Theatrical:
The earliest years of my career were spent working for professional regional theaters, mostly doing technical work. This period was a great education in how to make big, strange things in a hurry.
My photo record from those years is scant, but you will see pictures of the theater project I got the most attention for, my Audrey Two puppets for the Cohoes Music Hall's production of “Little Shop of Horrors”.
Many of the projects shown on this page were not done for theaters, but are theatrical in nature: masks, makeup, costumes, props, etc. There are a few TV and film projects in here, and you'll also see my Time Machines – steampunk found-object, kinetic sculptures that are among my favorites.
The earliest years of my career were spent working for professional regional theaters, mostly doing technical work. This period was a great education in how to make big, strange things in a hurry.
My photo record from those years is scant, but you will see pictures of the theater project I got the most attention for, my Audrey Two puppets for the Cohoes Music Hall's production of “Little Shop of Horrors”.
Many of the projects shown on this page were not done for theaters, but are theatrical in nature: masks, makeup, costumes, props, etc. There are a few TV and film projects in here, and you'll also see my Time Machines – steampunk found-object, kinetic sculptures that are among my favorites.
The Albany Mummy
From September, 2013 to June 2014, the Albany Institute of History and Art presented the exhibit “GE Presents: The Mystery of the Albany Mummies.” This exhibit gathered Egyptian artifacts worldwide to expand on the Institute's permanent exhibit of two real mummies. Only one mummy's identity is known - he was Ankhefenmut, a sculptor-priest who lived 3,000 years ago.
The Institute staff decided to try a bit of “guerilla theater” to promote the exhibit. They hired me both to create a mummy costume and to portray Ankhefenmut at a series of 7 events; street festivals, press conferences and the like. My identity was kept secret to add an air of mystery (“Ankhefenmut has escaped!”) to the mummy's appearances.
This was one of the most surreal experiences of my career. At times I could scarcely see as I moved through the crowds. I was amazed by how many people wanted to hug a mummy. The children were especially charming; while some were terrified, others treated me like a walking teddy bear, and many were just plain mystified. Their questions to me were priceless.
The Institute staff decided to try a bit of “guerilla theater” to promote the exhibit. They hired me both to create a mummy costume and to portray Ankhefenmut at a series of 7 events; street festivals, press conferences and the like. My identity was kept secret to add an air of mystery (“Ankhefenmut has escaped!”) to the mummy's appearances.
This was one of the most surreal experiences of my career. At times I could scarcely see as I moved through the crowds. I was amazed by how many people wanted to hug a mummy. The children were especially charming; while some were terrified, others treated me like a walking teddy bear, and many were just plain mystified. Their questions to me were priceless.
Little Shop of Horrors
This one is a “golden oldie” - in 1986, I was hired by Heritage Artists at the Cohoes Music Hall to build Audrey II, the man-eating plant from the musical “Little Shop of Horrors”. “Little Shop” had just become available to regional theaters, and I was expected to adhere to the original Off-Broadway, Martin P. Robinson designs of Audrey II. That's what I did, but I also added innovations – my large pods were flexible and more expressive, and the leaves and branches were made from latex-coated foam rubber and more realistic.
The show was a great success. Its 6 week run sold out and was extended to 8 weeks, and the show was revived a year later. My Audrey puppets were rented to theater companies throughout the northeastern US for the next 5 years. The “Feed Me” version made it as far as Tokyo – which is more than I can say.
I received a lot of local press for this job – to see a few of the best examples, please see my Press Section. The black and white photos shown here are from “The Little Shop of Horrors Book” (©1988, John McCarty and Mark Thomas McGee, St. Martin's Press, photos by Skip Dickstein).
The show was a great success. Its 6 week run sold out and was extended to 8 weeks, and the show was revived a year later. My Audrey puppets were rented to theater companies throughout the northeastern US for the next 5 years. The “Feed Me” version made it as far as Tokyo – which is more than I can say.
I received a lot of local press for this job – to see a few of the best examples, please see my Press Section. The black and white photos shown here are from “The Little Shop of Horrors Book” (©1988, John McCarty and Mark Thomas McGee, St. Martin's Press, photos by Skip Dickstein).
