Lauren Rondone keeps the flower power in design for Hair

Serenbe Playhouse’s production of Hair: An American Tribal Love-Rock Musical stands out amongst Atlanta theater goers for many reasons: the amazing performances, the full experience, the outdoor setting. But behind all of the big voices, laughs and heart wrenching moments are the designers who make it all happen. Lauren Rondone created the set design for Serenbe Playhouse’s current production. Below, she talks about the challenges of working outdoors, why the wildflowers were front and center and stayed that way, and creating a set that offered ample space for movement and emotion.

Q. Designing the set for Hair must have come with its challenges and inspirations all stemming from the same thing: being an outdoor show. What were some of things that you had to build around in terms of being outside, and what were the magical moments that made you thankful to be creating in the outdoors?

A. This was my first experience working and designing for outdoor theatre so this was a huge learning experience for me. Outdoor theatre definitely comes with its challenges especially since we are a site specific theatre meaning there is no structure at all.  This gives us the opportunity to create not just a performance but an entire experience. Doing Hair in the wildflower meadow allowed for an amazing backdrop for this production especially since we wanted it to be Woodstock inspired. Since the meadow itself is so powerful visually I had the challenge of picking scenic elements which would enhance the meadow without competing with it.

Q. Hair is active, both physically and intellectually. How does the set convey and inspire both?

A. I wanted the set to be very versatile, allowing the space to move and change with the show. My goal was to give the director and actors plenty of opportunity to use the space to its fullest capacity. Having the scenery made up of scaffolding units allows for a ton of physical movement while leaving plenty of open space of the meadow for the more intimate moments.

Q. In an outdoor setting there isn’t a curtain to lower to allow for scene changes. What was it like to build a set that had to be continuous and easily adaptable for every part of the play?

A. We wanted the show to be a complete experience from the moment the audience steps into the meadow, so not having a curtain or being restrained to a traditional theatre structure helped a lot with this concept. Having no curtain also helps bring the audience into the world of the musical since there is not a physical boundary that divides the audience from the show. Regarding the scene changes, Hair is not the kind of musical that requires huge scenic changes, especially when the setting is a wildflower field which does so much visually for the show already.

Q. Hair is about an era that is romanticized now, but in reality it was a tough time filled with impassioned ideas. What influences did you take from the 60’s to portray the freedom but also the fight?

A. It’s really funny to me that people do idealize this era especially since it was not exactly the brightest time in our country’s history. It was a time of war, both militarily and culturally and this musical tells the story of a generation that was stuck in the middle of all of it. This production of Hair does not try to idealize this era at all but instead strips away everything that is not necessary to get to the heart of the story. We wanted the show to be centered around the characters and what they are trying to say.

Q. What was your favorite part about designing a set that though set in a past time, drips of innovation, forward thinking, and change?

A. I realized early on in this process that the major scenic element for this production was the wildflower field which it takes place in. No amount of scenery could ever compete or duplicate what this field does visually for the show. All of the scenic elements that I brought into my design are there to enhance the setting. Not once in the process did anyone try to change the space to fit our needs but instead we had to adjust to it. I think this is why the show is so innovating, especially scenically, since most of the times it is our job as designers to transform the space into something different.