Fairy Tale Cottage, a digital theatre and ballet projection

Inside our Shop – August 2015

Projection designer Mitch Stark taking photographs for art reference

We’ve been up to a lot this month, including launching our new store site at the beginning of August—which now offers our projection artwork to theatre companies and schools nationwide. We’ve also been out and about, meeting drama teachers and directors here, there, and everywhere. It’s so fantastic to meet like-minded people who are dreaming big for their shows and looking to embrace new ways of doing things!

Here are some highlights at Theatre Ave this past month:

1.) Site Launch It was several months in the making, but after a lot of coffee, laughs and late nights we launched our latest version of the TheatreAve.com website. We still offer poster and flyer design for marketing, but we also added our library of projection artwork, which will continue to grow and grow. If you’re a theatre group looking to aim big, let’s talk!

Early Theatre Avenue website design

2.) Shrek the Musical In November we’ll be featuring a new crop of projection artwork at the Mountain Ridge Middle School production of Shrek. The director, LauriLea McDaniel, is a super progressive and creative person looking to do great things with her students. There is one animated projection in particular we think is going to blow you away. We’ll keep you posted on this one!

Theatre Avenue founder Mitch Stark working the booth at the company's first conference

3.) Working with Marta Burton As the months get chillier, we’re starting up a holiday show collaboration with the incredibly talented and super-passionate producer/director/performer Marta Burton—right here in Denver. She has pitched a wonderful idea for an original family show and we’ll be working with her hand-in-hand to develop projection artwork to bring her vision to life on stage.

Theatre director Marta Burton

4.) Starcatching Time I’m currently painting a new projection just for the fun of it that has a ‘Peter and the Starcatcher-ish’ feel to it. On board a magical ship, this projection will feature animated ocean water and a few other surprises. I’ll keep you posted as I finish this piece. See the artwork in development below.

Early digital illustration work for Peter Pan theatre projections.

5.) Interview with Wonderbound’s Dawn Fay We had the privilege to sit down with Dawn Fay this month, and the interview she provided ranges from classical ballet to the creative process to Barack Obama. In fact, there was such a wealth of material, this one is going to come in parts. Check out Part I if you get a chance.

Wonderbound producer Dawn Fay interviewed by Mitch Stark of Theatre Avenue