The purpose of my Capstone interview was to get more information from a famous set designer about my topic, Stagecraft. This part of my project was very helpful because I talked to someone who is an expert on my topic, and she gave me lots of good information. The person I interviewed is Klara Zieglerova, a set designer who won a tony award for designing the set for the Broadway show, Jersey Boys.
My uncle used to work on stage lighting and tech when he was younger. He worked with Klara. He worked on the lighting and stage tech, while Klara worked on set designing. I talked to my uncle and he said that he used to work with someone who designs sets. He gave me information about her, her website, and contact information. This part was easy because I found an interviewee pretty quickly, thanks to my uncle.
I had lots of time to write my interview questions, which gave me a head start. I prepared myself very well, so I was ready for my interview. Klara is very sweet, she loves her job, and she gave lots of detail when I asked my interview questions. I was able to get half of my research from her, because she gave me a lot of information. She talked loud and clear, so it made it easier for me to understand her and write down the answers. I learned that the process of designing a set sometimes takes two years! That really surprised me. But I understand why now because set designers have to talk to the director and producer about the show, they have to read the script a few times, talk about the mood and setting of the show, and then she is done with the discussion part. Then, she draws a bunch of sketches of possible set ideas. She revises them and keeps on reading the script. Then, she has to make a 3D model of the set. After that, she has to make sure she can buy all of the pieces needed for the set. She talks to a bunch of people, and lets the workers build the set. She then watches the characters rehearse the show, and makes some changes to the set. I find this process very fascinating.
In all, my Capstone interview was very fun and helpful. I am very glad I did it and Klara helped me get a lot more information.
Here is the link to Klara Zieglerova’s website: http://www.klarazieglerova.com/
This is the set that Klara designed for Jersey Boys:
