Santa Fe Opera - 2021

The demand from the production in this case was to build a massive 16’ tree where the bottom branches could bear the actor’s weight while sitting, standing, swinging, and jumping. A realistic grand piano was designed to be shattered through by the tree’s growth - and this piano also needed to be standable, sittable, and slide-able. A scene shop welder and I collaborated on the tree itself, so that the mechanics were functional for changeovers but it also had the true sculptural feeling of an organic living thing. The branches separated for travel and installation, and then each of the smaller 3/8” rod branches was individually bent and placed and welded so that the space would feel naturally full but not crowded when the leaves were attached. The piano needed to be accurately scaled and proportioned, with a strong metal frame and a strong but removable connection to the tree trunk (I chose a support of 2” angle iron, 1/2” bolts and weld nuts). That support also created the third structural point for the piano itself - only the front two wheels rested on the stage. Each piece of the piano was a removable section with a steel core, covered in MDF that I finished to look like the routed and machined edges of a Steinway. I think fabricated a functional wooden keyboard with the action created by foam support in the front and rubber bands in the back. For the glossy finish, I wrapped the entire piece in masonite.