Theatre Faculty Chosen to Design in D.C.

Apr 30, 2013

My Fair Lady, 2007Christian Boy, associate professor of communication studies and theatre art, will be in Washington, D.C., this week as the scenic designer for the Kennedy Center’s Spring Gala, "My Fair Lady in Concert."

Boy was asked to be the scenic designer for this production because he has worked with the show’s director on past productions, including a staging of "My Fair Lady" in California in 2007.

As scenic designer, Boy’s work started last October. He’s been in frequent contact with a scene shop in Baltimore, multiple playhouses in the D.C. area and the Music Circus in California to build, borrow and ship all of the scenic elements needed for this production. And to top it off, nearly all of his work happened from Moorhead.

Scheduling all of these pieces, he says, can get a little tricky.

This staged concert is different from traditional theatre because it is a condensed version of the show and is performed only once, as a fundraiser for the Kennedy Center. All of the musical numbers will be performed (including choreography) but each setting has to permanently exist on stage, eliminating any time-consuming scene changes. Plus, the full orchestra sits on stage and must be visible to the audience.

Because of the high demand for stage space, Boy had to be conscious of which design elements and ideas were vital to the show and which could be eliminated. Distilling these elements, he says, is a lesson that he’ll definitely remember when he designs shows in the future.

Striking a balance between his commitments to the college and his professional design presence is also important, he says. His first priority is to the students, but that doesn’t always mean staying in close proximity to Fargo-Moorhead.

“I have to balance the time I spend with them and the professional experiences I have and can bring back,” Boy says. “I’m a better professor of design because I design in the real world.”

Later this summer, Boy will also design two shows for the Black Hills Playhouse in Rapid City, S.D.

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