The Art of Stage Design
Television, film, and Broadway designer provides White
Christmas a professional framework
Designing a set is a lot like putting a
puzzle together for Starlet Jacobs, a
New-York based set designer. She starts
with a list of the settings the show needs
to move through, then figures out how to
go from one to the next without stopping.
“How do we transition from the train to
the inn in a span of 30 seconds?” she
said.
Jacobs, whose credits range from Broadway
to Netflix, is lending her design
talents to The Naples Players for White
Christmas, a musical by Irving Berlin.
Jacobs’ design is embracing the 1950s
setting of the show by emphasizing the
era it is set in.
“I want people to feel the time period. I
want the audience to feel a sense of nostalgia,”
she said.
But set design isn’t only about Jacobs.
It requires artistic collaboration between
various stakeholders and their disciplines.
“The director and I talk through the show,
the important moments,” she said. “We
discuss what needs scenery and then I
storyboard it.”
Working remotely from New York City
presents challenges in the collaboration
process.
“I built a quarter-inch scale model of
Blackburn Hall and came up with a
ground plan, kind of like the blueprint,”
she said.
Spotlight On: Starlet Jacobs
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Spotlight On: Starlet Jacobs