Wingspace Theatrical Design to Present Free Virtual Salon With LAIKA STUDIOS

As part of their free virtual salon series, Wingspace Theatrical Design will present a roundtable discussion with LAIKA Studios panelists Erica Benoit, Anastastia McCalister, and Megan Wilkerson, moderated by Anna Driftmier.

The conversation on Thursday, January 27 at 9:00pm ET will engage with artists and practitioners with theatrical backgrounds who are now working at LAIKA Studios on the upcoming film Wildwood. Discussion topics include what brought them into film, what is/was their practice outside of the studio, and how they have found their theatrical skills reimagined in this new context. Reservations are strongly encouraged and are available here.

A recording of the salon will be available on the Wingspace Facebook page and Youtube channel.

Erica Benoit With a varied background in technical theatre, including more than a decade of experience as a props artisan, Erica has morphed through a variety of roles as a production management generalist. With roots in east coast summer stock and regional theatre, she moved west to work with fantastic colleagues at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Blue Man Group Las Vegas, and eventually landed in Portland Oregon, where she worked in venue and event management. A 10-year member of IATSE Local 720, she has also supported national theatricals as a touring stagehand. Erica joined LAIKA in 2017 as a 2ndAD for the feature film "Missing Link," and is currently the Assistant Production Manager of Practical Effects for the studio.

Anna Driftmier is a scenographer and production designer whose work extends across the US and Europe. She is the scenography mentor for the Juilliard School's Center for Innovation in the Arts and an Art Department Coordinator for LAIKA Studios on their upcoming feature film. Stage design includes: The Threepenny Opera (City Lyric Opera); Beyond the Machine (Juilliard); Love, Medea (split/decision); Dead Equal (British Army); The Actor's Nightmare (Park Theatre); La Tragedie de Carmen (City Lyric Opera); Dido and Aeneas (Queille Festival); Wickedest Woman (Strange Sun Theatre); Cabaret, Machinal (Columbia University); A Midsummer Night's Dream (Rooke Theatre); Dolphins and Sharks (Finborough); Radioman (Old Red Lion Theatre); SCRAWW (Trebah Garden); A Village Romeo and Juliet (New Sussex Opera); Dust Child (English Touring Opera). Production design includes: Leylak, Mahler's Titan, Return to Me, The Nude Model, November, Nation Down. She holds an MA from Central Saint Martins and a Technical Theatre Diploma from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.

Anastastia McAllister Anastasia ski um talx McAllister (Colville Confederated Tribes/Hopi) is a multi disciplinary Artist and community organizer. Her artwork expands across industries and mediums, exploring modern day Indigeneity in paintings, digital art, video, and performance. She has presented artwork across the country to classrooms, communities, and museums. Most recently she has worked in film and television in New York City and Portland, OR.

Megan Wilkerson is a professional Scenic Designer based in Portland, OR. She is a Resident Artist at Artists Repertory Theatre and a member of Chicago's only women's theatre, The Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. Megan was a founding member of the artistic collective Bad Soviet Habits and a Recipient of Chicago's After Dark Award for Outstanding Scenic Design. Her work has also been recognized by The Chicago Tribune, The Oregonian, The Austin Critics Circle, and The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Regionally Megan has worked with The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Teatro Milagro, The Skylight Opera, First Stage Children's Theatre, The Michigan Opera, Pittsburgh Public, Portland Center Stage and the Portland Opera. As an Assistant Designer Megan has had the pleasure of working with Scenic Designers Rachel Hauck, Christopher Acebo, Marjorie Bradley Kellogg, Clint Ramos, Neil Patel, & Todd Rosenthal. In addition to her theatre work Megan has worked as an Art Director and Designer for LAIKA (stop motion animation), Jack Morton, Sparks and Derse Exhibits (advertising).