit of Fringe 2022)
The Adoption is a warm-hearted queer comedy, in which a young trans person desires to adopt the child of their now tragically deceased friend, a decision that ripples through their close community, highlighting the challenges and richness of free association and mutual aid.
With the intention of bringing more queer stories and characters to the stage, Mael F. Cheff presented this play about chosen family, as their debut piece. It premiered at the St. Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival, June 9th to 19th, at the Mission Santa Cruz.
Already being close collaborators and creative partners, I joined Mael on his project shortly after he was selected to be on the Festival in late April. With as little as 6 weeks before the premiere and an economical budget, I tackled my first project as a stage designer + props maker.
The whole story is taking place in a kitchen. It is a hilarious comedy, and the characters made me think of the ways in which we still carry our child selves into adulthood. I immediately thought of the toy kitchenettes that felt so big and exciting as a kid. In briefing, we had also asked ourselves questions about Vaudeville and Drag Theater heritages, and how it felt integral to the work that Mael was inspired to bring forth.
So, a toy kitchen, and make it queer... I did have this neon pink paint on hand already...
The wooden structure for the kitchenette was designed by me and built by Morgane Groussier and Flash, with the gracious support of Les Affûtés. The bulk of the set was made of cardboard and painted by me.
Photo credit: Emelia Hellman
The art prints are by artist Genevieve Darling at Lovestruck Prints
The art prints are by artist Genevieve Darling at Lovestruck Prints
★ Starring Eve Parker Finley, Amanda McQueen and Nicky Fournier ★
Photo Credit: Emelia Hellman
Photo credit: Emelia Hellman
I also designed the poster, which had to be created and delivered in two days because of this year's tight deadlines at the festival. Just went for a simple and straightforward concept and execution.
Thank you ! ★