"Nine" The Musical

It's Showtime!
March 30 & 31, 2007
Wheatland Chili High School
Scottsville NY

Nine is a musical written by Arthur Kopit with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston.

Based on an Italian play by Mario Fratti inspired by Frederico Fellini's autobiographical film "8 1/2," it focuses on film director Guido Contini, savoring his most recent (and greatest) success but facing his fortieth birthday and a midlife crisis blocking his creative impulses and entangling him in a web of romantic difficulties in early-1960's Venice. He retreats to a spa to regain his clarity. Among the women in his life are wife Luisa, producer Liliane La Fleur, mistress Carla, leading lady Claudia, and his deceased mother.

"Nine" Paint Part Two

In my book there is only ONE brand of scenic paint. ROSCO Idding's Deep Colors. It comes concentrated so you can mix it with water to any viscosity without losing the brilliance of the color. Very economical. Patti C. did most of the set decorating.

"Nine" Scenic Elements

We added the three windows (nod to Magritte) the three arches (nod to DeChirico) and the three columns. We also added the dais downstage.















The columns are 16" diameter Sonotubes cut to height. They're a bit pricey but can be used over and over again.

"Nine" Set Painting - Primer

Bare wood needs a good primer base coat. We used the water based Kilz2. It's the best stuff to use when there are knots in the plywood. You can use "Tough Prime" but it costs twice as much as Kilz. Thanks to Patti, Melissa, and Maddi.

"Nine" Tier Platforms

I used eight sheets of 4'x8', 3/4 inch plywood for the tier platforms. Shop around. I got a pretty good deal. I designed the tiers so the plywood would be cut and fit almost like a giant Tangram puzzle (remember those?). Zero scrap.

"Nine" Tier Framing

These three photos show the framing. Technical theater is all about illusion. Everything is fake, made to look real. Scenery, walls, doors, windows, backdrops, and props. Stage scenery is "here today, gone tomorrow" so it must be built economically with good quality materials.















The ONLY exception to this rule is the construction of platforms and stairs. These weight-bearing structures MUST be built for real. I used 2x6's and 2x8's, 16 inches on center. It was very important to make it feel and sound solid. The audience should get the feeling the actors really are walking on tiled floors and not hollow sounding plywood.

"Nine" Set Construction Part One

The basic design layout was roughed in with masking tape on the stage floor. This gave me the opportunity to check size, scale and proportions. One of many challenges of the production was to accommodate enough area for choreography. It is a very small stage measuring 48 feet wide and only 28 feet deep.

"Nine" Set Design

This is the original scale model of the set for the musical "Nine". I spent about a month designing the set. The Nine script called for an Italian spa of marble and tile with a Magritte and DeChirico influence.