JACKSON BERKLEY

Strategic Love Play is a concise, poignant two-hander about falling in love in the age of online dating. Originally conceived as an immersive play in the round for its U.S. debut, some venue complications called for the play to be remounted at the Audible Theatre in a more traditional staging.

The remount of SLP created an abbreviated timeline that streamlined the props package but allowed me to spend more time honing the details of the play’s key pieces. The focal point of my work was a set of “hero” furniture — two chairs and a table — and a matching set of six “side” tables to fill out the stage. I sourced the unfinished “hero” chairs and cast iron table bases from a local vendor (Chair Up) then stained and finished each chair and table top by hand.

The energy from the creative team on this project was always enthusiastic and positive, making for a very smooth and rewarding rehearsal and tech process.

Fun props projects included: hand-mixing a “just right” blend of English Chestnut and Gunstock Minwax stains; finding a perfect match for “Grappa” purple between our scene shop swatch and a set of fabric samples; set dressing the on-stage bar in the style of my old stomping ground, The Evergreen.