Rose Bruford Graduate Showcase - Bargehouse 2014

‘Perfect Boy’ was part of the 2014 Rose Bruford Graduate Season and was staged on the fifth floor of the OXO Towers listed Barge house, which created the ideal setting for an old Parisian fur factory attic.

Taking on the role of Scenic Production Manager and working closely with the director and designer, Mark led a team to build and install the set and props required for this site specific show.

The show called for a mix of new makes and prop sourcing in order to dress the set, including old fur coats, a chaise long and an ornate cast iron bath that had to be carried up five flights of stairs!

One key element of the set was a large fake period wardrobe that Mark designed and built from scratch to match the actor’s requirements. The team also successfully built and installed a set of industrial sliding doors that needed to look as if they had always been part of the building.

The script also centred around a painting of the main character that had to be seen in various working stages of the artist. Mark photographed the lead actor and manipulated the images in Photoshop over laying paint textures and colours to create the feeling of an original oil painting. These graphics were digitally printed onto canvas and painted back into to add depth.

The set really worked in the site specific location and the external director, Laurence Till, was extremely pleased with the results.

Adaptation & Direction: Laurence Till

Designer: Ingrid Nordhal

Scenic Team: Mark Forrest, Stella Mahon & Charlie Chase

Photography: Ingrid Nordahl