W.C. CHASTAIN

Freelance artist based in Athens, GA. For commission inquiries, email [email protected]

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Artwork for Bruce Kimmel’s The Brain for Planet X for NSU in South Dakota

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The Asylum of Dr. Moreau (2019)

Adaptation by Marlon Andrew Burnley from the story by H.G. Wells

“This production is not for the faint of heart. In a precise, carefully-executed story, the three young actors — Marlon Burnley, John Terry and Charlie Cromer — make this surreal horror story painfully real. Disturbing sounds and shadows, and the oversized character of the mad doctor, draw the audience into the pending doom.” - Orlando Sentinel 

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Starstruck (Elaine Lee, 2019)

Directed by W. Steven Carroll

This Boris Vallejo-inspired piece drew heavily from the pulp sci-fi artwork of the 1970s, with specific kudos to Vallejo’s poster art for the Jane Fonda vehicle Barberella. 

Reimagining characters that have been featured in a long-running series of comic books is a challenge on its own, given the temptation to just translate established designs into a different style. That being said, the director gave me free reign to play around fun with the immensely fun world of Lee’s Starstruck.

And yes - the looming villain is 100% inspired by Ruth Wilson

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Young Frankenstein (2019)

By Mel Brooks & Thomas Meehan Directed by George Contini

Another process poster, although not as exhaustive. I typically don’t use real media, but seeing as the concept is directly inspired from old EC Comics, it felt necessary. 

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Black in the Box (Marlon Andrew Burnley, 2018)

“Through the use of several masks a man is immersed in an abstract and panoramic journey through years of black oppression, seeing it through the eyes of those who lived it. This award-winning show, devised and performed by Marlon Andrew Burnley, is a movement based performance that attempts to explore the black experience in America.”

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Shakespeare’s Othello (2018)

Directed by Kristin Kundert

Process from start to finish. One of the many times I’ve gotten to work with the handsome devil in the middle, soon-to-be-famous Marlon Andrew Burnley.

This process is a digital adaptation of Drew Struzan’s process. Although it is clearly not up to the maestro’s level, it is a decent facsimile. 

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George Orwell’s Animal Farm (Oct. 2017)

Adapted by Ian Wooldridge Directed by T. Anthony Marotta

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Machinal

Sophie Treadwell, University of Georgia 2016

And now for something completely different. This is a collage piece inspired by the work of innovative Dada artist Hannah Hoch, completed with the guidance of director Marla Carlson. It was refreshing to do something so experimental for a change. 

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Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere

Adaptation by Robert Kauzlaric, The Town & Gown Players, 2016 (Athens, GA)

I’m a huge @neil-gaiman fan so this one was particularly fun to design. 

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Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike

Christopher Durang, University of Georgia 2017

Painting is based on a PR shot that I took of the actor portraying Spike (pictured). 

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The Skin of Our Teeth

Thornton Wilder, University of Georgia 2016

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Jane Eyre 

Adaptation by Polly Teale, University of Georgia, 2016

Poster for Fall 2016′s main stage production of Jane Eyre, along with the photographic reference of actress Brittney Harris. 

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Process work for a character illustration I did last year. 

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George Tabori's Mein Kampf (William Chastain after Norman Rockwell, 2015)

Part of the University of Georgia’s International Symposium: “George Tabori and the Theatre of the Holocaust.”

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The Mandrake (University of Georgia, 2016)

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UGA New Play Festival (University of Georgia, 2016)

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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (University of Georgia, 2016)