It's 2017 and we're going to Hollywood! Or at the very least, bridging the gap between theatre and film as we sit down with the man responsible for the look of the Academy Awards, the NBC Live Musicals, and over 35 Broadway shows, it's Scenic Designer Derek McLane!
Derek keeps busy on both coasts and around the world but he's with us today to give us insight into his work. He tells us about designing four years of Oscars broadcasts from how he begins the design, the unique parameters the show presents, how he embraces both grand and intimate gestures, and how he keeps it fresh from year to year.
Derek and Cory also chat about his various designs for the NBC musicals from THE SOUND OF MUSIC and how they nearly built the Alps on top of a roof on Long Island, to December's full scale backlot set for HAIRSPRAY and the months of work it took figuring out how to lay out the various sets.
Also packed into this episode are stories from Derek's work with The New Group, how he balances work and three kids, and he teaches us all about fly fishing!
Check out the episode here:
You can subscribe to in 1: the podcast on iTunes HERE.
Guest Bio:
Derek McLane's Broadway credits include NOISES OFF, FULLY COMMITTED, BEAUTIFUL, GIGI, CHINA DOLL, LIVING ON LOVE, MAN AND BOY, ANYTHING GOES, THE HEIRESS, NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT, THE BEST MAN, FOLLIES, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT EVEN TRYING, BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, RAGTIME, 33 VARIATIONS, THE PAJAMA GAME, GREASE, I AM MY OWN WIFE, and LESTAT.
Off Broadway credits include INTO THE WOODS, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, SWEET CHARITY, TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA, BURIED CHILD, THE SPOILS, STICKS AND BONES, THE LAST FIVE YEARS, A LIE OF THE MIND, RUINED, and HURLYBURLY.
He has been the production designer for the Academy Awards since 2013 as well as the NBC Live Musicals THE SOUND OF MUSIC, PETER PAN, THE WIZ and HAIRSPRAY.He was also honored with the Emmy Award for Outstanding Art Direction for the 2014 Academy Awards. Other awards include the 1997 and 2004 OBIE Award; 2004, 2005, 2007 Lortel Award; 2011 Drama Desk Award, and the 2015, and the 2016 Art Directors Guild Award.
About in 1: the podcast
You know those conversations you have at the bar after a long day of tech?...The moments where you sit with your friends and colleagues and discuss what you love about being a designer, but also what drives you mad? Imagine getting to listen in on those conversations with some of the most fascinating, celebrated, and sought after theatrical designers working today. That is what in 1: the podcast strives to be. A long-form, uncensored, candid chat with designers of all walks of life talking about their lives in the theatre. No topic is off limits. From life on the road to life in a Broadway theatre. From trying to get noticed in New York to making a splash in regional theatre. You'll never know what to expect from each episode. You might learn about a designer's latest inspiration, or how they got started, their most embarrassing moment, or their favorite collaborator. Hosted by real life (we think) designer Cory Pattak, in 1: the podcast offers unprecedented access into the world of theatrical design, direct from the industry's most interesting movers and shakers. All the world's a stage, so draw back the curtain and come meet the magic makers who bring those worlds to life.
Website: in1podcast.com
Facebook: in1podcast
Twitter: @in1podcast
Videos