After some improvisation by the actors, The Artist dumped The Socialite for a more lucrative romance with The Philanthropist.
For last November’s STRUTT, Christine and I went for broke. We designed and built a six-piece project called The Head Table. Caricatures of the bigwigs who buy a table for the Niagara Artists Centre’s annual wearable art show mingled with the audience before the show and during the intermission. The heads were brought to life by funny and talented actors, who played with oversized phones and acted-up in the best possible ways.
The Head Table returned to the stage for STRUTT”s final number, which featured Acadian hip-hop artists Radio Radio performing their hit Ej Feel Zoo, accompanied by a children’s dance troupe and trapeze artists. The children and The Head Table danced in unison, imitating the moves seen in Radio Radio’s video for the song.
I made the styrofoam heads over eight weeks, in the process filling the backyard and studio with a Christmas display worth of foam bits. Christine sewed the “dickies” that worked as a transition from the heads to the vintage clothing, picked out by STRUTT producer Annie Wilson.
One of the excellent things about STRUTT is how well documented it is. Photographer Brian Yungblutt shoots every performer before they go out on stage (see all the photos HERE), providing an essential record of a night that whips by way too fast. Below, I’ve included Brian’s photos of The Head Table along with my own close-ups, actors’ notes, and production drawings.
    
