Stories from the Professional Theatre Training Program: Sebastian Marziali

Our Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) offers financial support for unique and flexible training with a chosen mentor in any theatrical discipline (except performance.)

Sebastian Marziali trained in scenography with Trevor Schwellnus at Aluna Theatre in Toronto

(December 6, 2016)  Though my PTTP grant is done my exploration into scenography, and what can be conveyed through the environment of performance, has only just begun. Last time I wrote was just before the RUTAS panamericanas Festival. Trevor and I were accommodating all the different shows into our festival plots and preparing for what would be an insanely packed two weeks.

The new  secondary grid

Before going any further I have to acknowledge Charissa Wilcox our Production Manager for the festival. Charissa made it possible for everything to run smoothly and really re-inspired me to always see any challenge as possible until proven otherwise. Also the whole festival team—although this was my third time involved with the RUTAS panamericanas Festival, it was my first time in a new role and having a great team around made that infinitely less terrifying.

Now back to my journey in this madness, although each show is ultimately at the helm of their own show’s design being on top of things as a festival designer really means knowing the space and possibilities inside and out so that when things don’t plot out as they did on paper (and they will!) one is able to visualize and problem solve within a tight timeframe to make everything work out for touring companies. It was really rewarding to be able to put the learning I’ve been doing to the test in both languages having to be on the ball in both Spanish and English. Though my focus during the festival was to be mainly on lights I ended up taking charge in problem solving a lot of set and rigging particularly for our giant dance puppet show from New York’s Loco7. It was really satisfying to see things up and running after having to make repairs or adjustments on the fly just hours and sometimes minutes beforehand. It was a completely new experience of the festival and I noticed myself both their and lately at other shows walking into the space and immediately looking up into the grid or at each set element surmising its construction.

Sebastian's footlight units in action

Although I thought things after the festival would get calmer it’s been anything but; Trev and I have been working on a few different projects all at different phases of development. I feel spoiled being able to work in Aluna’s studio where there is a decent setup and the possibility to really experiment with lights and projection right from the beginning of a project. Just recently for a piece that has been in development for some time and is just starting to bring in design questions, Trevor and I built a whole secondary grid in a night at Aluna to test out a concept the next day. It was amazing to see the excitement and play from the actor/collaborators the next day. As I write this I am also working on my first fully solo design for a show called the White Light Follies happening at Revival Bar and I built myself a nice pair of footlight units that I am excited to use for many things.

I am looking forward to all the new discoveries and explorations that are coming my way and I want to say thank you to Theatre Ontario for helping me start this new chapter in my artistic journey.

- Sebastian Marziali

Related Reading:

• Sebastian Marziali’s first report
• Sebastian Marziali’s second report 

The next application deadline for the Professional Theatre Training Program is March 1, 2017.

Learn more about Theatre Ontario's Professional Theatre Training Program

Theatre Ontario’s Professional Theatre Training Program is funded by the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.

Stories from the Professional Theatre Training Program: Sebastian Marziali

Our Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) offers financial support for unique and flexible training with a chosen mentor in any theatrical discipline (except performance.)

Sebastian Marziali is training in scenography with Trevor Schwellnus at Aluna Theatre in Toronto.

(September 28, 2016)  I am now halfway through my scenography residency with Trevor Schwellnus and already I am shifting the way I look and talk about the stage. I’m noticing new details in the work I see and making a different set of considerations when building new work. I feel humbled as I am challenged to learn to work in a new way with a new set of tools.

So far we’ve spent a great deal of time looking at/ discussing lights and how they interact with the actors and elements on stage. Exploring the balancing act required in building festival plots for RUTAS panamericanas, trying to meet the needs of multiple shows and events happening in three spaces simultaneously. The biggest challenge so far is facilitating two very tech and rigging heavy shows sharing the same space and performing  on the same night with only a couple of hours to completely switch over the space. Thankfully between Trevor and our super star PM Charissa Wilcox the festival and companies are in the most capable hands, their ability to find solutions the moment the problem arises is incredible. There is a tremendous amount of work that is put into satisfying the needs of established touring shows whilst finding effective ways of sharing equipment and space. There’s only so much room in the grid, for hanging both lights and rigging, and only so many fixtures available within a budget. It’s a game of visualising and interpreting intentions to be able to achieve the vision of each show and have the companies walk into a space that is ready to house that vision within a limited amount of time. 

I’m also coming to appreciate further the work that it takes to make technical adjustments. When an actor, writer or director wants to change the business on stage it is a matter of playing in the moment and finding a simple solution but when it comes to the space itself one has to have the forethought to build in contingencies where possible because you can only adjust so much once the tech actually comes in. This is especially true in indie theatre where we can’t always just pick up another light or spend another hour on hang and focus. We have to be more that much more prepared from the outset when we don’t have a grid full of moving lights and a massive budget. 

I am super thankful for the opportunity to be doing this work with Trevor and expanding my theatrical scope. I am understanding the stage in new ways and it is incredibly refreshing. With the festival only a week away I am super excited but also nervous as hell walking into a total trial by fire. We’ll see what more I will have learned when I come out the other side.

Related Reading:

• Sebastian Marziali’s first report

The next application deadline for the Professional Theatre Training Program is March 1, 2017.

Learn more about Theatre Ontario's Professional Theatre Training Program

Theatre Ontario’s Professional Theatre Training Program is funded by the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.

Stories from the Professional Theatre Training Program: Sebastian Marziali

Our Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) offers financial support for unique and flexible training with a chosen mentor in any theatrical discipline (except performance.)

Sebastian Marziali will train in scenography with Trevor Schwellnus at Aluna Theatre in Toronto

(August 8, 2016) I am looking forward to start work with Trevor Schwellnus exploring the art of scenography. As I begin, we are jumping right into things as we develop the festival plot for RUTAS panamericanas running October 5-16 where I will be Assistant Lighting Designer. From there we will be looking at the design for new Aluna works in progress and a variety of shows that Trevor has lined up as an independent designer.

I’ve worked with Trevor in the past focused on directing but questions of design were always central in what we were working on. As I engaged more and more with Aluna, in particular designing surtitles for a few of their shows, I became more curious about taking a deeper look at design. I have always had an interest in design due to a background in the visual arts and I am always moved by Trevor’s designs in particular. His work makes clear to me that the physical environment in which a performance exists is of equal importance to every other aspect on stage. When executed effectively the lighting and set-design of a piece exists as another character that inspires and responds to the actors on stage.

I am really excited to be able to dedicate the time and attention to really understand an aspect of theatre which has always enticed me and for which I have many theatrical questions. Trevor’s work inspires me to look at the theatre from a different angle and I can think of no one better to help teach me the technical aspects, which I lack, but more importantly push me towards the artistic questions that can be asked using design as a basis. I am walking in with enthusiasm and a hunger to really dig into a new outlook and set of skills that I will carry forward into the work that I do.

The next application deadline for the Professional Theatre Training Program is October 3, 2016.

Learn more about Theatre Ontario's Professional Theatre Training Program

Theatre Ontario’s Professional Theatre Training Program is funded by the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.