Yasmina’s Necklace at 16th Street
Director: Ann Filmer Set Design: Joanna Iwanicki
This was before I got in the habit of taking process shots/before pictures ;) But in these photos, you can see the Bonsai tree I built, the tea tray I pepped up (it was plain white to start,) and the table runner I sewed.
The dining room set had good bones but was in bad shape. I cleaned up and reglued the joints of the chairs, reupholstered the cushions, and refinished the dining table.
In this play, Yasmina is seen working on her painting (commissioned piece by Chicago artist Megan Bonke) throughout. To avoid having to have new paintings each night I had her use gesso (which dries clear) instead of paint. So she was able to really ‘paint’ without obscuring the look of the canvas.
The filled jar on her painting table is meant to be soil she carried with her from Iraq when she had to flee, a keepsake of her homeland. Several times throughout she opens the jar and smears the dirt into the painting, as well as onto her cheeks. Our actress had sensitive skin and so most make-ups would not work for her. Ultimately I found used coffee grounds to be the best choice for believable dirt that didn’t irritate her skin.