The Broadway and Hollywood sci-fi hit musical Little Shop of Horrors has entertained theatregoers for over 30 years. In May, the musical will bloom at Calgary Academy, where the school’s theatre will transform into a flower shop slowly running out of space due to its newest guest.
Given this production’s technical challenges, CA’s set and prop designers sat down to discuss the show’s unique puppetry, set design needs, and their hopes for opening night.
Bringing a Little Shop to the Big Stage
Little Shop of Horrors is a 1980s horror comedy musical (based on the 1960 movie).
The two-act production follows Seymour Krelborn, a down-on-his-luck orphan, as he tries to win the girl of his dreams and move to the suburbs. His ticket to success is a mysterious plant that arrives at the door of the flower shop where he works.
One of the foundational elements of a show like this is its set design and prop use. With much of the musical taking place between a flower shop, a dentist’s office, and Seymour’s apartment, the set needs to come alive as much as the characters themselves.
Calgary Academy art teacher and set designer for Little Shop of Horrors, Jamie Lafond, knew the production would hit the school’s Black Box Theatre after seeing the Broadway show on last year’s New York trip.
Mr. Lafond felt excited but a bit nervous due to the technical work needed for the set’s design. With an ever-growing plant on stage, he notes that the set needs to be impactful for the audience and easy to navigate for the cast and crew.
“I tried to design a functional set, but still visually engaging and streamlined. Make it simple, make it look good, and make it so that set changes happen quickly.”
Almost everything built for the show can be moved around on wheels to roll set pieces on and off stage as quickly as possible.
Another unique element of this production is its use of puppetry! Seymour’s plant, Audrey II, starts as a small coffee tin-sized sapling, but eventually, it grows bigger and bigger until it reaches its ultimate form, which Mr. Lafond says will “fill the set.”
Multiple puppets are required to match Audrey II’s appetite, and multimedia teacher Morgan Platts is responsible for them. The students playing Seymour use these hand puppets until the plant grows enough to stand on its own.
While Mr. Lafond worked on the larger Audrey IIs (which he has completely resurfaced and repainted), Ms. Platts built the smaller ones from scratch using foam and sewing the design together.
“I took on making the infant Audrey IIs. I was actually kind of sad to be finished. It was my first time making a functioning puppet, so it was a lot of fun.” – Ms. Platts
Little Shop of Horrors Debuts at CA on May 8
With little time left before Little Shop of Horrors hits the Black Box Theatre, the cast and crew are currently in the final stages of preparation—running full-length rehearsals, testing lights and sound, and putting the finishing touches on the set.
These weeks are when the final pieces of the show come together, but students and staff have been working together since September. Mr. Lafond notes how closely many of the Integrated Studies teachers have worked together, calling the play a “whole collaborative process” from start to finish.
“Ms. McLim, Ms. Page, and I have been hand-in-hand through the whole show since seeing it last year. We’ve had ongoing discussions since before it was even announced that this production would be done.” – Mr. Lafond
This collaborative journey is almost complete, with Little Shop of Horrors’ debut performance set for May 8. Ms. Platts hopes the audience sees the labour of love this production has become.
“It’s kind of cliche, but I hope the audience notices all the work and love that’s gone into this show. There are a lot of specific set pieces. There’s a lot of specific costuming, so I hope they can see all the little details that went into making this show… It’s really been a village coming together to do this.”