Set Design for The Ziegfeld Theater’s “Matilda”
In August 2019, I worked with the Ziegfeld Theater for their summer production of Roald Dahl’s “Matilda”. The concept was to create towering stacks of alphabet blocks that had lights inset into specific blocks that would illuminate in sequence with musical numbers during the show, all on an extremely limited budget.
The block designs are inspired by images of children’s alphabet blocks from the victorian era. They feature letters and numbers, as well as illustrations that are significant to key moments and characters in the musical. For example, the Bee is a symbol for Ms. Honey, and the cake represents the infamous scene wherein Bruce must eat an entire chocolate cake.
A few of the blocks served a dual purpose on stage, hiding compartments for props and costumes. Some of these include the fire block, which hid an electronic fireplace, and the books block, which turned into a bookshelf.
