Macbeth
By William Shakespeare
Adapted by Taipei American School for IASAS Production
Directed by Cory Edwards
Sets, lights, and Costumes by Kevin B. Held
Telling this story in 45 minutes with only 8 performers is a huge challenge in a festival environment. We used traditional Scottish tartan colors to distinguish family groups and give the audience a visual clue about loyalties. We combined that with a punk/goth approach to the story to play up the dark sides. Instead of traditional swords and knives, we used pipes that clanged together. Chains bound everyone to play their roles and with sinister masks on the back of their heads, the three witches had two faces.
YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU
By George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart
Directed by Cory Edwards
Sets, lights, and Costumes by Kevin B. Held
The Sycamore Family represents all of our families. The design was inspired by the recent Broadway revival. Our production featured an ensemble of 14 extras who played office workers, firemen, and police in this crazy comedy.
Fiddler on the Roof
Music by Jerry Bock, Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein
Taipei American School
Directed by Cory Edwards
Sets, Lights, and costumes by Kevin B. Held
This classic musical is one of my all time favorites. I enjoyed Boris Aronson's original designs grounded in and inspired by Chagall's paintings, but they do not speak to today's audience in my opinion. I used a simple, but realistic color palette for the costumes of the people of Anatevka.
Love Sick and Montezuma's Gold
Melodrama by Daris Howard
Taipei American School
Directed by Cory Edwards
Sets, Lights, and Costumes by Kevin B. Held
This wacky show was fun for the performers and the whole audience. The larger than life characters included a cook who couldn't make anything but hard biscuits, an evil villain trying to steal the gold, and a ranchhand who loves the damsel in distress.