This season, we’ve been enjoying sets designed by students themselves! Twelfth Night’s final show is today, and to celebrate the run, we’re excited introduce you to our student set designer, Kara Fagerstrom!
My name is Kara Fagerstrom and I am a rising high school junior. Outside of Encore, most of my time in the last few years has been devoted to two youth circuses. I especially enjoyed performing on trapeze, aerials and stilts.
Encore: Describe your experience as student set designer for Twelfth Night. What are your responsibilities and how long is the process?
Kara: I was first asked to be the student set designer about a year ago. It was so exciting to help design the show sets and see them fully completed and used on stage! My responsibilities before the show opened included going to production meetings, drafting sketches of scenery pieces and ideas, conferring on the final design, and helping to build, paint and transport the set into the theater. During tech week I was responsible for helping the crew plan and practice running scene changes. During the show’s run I am watching each performance closely and noting where the movement of pieces and props is not on cue and then giving feedback to the tech crew, so that the audience gets the best experience we can give.
Encore: Can you describe your first involvement with Encore? What motivated you to audition?
Kara: I have been attending Encore shows for as long as I can remember. As a little kid, I loved that after each show I would have the cast sign my program. I remember thinking that it was the coolest thing ever. As I got older my parents told me that I could crew (I like crew better) when I was old enough, so I auditioned for crew when I was 13.
Encore: Throughout the years you’ve played many roles and positions for Encore on cast and crew. What would be your favorite role/responsibility yet?
Kara: I have been a part of 13 shows with Encore 12 of them on crew. My first show was The Little Mermaid on props and I have been on pretty much every show since then. I acted in Alice in Wonderland as Swallowtail. I enjoyed that I a lot and I will probably audition for cast again. One of my favorite shows was Shrek and I was running flies. The fly system moves set pieces and curtains up and down vertically. In this way, we can “fly” scenery, curtains, backdrops and even people into a scene.
Encore: Can you share a memorable moment you had at Encore?
Kara: During Cinderella, the lead actress, playing Cinderella, had to hold a mask over her face so that the guests at the ball wouldn’t recognize her. The actress badly injured her right shoulder during the show’s run and the mask was held up with her right hand. She could not hold the mask, but this was discovered only minutes before the scene. We had to quickly come up with a solution. The solution involved ripping the handle off the mask and gaff taping it on to the other side. Voila! We made a left-handled mask with only a second to spare!
Thanks Kara for sharing your Encore experience!