Stopped by BDES Portuguese Hall Sunday to see how set decorations were going for Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple,” which will open Friday, October 18. It felt like the hottest day of the year. I’ve been observing just one aspect of what it takes to put on a play and have a new appreciation for the hours of preparation, hard work, volunteer time, perseverance, and grit that it takes. The “show must go on” is the mission statement for this endeavor.
Have been saying “hi” to Beate Bruhl on First Street for several years without knowing her name or what she did. We ran into each other at the Riddell Fish House during Porchfest where I learned that she is painting the sets for the upcoming play at Benicia Theater Group. One of a select group of artisans in the Bay Area that are trained to do historical preservation, her repertoire includes decorative painting of all types — faux graining, marbling, gilding, and other skills learned while earning an MFA from Syracuse University and in German trade schools. artisticlicense.org
Known as a “architectural restoration artist” she received both the Governor’s Preservation Award and the California Preservation Foundation Award for the California Theater in Pittsburg, CA and the New Mission Theater San Francisco. She has worked on the Coit Tower murals, San Francisco City Hall, and the SF War Memorial Opera House, among many other architectural gems.
It was over 100 degrees outside when I entered the gloomy and cavernous BDES Hall and not much cooler inside.
Boxes, plastic tubs, and tables were filled with essentials of the trade: paints and brushes, stencils, dryers, tapes, sponges, rulers, etc. Walked back to the bar where refreshment supplies were neatly stacked in boxes. Some elves had been to the BTG storage area the day before near the Camel Barn and transported everything that was needed to stage the play.
Bea was up on the stage working with long-time volunteer carpenter extraordinaireTrey McCulloch who was helping her hang a trompe l’oeil mural of the NYC skyline behind a living room window. She painted it for an earlier play and has used it several times since then. They were both up on ladders behind the windows stapling up the backdrop and from my perspective appeared to be dangling high above the skyscrapers.
“Does it look straight?” Bea asked me through the window.
“Yes. My eye is lining it up at the railing,” I said.
“Oh, don’t go by the railing go by the windows. I’m going to paint out the railing.”
“Maybe you’d better check,” I said as Bea climbed down from her ladder and I flashed on the Millennium Tower.
In addition to being a skilled carpenter what else do you do?” I asked Trey. “I’m the bartender at the back bar.”
The sets comprised of plywood “flats” have been used hundreds of times and are repainted for each production in a seat of your pants operation that relies on skill, speed, quick decision-making, and a steady hand. The backdrop was a melange of plaids, stencils, different colors, tape, and even used pizza boxes which would all be transformed by Bea’s brush.
Her tool kit included mostly donated or previously used cans of paint that she mushes together to get something that pleases her. Color mixing is guess work because she has to allow for the light changing between scenes. “I never knows what color gel the lighting engineer is putting on the lights, so I use my intuition.”
Like a magician mixing a potion, she concocted a deep persimmon stew by pouring a bit of this and a bit of that into an old can. “I’m going to hodgepodge a color together,” she said vigorously stirring with a wooden stick. “I’m not afraid of paint. Rich colors work the best for the stage.”
Collaboration is key. Bea talked to the director initially to see what she had in mind — in this case a bright pink room decorated by one of the Odd Couple’s wives. She checked in with costumes to see how colors would coordinate with the set and stage design. There will be a final meeting — “tech Sunday”— a dress rehearsal of sorts, five days before the Friday opening with all hands on deck to make sure that everything is working.
I asked her if it was difficult to get volunteers. “Yes. Most of them are seniors. Very few young people are interested in live theater anymore.” This is Bea’s 26th set design. “Volunteers need to be trained and I try to keep it interesting for them. Sometimes with teenagers it’s a challenge as they are glued to their phones.” Perhaps one day a really big star will reminisce about how she got her start painting baseboards for the Benicia Theater Group.
When I got home I watched Being Julia (2004), a delicious romp starring Annette Benning as an aging and wily diva in the English theater. Of course, Bette Davis in “All about Eve” will get you into the “theatuh” mood right away.
Formal exercise isn’t something Bea has time for. “I figure I get plenty by climbing up and down stairs and ladders, rushing here and there across the stage. “In some ways this is harder than working on an established theater where all of the tools, flats etc. are on the premises,” she said. Of course, her work is all volunteer, as is the work of the other artisans. I’m not sure about the actors.
Stopped by the Hall three days in a row to see how the work was progressing and each day seemed hotter than the last. “How can you stand this heat?” I asked. “Oh, I’ve worked in old theaters where it’s 108 degrees, and I’m used to sweating,” she said. Somehow the reality wasn’t as romantic as the “there’s no business like show business” hype that the movies portray. I have a new appreciation for what it takes to produce a play, not once, but twice-a-year. Finally, to have an artisan of Bea’s caliber paint the sets for BTG is a priceless gift to our little town.
Can’t wait to see the finished product opening night when the work of the lighting and sound engineers, costumers, sets and furnishings builders, painters, and designers are paired with the talent under the gaze of director Adria Swan. Don’t forget to say “hi” to Trey when you stop for a drink at the bar. For tickets: beniciatheatregroup.org
Letters From Benicia 