What are the set design plans for “The Odyssey?”

It’s going to be an elevated half circle, using the rotate from “Into the Woods” four years ago. Then we are using the rest of the rotate to make ramps going down to the stage. Right now we have all the platforms up and it’s beginning to look really cool.

How much time does it typically take for a production?

It varies from show to show of course, and it’s really hard to keep track of how much time people put in. Usually we start having set construction after school two or three months before the show. But I am in the technical theater class which works on the production every day for a whole class bell.

Another reason why the time it takes varies is that different amounts of effort have to be put in for different complexities of sets. For a really simple set, like our “The Outsiders” set which was just a fence, some chairs and a couple of tables. That didn’t require a lot of effort. But that contrasts with really intense productions like “Pippin” where we spent hours and hours on building a huge staircase.

What are some challenges you face during productions?

Two weeks before the show, we start intense rehearsals and at that point the actors and tech aspects haven’t been synchronized yet. So it takes a lot of patience from everyone to re-run scenes seemingly endlessly, to get the timings just right.