Interview with the Scenic Designer of “Dory Fantasmagory”
Imagination Stage is delighted to welcome back Andrew Cohen as the scenic designer for our upcoming production of Dory Fantasmagory!
Andrew first worked with us in 2015 on our production of A Year with Frog and Toad, and has since returned to design for Charlotte’s Web (2017), Anatole: Mouse Magnifique (2019), Mr. Popper’s Penguins (2022), Nate the Great (2023), plus more. We spoke with him to get an exclusive peek at his design process and find out what keeps him returning to our theatre.
Q: What do you enjoy about working at Imagination Stage?
A: What I love about working at Imagination Stage is that the shows are always fun and have an interesting moral to the story. They are presented in a way that doesn’t belittle the audience, but rather invites them to be on equal footing with the production. In addition to that, the shows always look incredible. Imagination Stage hires incredible designers and has an in-house scene shop of highly skilled artisans. With that knowledge, I get to be a little more whimsical and theatrical in my design style, which is honestly a lot of fun.
Q: How does the design process for Dory compare to other shows you have designed?
A: The design process has been pretty standard as compared to other shows I have designed (which is a good thing!). It helps that I have designed in that space often and have worked with Kate Bryer (our Director) a handful of times, so we can really hit the ground running. The unique part of Imagination Stage shows is probably the “imagination” portion. For the shows I’ve worked on here, the set has helped to tell the story in surprising, unique, imaginative, and playful ways–be it a spider web built out of steel that is climbable (Charlotte’s Web) or lily pads that hide trap doors (A Year with Frog and Toad). The set usually plays a very vital and active role in the storytelling.
Q: Which part of the set are you most excited to see come to life on stage?
A: Not to spoil anything, but I am really excited to see how the living room and Dory's bedroom move on and off stage. But you will have to wait your "turn" to see it.
Q: What do you hope audiences will take away from the show?
A: A few laughs, but more importantly that a vivid imagination, mixed with some compassion and bravery is what we need in our everyday lives, for all times.
Dory Fantasmagory runs June 18-August 3 and is best for ages 4+. Learn more about the show and get your tickets here.