Bottom's Transformation Completed

Ok, I said I'm back and I mean to post much earlier this week, but my schedule didn't like that apparently. So I'll do my best but updates are likely to still be sporadic for the next while.

One of the big things I had to make sure I got finished for the week long event at Raglan was my mask for Bottom's transformation into a donkey during A Midsummer Night's Dream. This actually proceeded well before the event, but I was thrown by events at the end of July which meant while I got things done, posting about them wasn't an option. But here it is now!

Picture taken by Lady Arianhwy Wen

This was a picture taken from our audience, which I was too nervous to interact with as much as I would have liked, though whenever I looked out, people were hamming back to me as much as I was trying to ham to them. Laughs happened in the right places, and unfortunately the light failed a little too much at the end for reading of my script, but I'm told no one noticed the lines I managed to butcher. I didn't quite get over my stage fright at all, but I'm very glad I did it. 

The only changes I made to the mask from the last post were to give it a couple of layers of shellac and add nose and eye outlines. The outliners, more to give a visual aid to the actors and audience, were unpainted straw glued directly onto the frame. The shellac I applied in two layers using a spray bottle to ensure an even application over the reed and the more gauzy sinamay. 

I decided against the mane, it just didn't look as well as I'd hoped while I was designing. That may have been my first and last appearance on the stage, but I certainly wouldn't mind doing more work at the props end of things.