“We wanted to make a world where rock music could feel natural but be able to seamlessly transform for the ballads. A lot of the visual energy of the show is in the movement from big visual moments, where the whole stage is filled with action, to small intimate moments. With only six actors in the show, simplicity seemed appropriate, but we snuck in a little spectacle. The set, I hope, works as a kind of playground for the actors, giving the audience just enough to understand the story but leaves a bit for the imagination.”

-Next to Normal set designer Mark Wendland

(Source: roryomalley)

faeriequeen:

#i don’t know how he manages to make me feel like i’ve never heard it before #but he DOES

^ Applicable to Jamie and ALL Shakespeare speeches. <3

Tony Nominees: Andrew Garfield

there-will-be-might:

• attended the University of Texas where he received a B.F.A. in scenery design
• attended the California Institute for the Arts where he received a master’s degree, also in scenic design
• toured with Rachel Rosenthal, a performance artist, for 5 years
• In 2007 he received the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Musical for Spring Awakening
• In 2008 he received the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Play
• and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design for The 39 Steps
• In 2010 he received his third Tony Award (for light design of a musical) for his work on American Idiot
• Other productions include Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Passing Strange, Next to Normal, the 2009 revival of Hair, Take Me Out, Everyday Rapture
• solo shows for Anna Deveare Smith, Eve Ensler, Eric Bogosian and John Leguizamo
• concerts for Audra McDonald, Patti Lupone, Sandra Bernhard and The Magnetic Fields
• worked at many regional and off-Broadway theaters and operas, including:The Public Theater, Roundabout Theatre, Second Stage Theatre, Encores!, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Playwrights Horizons, P.S. 122, Steppenwolf Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, New York City Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, and Houston Grand Opera.
• In 2009 he received two Tony nominations for lighting Hair and Next To Normal
• In 2010, he was nominated for his work on American Idiot.
• 2002 he received an Obie Award for Sustained Excellence
• and in 1998 and 2007 he received Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Lighting of an Off-Broadway production.
• He received the Henry Hewes Design Award in 2007 for lighting Spring Awakening
• and in 2010 for Hair
• and in 2011 for American Idiot

so that’s a BFA in scenic design, a master’s in scenic design from CalArts, three tony awards, 3 tony nominations a drama desk award, an obie award, 2 lucille lortel awards, and 3 henry hewes awards.

basically as impressive if not more so than james franco’s degrees/renaissance-ness.

this is just not okay. he did lighting for next to normal and american idiot, easily the two best lighting designs i’ve seen, the former being my favorite musical.

what i really like though is how clearly he incorporates lighting into the scenic design. it’s easy to believe he studied it. but yeah. basically he’s fantastic. also he wears a sassy scarf.