Silicone Masks and Prosthetics
The pieces shown here were sculpted with a proprietary silicone compound – essentially, a heat-cured silicone “clay” that can be sculpted onto any heat-resistant surface such as a plaster life mask, cured with a heat gun and instantly used, with no moldmaking or casting. This technique takes a fraction of the time it takes to do Hollywood-style foam latex appliances. The pieces can be finished with makeup and, in the case of prosthetics, glued to the face with adhesives such as Pros-Aide. Unlike latex, the silicone does not degrade with time, even after decades.
The masks which are mounted to skulls were one-of-a-kind pieces done for sale at conventions. The Klingon prosthetic makeup was done for Cawley Entertainment Company, a producer of authorized Star Trek fan videos. A few of the pieces were just experiments with this silicone technique.
The masks which are mounted to skulls were one-of-a-kind pieces done for sale at conventions. The Klingon prosthetic makeup was done for Cawley Entertainment Company, a producer of authorized Star Trek fan videos. A few of the pieces were just experiments with this silicone technique.
Steamer 10 Children's Theater
In recent years I have been hired to do several jobs for the Steamer 10 Theater, a children's theater company that has been operating in Albany, NY for over 24 years. I used my aluminum foil techniques to make animal masks and a large dragon puppet head. The sculptures were coated and hardened to make them more durable.
These pieces were used in the productions “Tales of Cinderella”, “The Last Dragon”, and “The Snow Queen”.
These pieces were used in the productions “Tales of Cinderella”, “The Last Dragon”, and “The Snow Queen”.
The Time Machines
These 3 pieces are part of my personal collection. They are found object, kinetic sculptures with numerous light sources, sound effects and motorized components.
The Victorian,”steampunk” one was the first. Its case was made from an antique radio and record player that were cut up and reassembled. It incorporates lamp parts, carbuerators, handheld game electronics, and much more. It has 36 light sources, 12 sound effects, 5 motorized components, a handmade control panel, and is mainly battery powered.
The second 50s-style one is made from the case of a film editor, an industrial thermostat, a Christmas tree color wheel and more. It has a 45 minute “soundtrack” that was recorded using low-tech home recording equipment.
When I acquired a phone booth a few years back, I expanded on the second machine to make a “time machine in a phone booth” - Doctor Who fans will know where that inspiration came from.
These pieces are among my personal favorites, and I would love to do more steampunk found object sculptures.
The Victorian,”steampunk” one was the first. Its case was made from an antique radio and record player that were cut up and reassembled. It incorporates lamp parts, carbuerators, handheld game electronics, and much more. It has 36 light sources, 12 sound effects, 5 motorized components, a handmade control panel, and is mainly battery powered.
The second 50s-style one is made from the case of a film editor, an industrial thermostat, a Christmas tree color wheel and more. It has a 45 minute “soundtrack” that was recorded using low-tech home recording equipment.
When I acquired a phone booth a few years back, I expanded on the second machine to make a “time machine in a phone booth” - Doctor Who fans will know where that inspiration came from.
These pieces are among my personal favorites, and I would love to do more steampunk found object sculptures.
Other Theatrical Projects
Projects shown here include:
- Dinosaur costume, “Rollickin' Dinosaur Revue”, Imagination Celebration, NYS Museum – foam rubber and styrofoam.
- Rip Van Winkle episode of “Missing/Reward” syndicated TV series. I did makeup, hair, costumes and props.
- Alien Bust for “Spaceship 2025” (Japanese theme park ride). For Tom Culnan/Aoki Studios (original design by Aoki)
- Pirate Van for short film, Edwood Film Festival, Albany, NY
- Foam Rubber Animal Costumes and Chinese Dragon head, for “The Nightingale”, Empire State Youth Theater Institute
- Antique Microphone Replicas for “Jump For Joy”, Eastwood Productions, Lake George, NY
- "Scamel" puppet, for "The Tempest", Russell Sage College, Troy, NY
All Images In This Site © 2015 Jeff Brower. All Rights Reserved. No Reproduction Without Permission.