Pirates of Penzance
Opera Theatre of St. Louis
Director: Seán Curran
Set/Costume Designer: James Schuette
Properties Designer: Daniel Henke
Props Artisan: Lewis Bethune
Production Photo: Eric Woolsey
Digital design, recreating a damaged original from from scratch, so that it can be more easily duplicated.
Mockup on printer paper to check measurements and slide function.
Reverse side of the same mockup.
Instructions for printing more and building the inner tray, as it is part of a touring package.
Final version, printed on cream cardstock and wrapped in contact paper.
Reverse side of the finished box.
Inner box which slides out either end. See instructions above for construction method.
Original book (NOT MY WORK, ARTISAN UNKNOWN, TOP 3 IMAGES) after 10+ years in a touring package.
Original book had spine damage and last minute calligraphy worn away in parts. Eventually determined this book was not salvageable.
Original book was wrapped in gaff tape, which was falling off and damaging the paper binding. Pulled a similar sized new book to use.
Started the new book by removing some pre-existing gold decoration and then removing, stabilizing, and reattaching the cover to make it more sturdy. Used bookbinding supercloth, spray adhesive, chipboard, and rubber cement to ensure longevity for the touring package.
Painted matte black with gesso and started calligraphy using a gold paint pen. Version 1 above was not bold enough to be read, as it is seen for less than 30 seconds. Removed gold and repainted.
Final version, after adding two cross coats of heavy gel medium to achieve a fabric cover effect and to protect the calligraphy and delicate edges.