The Cottage

The Cottage
By Sandy Rustin
Directed by Adam Dannheisser
Produced by Astoria Performing Arts Center

Nominations: Evan Roby is nominated for Outstanding Lighting Design; Ryan J. Moller is nominated for Outstanding Costume Design; and Stephen Karoly Dobay is nominated for Outstanding Set Design

          Photos by Michael R. Dekker


About this Production
The Cottage is a rollicking farce inspired by the works of Noel Coward. Set in the English countryside in 1923, this tale of sex, betrayal and, oh yes, love, unfolds when Sylvia Van Kipness decides to expose her love affair to her husband and her lover's wife. The true meanings of fate, identity and marriage are called into question as a surprising, hilarious web of secrets unravels in this ridiculous—and potentially murderous—romantic comedy.

Costume Designer Ryan J Moller and Set Desginer Stephen K Dobay talk about the excitement of designing for the premiere of a new script.

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What attracted you to this project?

Stephen: I love designing at APAC, and when I read the play, I knew that it was a production I wanted to be a part of. It was fresh, funny, and incredibly smart

Ryan: A good friend was the directing the premiere of this new play, and I love for this style of show.

  

What was your favorite part of working on this production?

Stephen: While not necessarily part of the design/construction process, I love the first read-through. It gives me the best sense of what is special and specific about the production I'm working on.

Ryan: Getting to develop the look of the characters. Because it is a premiere I was able to work with the actors, author and director to discover and ultimately the style and look of each character. The premiere of a new play is the only time you get to start from absolute scratch on a character’s look.

What was the most challenging part of working on this production?

Ryan: A small budget means you have to make artistic compromises. It forces you to be more creative, but also means you have to make some sacrifices where you don’t want to.

The show is about secrets, so when doing press about the show, I could not really say a lot of things without giving away the jokes of the play!