Design Process
Hay Fever was one of three shows in rotating rep for a summer festival season. The show is a delightful comedy of manners about a long weekend in the country home of a quirky and very eccentric upper class British “artistic” family in the 1920’s. The slightly over-the-hill actress Judith Bliss, to whom all the world is truly a stage, presides over her writer husband and her two grown children and their weekend guests. Chaos ensues.
The Bliss household had to project ease and wealth, a mannered untidiness, a devil-may-care attitude and personality. Every object in the room, from a half eaten sandwich under the chaise, the curious hat collection, Judith’s innumerable theatrical mementoes, to the framed posters on the walls, had to inform the audience about the peculiar people who lived here.
"His scenic designs for the Utah Shakespearean Festival.. captured the aesthetic essence and physical presence required by the text, the director’s point of view, and the collaborative efforts of his colleagues. I have rarely, if ever, seen a record of such consistent ‘aesthetic success’ combined with the virtues of meeting deadlines and staying within budget. I am truly impressed that Umfrid can invariably achieve these ends without responding to formulaic solutions. Rather, he continues to manipulate his aesthetic contribution until it meets all the criteria described above without sacrificing its uniqueness or appropriateness. This (is the) model of a solid working professional…" — Cameron Harvey, Producing Artistic Director, Utah Shakespearean Festival
Credits
By: Noël Coward
Director: Paul Barnes
Venue: Utah Shakespearean Festival
Scenic Design: Thomas C. Umfrid
Lighting Designer: Lonnie Alcaraz
Costume Designer: K.L. Alberts
Hair & Makeup Designer: Lenna Kaleva
Technical Director: Philip C. Haslam
Prop Master: Ben Hohman
Design Assistant: Casey Smith
Stage Manager: Karen K. Wegner
Photographer: Karl Hugh