Petaluma Resident Acts As Scenic Designer and Actor For 2010 Shakespeare Festival

There's "Superman," "Ironman," "Spiderman," "Cyber Man" and "Mighty Man." And if there's a superhero of the North Bay theater community it would have to be "Multi-Task Man."

The man behind that mask is Mark Robinson of Petaluma who multi-tasks at several North Bay theater companies as scenic designer, technical director, drama teacher/coach and professional actor.

He's calling upon his superhero powers again designing and overseeing the construction of the set and technical aspects of the outdoor "triptych" for the 2010 Marin Shakespeare Company summer festival. Robinson is also a MSC company actor and this season will also be on stage playing Tranio in "The Taming of the Shrew" as well as Pompey and Dolabella "Antony and Cleopatra."

Earlier this year Robinson was nominated for a Bay Area Critic's Circle Award for his design of the 2009 production of "The Importance of Being Earnest" for the Marin Shakespeare Company in San Rafael.

"My spring and summer schedule is pretty hectic. I work about 70 to 90 hours a week for about four months," said Robinson during a short break from overseeing the major construction at Marin Shakespeare Company's Forest Meadows Amphitheatre in downtown San Rafael.

"I work from 9 to 5 as scenic designer and technical director, then take about an hour break where I grab a little dinner and maybe a shower and head back to Forest Meadows for rehearsals from 7 to about 11 p.m. Once 'The Taming of the Shrew' opens in late July - I'm just an actor, but that's also the time when I return to teaching drama at Cinnabar Theater in Petaluma," said Robinson. "As a theater artist, you're hustling all the time. You've got to pay the bills. So, it usually means I'm juggling a limited amount of time while working various theater jobs."

Robinson's recent acting credits include the role of Chicago in the screwball comedy "Is He Dead?" at Cinnabar Theatre in Petaluma and Venticello in "Amadeus" and Florizel in "The Winter's Tale" at Marin Shakespeare Company in 2008.

His recent scenic design credits in the North Bay include "Dead Man's Cell Phone" at Sonoma County Rep in Sebastopol; "Is He Dead?" "On The Verge," "The Winter Rose" and "The Crucible" at Cinnabar Theatre in Petaluma; and "The Importance of Being Earnest," "Twelfth Night or All You Need is Love" and "Julius Caesar" at Marin Shakespeare Company in San Rafael.

Robinson's current assignment as the 2010 MSC scenic designer began back in 2009.

"The general process in 'building' the set for Marin Shakespeare is unique from many other theaters. While Marin Shakespeare's Bob and Lesley Currier have visions as directors, there is also a large element of the unknown. A lot of things happen in process, so while we do have a basic and clear idea of what the set(s) will consist of going into the build, things happen in rehearsal and in process that are unexpected and you have to be ready to be flexible and creative at any time," said Robinson.

"My process begins in December when I meet with the Curriers to talk about what they are envisioning and bat around ideas. Then I go do research into the plays and the 'worlds' of each play and draw up some rough sketches. In January, I come back and we meet again to talk over the sketches and refine the design and talk about challenges and ideas. Next, I draw up a ground plan and more complete elevations with color. We meet again, talk some more and then I go back to build a model," he said.

"We have our final meeting in late April, early May. Come June we are into the build which is fast and furious. I have a crew of about seven to eight carpenters and painters, and with my Master Carpenter/ATD Carl Jordan, we create the theater and the set," said Robinson.

For the 2010 Marin Shakespeare season, Robinson designed a set featuring elements that provide the backdrop for three vastly different settings. His biggest burden is designing sets that can transform in less than 20 minutes for each of the repertory productions.

"Travesties," set in Zurich, Switzerland during the Edwardian era, features a library/drawing room. The Tom Stoppard farce "comes alive with surprises including a ballet of set pieces and furniture," said Robinson. "The Taming of the Shrew" (set in the Caribbean with a pirate theme) features a large pirate ship, including a 25-foot high crow's nest, which actors will climb to with a rope ladder. The outdoor stage will transform again later this summer with new design elements when the company presents "Antony and Cleopatra."

"The unique challenge of Marin Shakes is that we not only are building a set, we are building a whole theater from the ground up including shop, stage, backstage, setting up the 'Front of House' and the dressing room area. So, the amount of work we need to accomplish in five weeks is huge. And since we only have around 20 minutes between performances to change over the set, it needs to be a basic structure that adapts with minor cosmetic changes and possibly a few scenery pieces that can be moved on and off easily," said Robinson.

"Oh, and add to that the fact that we are working outdoors in the elements dealing with wind and sun. So it can be a big challenge!"

And while he's building the set and all it's incarnations, of course Robinson is multi-tasking - building his stage characters for two MSC productions. Maybe it's time to call Marvel comics.

IF YOU GO:

Marin Shakespeare Company 2010 Season

Travesties
By Tom Stoppard / Directed by Robert Currier
Opening July 9 to Aug. 15, 2010
This 1976 Tony Award winner for Best Play is an eclectic recipe of fact and farce spoofing Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" and combining Wildean wit with the absurdity and profundity of Dadaist Tristan Tzara, Vladimir Lenin and James Joyce. Tom Stoppard whips up a dazzlingly clever, tasty dish about art and society that is funny, thought provoking and entertaining. Featuring William Elsman and Alexandra Matthew.

The Taming of the Shrew
By William Shakespeare / Directed by Robert Currier
Opening July 24 to Sept. 26, 2010 / Previews are July 16 & 18, 2010
Shakespeare's feistiest lovers cast off in this swashbuckling version of the "The Taming of the Shrew." This mad, romantic, seafaring romp will appeal to all ages with its "Pirates of the Caribbean" setting. Featuring Cat Thompson as Kate and Darren Bridgett as Petruchio.

Antony & Cleopatra
By William Shakespeare / Directed by Lesley Schisgall Currier
Opening Aug. 28 to Sept. 25, 2010 / Previews are Aug. 20, 21 & 22, 2010
The season concludes with a follow-up to last summer's production of "Julius Caesar," as Marin Shakespeare Company continues the Roman saga with "Antony and Cleopatra." Now an aging soldier and world leader, Antony is enthralled by the legendary Egyptian queen's charms in this sweeping, passionate love story about a powerful man derailed by the enchantment of an extraordinary woman. Featuring Marcia Pizzo as Cleopatra and Marvin Greene as Mark Antony.

WHEN: July 9 to Sept. 26, 2010
Performances at 8 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays; 4 p.m. Sundays; and 5 p.m. Sundays July 4 & 11, Sept. 6 & 19. See complete schedule including previews, repertory performances and special events at www.marinshakespeare.org

WHERE: Forest Meadows Amphitheatre
1475 Grand Avenue, Dominican University of California, San Rafael, Calif.

TICKETS: $20 to $35

BOX OFFICE: 415-499-4488

WEBSITE: www.marinshakespeare.org

To post a comment, you must register and login.