Setting the Scene
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In life, things are rarely black and white; and, as one University of Arkansas set designer understands, the often-mistaken purity and simplicity of an all-white set design can be most influential to the tone of a play.
UA graduate student Adam Miecielica, 28, has been chosen as a participant in the Prague Quadrennial, an international competitive exhibition of scenography and theater architecture. He was selected for his set design on Big Love, produced at the university in November 2005.
|
The Prague Quadrennial is one of the leading worldwide events for the theater design community. In 1967, it was created to lessen the cultural gap caused by the Cold War by bringing together theater artists from around the world for a cross-cultural exchange of ideas. Today, thousands of set designs from innovators in more than a dozen countries are displayed. Scenographic designers, directors, students and community members from around the world will gather at the Industrial Palace in Prague to witness creations on the forefront of theater design and attend seminars and workshops.
Miecielica exhibited his set design for Big Love at the annual United States Institute of Theatre Technology conference held in Louisville, Ky. More than 130 students, professors and professional designers displayed their work at the conference. Present at this conference were curators of the U.S. National Exhibit of the 2007 Prague Quadrennial, and interested conference participants could have their work considered for the exhibition. Miecielica’s suggestive, European-inspired design caught the attention of the curators, and he will now join some of the most accomplished and gifted set designers from around the world in Prague.
Miecielica said his inspiration for the set came from the script itself. Big Love, written by Charles Mee, is a modern adaptation of Aeschylus’s The Suppliants. The story centers on 50 Greek sisters who flee to Italy in hopes of finding consolation after arranged marriages to their 50 cousins. The switch between reality and memory crafts a dreamlike atmosphere, which Miecielica captures with the austere all-white background.
He chose white because, because the connotation of innocence and purity is juxtaposed with the culpability of the runaway brides. In the end, as a means of true escapism, the brides murder their grooms. At this point, he added red to the all white and black color scheme by dropping rose petals on stage, simultaneously alluding to death and love.
“The script is the blueprint for any design,” Miecielica said. “The world I created completely enveloped the actors on stage, creating a feeling of being trapped, just like the characters in the play.”
Michael Riha, associate professor of set and light design at the University of Arkansas, and Miecielica’s mentor, says that Miecielica’s success as a designer stems from his ability to interpret the script.
“He has an incredible imagination,” Riha said. “He really tries to tell the story.”
Miecielica is in his third year as a UA graduate student and is working on his master of fine arts, emphasizing set design. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in theater from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. While designing scenery as an undergraduate, Miecielica received two Certificates of Merit in Scenic Design from the Kennedy Center’s American College Theatre Festival. His set design for Big Love will be published in the fall issue of Theatre Design and Technology magazine.
Contacts
Adam
Miecielica, graduate student, drama
J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences
adamm@uark.edu
Melissa Lutz
Blouin, director of science and research communications
University
Relations
(479) 575-5555, blouin@uark.edu
Headlines
Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design Presents Fall 2024 Lecture Series Lineup
Through these carefully selected presenters, the Fay Jones School continues to engage with the broad scope of issues, opportunities and challenges that society and the design disciplines confront today.
Honors College to Host Pulse Discussion on the History of Campus Protests
An expert panel moderated by the Democracy Fellows RSO will discuss the history, philosophy, emergency management and legality of campus protests on Sept. 12.
Baxter Joins Animal Science As Equine Instructor, Ranch Horse & Equine Judging Coach
Amanda Baxter, who has extensive experience in 4-H horse contests and clinics, is joining the Department of Animal Science as an equine instructor and head coach of the ranch horse and equine judging teams.
Wang Appointed Associate Editor for Biophysics Reviews
Yong Wang, associate professor of physics at the University of Arkansas, has been named an associate editor of Biophysics Reviews, the journal of the American Institute of Physics.
Data Science Program to Be Led by Previous Engineering Dean While Director Search Begins
Former Dean John English will serve as director while a search for the successor to University Professor Manuel Rosetti, the Data Science Program's inaugural director, is conducted.