Stage Whispers: Conversations with Theatre Professionals

Depending on the production, creating an environment on stage that either replicates or abstractly reimagines the world around us is the mission of any production’s scenic designer. On Thursday, April 1, 2021, at 3:30 pm, the Stage Whispers: Conversations with Theatre Professionals panel will welcome Rob Koharchik for a discussion titled “Behind the Curtain: The Secrets of Scenic Design for the Stage.” Stage Whispers is free and available to the public. It will be conducted via Zoom and can be accessed at http://bit.ly/2OELQYn. Whether placing a simple interior setting on stage or bringing the outside in, a designer has to not only present a vision that aligns with that of their director’s but also has to consider the logistics and physical limitations of the theatres in which they are working. Koharchik will talk about the challenges he has faced, as well as the artistic inspirations that end up in his stage designs. Koharchik has designed several productions at Geva Theatre Center, including the soaring, upper-middle-class home featured in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, the decrepit junk shop setting for American Buffalo, and the restaurant in which Slow Food takes place. He has designed for many regional theatre companies including Indiana Repertory Theatre (Indianapolis, IN), Walnut Street Theatre (Philadelphia, PA), The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (St. Louis, MO), The Cleveland Playhouse (Cleveland, OH), The Gulfshore Playhouse (Naples, FL). Koharchik is a two-time recipient of the Creative Renewal Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the Indy Professional Theatre MVP award from the Indianapolis Foundation. Future projects include designing Murder on the Orient Express for Indiana Repertory Theatre and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and Niceties for the Gulfshore Playhouse. He is also an associate professor at Butler University where he teaches set and lighting design in the Department of Theatre.