ZACH Theatre – An Austin Theatre Blog

The set of GOD OF CARNAGE, Photo by Michael Raiford

Set designer Michael Raiford did an amazing job designing the set of God of Carnage, drawing inspiration from the arty sensibilities of the character Veronica Novak in the play – and modern artist Cy Twombly, known for his large-scale freestyle scribbles on canvas.

Michael Raiford notes, “Cy Twombly seemed the perfect fit to embrace a space that was about an art aficionado and adults acting like children. He was sometimes know as ‘the scribbler’. This interpretation of Twombly pushes the childlike qualities of ’scribbling’ on a wall.”

Hilariously played by Lauren Lane, Veronica is the victim’s mother who works part-time in an art history bookshop. She has a collection of coffee table art books, which become seminal props in the play, and surely Cy Twombly would be in her catalog.

Lauren Lane and Thomas Ward as Veronica and Michael Novak in ZACH's GOD OF CARNAGE

Raiford’s set design was an homage to Twombly, who passed away in July of this year after a career spanning from the 1950s. Some of Twombly’s best known works are from the 1960s where he practiced lowercase “e”s on canvas. He blurred the lines between painting and drawing, and though it may look like scribbles to some, each line or smudge was painted with its own history and to Twombly was proper subject matter.

Veronica tells the other couple, “I contributed to a collection on the civilization of Sheba, based on the excavations that were restarted at the end of the Ethiopian-Eritrean war,” and Raiford’s inspirational use of Twombly in his set design also reflects the historical sensibilities in Twombly’s work.

"Apollo and the Artist" by Cy Twombly

Late in Twombly’s career (he painted through 2010), many of his paintings and works on paper moved into “romantic symbolism”, and their titles were meant to be visually interpreted through shapes and forms and words.

Twombly often quoted the poet Stéphane Mallarmé, as well as many classical myths and allegories in his works. Examples of this are his “Apollo and The Artist” and a series of eight drawings consisting solely of inscriptions of the word “VIRGIL”.

In a 1994 retrospective, curator Kirk Varnedoe described Twombly’s work as “influential among artists, discomfiting to many critics and truculently difficult not just for a broad public, but for sophisticated initiates of postwar art as well.” After acquiring Twombly’s Three Studies from the Temeraire, painted in 1998–99, the Director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales said “sometimes people need a little bit of help in recognizing a great work of art that might be a bit unfamiliar.”

When Veronica’s books are … soiled by an over-the-top incident in the play, she takes great care (and that’s an understatement) to preserve the art books, a collection of interest that is very telling about her character and the grave concern she has about a playground skirmish involving her kid.

Who knew so much went into a set? Raiford is one of dozens of artists that contributed to the artful God of Carnage, written up by the Austin American-Statesman as “box office gold,” and called “wickedly funny” by Austin Culture Map.

Thanks to Kirk Tuck for all the great production photos!

Spring Awakening at ZACH - Set rendering by designer Michael Raiford

The Tony Award-winning rock musical Spring Awakening is ZACH’s 2011-12 Season opener next week – but don’t expect your typical Broadway musical.

A story about teenagers exploring the inner and outer bounds of sexuality, this explosive new musical was adapted from a once-banned, controversial 19^th Century German play by Frank Wedekind of the same title. And, as with most anything that was ever banned, how could it not be scandalously delectable?

The masterful Steven Sater adapted and wrote the play, and ubertalented songwriter Duncan Sheik, famed singer of  “Barely Breathing,” wrote the score. “Best Direction” and “Best Score” – not to mention “Best Musical” – were among the eight Tony nods the show won in 2007.

ZACH is now bringing the Texas regional premiere to Austin. As final rehearsals are held this week under the direction of Michael Baron, who is Artistic Director of Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, it’s easy to see why The New York Times wrote “Broadway may never be the same again!”

This is a monumentally explosive score and script, and the frank and vivid expression of teenage (and adult) self-discovery makes Spring Awakening unlike any musical you’ve ever seen.

Brace yourselves for an experience you will never forget. Vibrant, lively, provocative, tender and ultimately entertaining, Spring Awakening is a phenomenon – with an utterly brilliant rock score – that, like the musical Rent, unites a whole new generation of theatregoers with a generation that, though they may never admit it, knows these issues far too well.

Check back on ZACH’s blog for more behind-the-scenes photos, music and video through the run: http://www.zachtheatre.org/blog. Tickets to Spring Awakening and all other ZACH shows can be purchased online 24/7 or with a box office representative at 512-476-0541 x1.

Verity Branco plays Mimi Marquez in ZACH Theatre's RENT, Photo by Kirk R. Tuck www.kirktuck.com

A new Mimi Márquez moved into Alphabet City this week: Austin actress Verity Branco joins the cast of ZACH Theatre’s production of RENT as the sexy and street smart exotic dancer, whose 19-year-old wiles catch the attention of more than just her love interest Roger.

In fact, Spike Gillespie, author of the blog “Spike Speaks,” caught Verity in one of her first performances last weekend, and published a hilarious and insightful review of the show this week. Spike was floored: “She totally delivers!”

The whole cast “sang and danced their hearts out, the casting choices are excellent.”

This is Verity’s first show at ZACH, but she’s no stranger to Austin or the stage. A recent M.F.A. Acting graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, Verity’s been performing in theatres around the country – from local productions with Secondhand Theatre in Re: Psyche, TUTTO Theatre in Black Snow and An Ideal Husband at Austin Shakespeare to a regional production of Blasting Holes in the Night with The Bitter Truth Theatre in Los Angeles, Verity’s got a host of acting credits under her belt.

Seducing audiences for years with her intense concentration and striking good looks, Verity’s at home with her newest role as Mimi. Infamously a temptress, Mimi, an employee of the bondage bar The Cat Scratch Club, shows she’s as soft as she is tough over the course of the show. Mimi and Roger’s romance forms a core of the iconic rock musical.

From the second Verity takes the stage in this role, she brings a new dimension to her character. In the intimate, loft-like set (designed by Michael Raiford) the story unfolds in front, above, behind, and around the audience bringing immediacy and urgency to the story of New York bohemians.

Tickets to this rock opera phenom are selling quickly, and many performances are already sold out. Catch Verity and the rest of the incredible cast live Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2:30pm on ZACH’s intimate Kleberg Stage.

Tickets are available online and with our box office, open Mon.-Sat. from 12 noon to 7pm, at (512) 476-0541, x1. Walk-up tickets are also available one hour before curtain, and students (with a valid ID) can buy $15 student rush tickets at the door. Advance student tickets are available for $20, and general admission starts at $25.

Viva la Vie Boheme!

Special thanks to Kirk R. Tuck for production photography.

Seasoned set designer Michael Raiford brings unique holiday cheer to Austin this year with the ultimate holiday pop-up book, a brand-spanking new Robert Sabuda inspired set design for Rockin’ Christmas Party.  Happy Christmas:

The Ultimate Holiday Pop-Up Book: A New Set for the Rockinest Party of the Year

Turns out, Robert Sabuda also has a gift on his site: Create your own pop-up art.