MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG

A Toi Whakaari Production, 2019

Composed by Stephen Sondheim

Directed by Simon Bennet

Set Design by Mark McIntyre

Costume Design by Ella Lincoln

Lighting Design by Alex Fisher

Photos by Phillip Merry.

A testimonial from Simon Bennett (Theatre, TV and Film Director and Producer)

Director - Merrily We Roll Along, 2019

From the very beginning of the Merrily We Roll Along project at Toi Whakaari, I found Ella Lincoln to be an excellent collaborator. She listened, thought about the key creative questions thrown up by the project and process, and came back with appropriate solutions. Ella’s ideas where not simply serviceable - her design added great value to the production, in terms of aesthetics but also in terms of story and character.

Ella’s costume designs did so much of the work in informing the audience ‘where’, ‘when’ and ‘who’, and transported them through the coherence of the work, to a unique place where they were able to experience this piece of theatre.

Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s musical Merrily We Roll Along presents enormous challenges for the most experienced of designers. There are 20 actors playing multiple roles. Each of the 9 scenes takes place in a different time period from 1957 to 1981. Costume design therefore has to reflect not only character, but also time and place. Ella achieved this brilliantly. Her research was meticulous, her understanding of the characters went deep, and her willingness to engage in the dialectic of the creative process with director and set designer was admirable. From the first design meetings to opening night, Ella was prepared, flexible and utterly committed to the project. The excellent results she achieved demonstrate the extremely high standards she set herself.

Ella’s planning and design presentation work were meticulous. Her drawings and colour choices were clear in communicating her ideas, and made coherent sense of the whole project. On the rare occasions where Ella and I (as director) differed in opinions, Ella was always able to stop, think, interrogate her own choices, and shift to consider fresh ideas. Throughout the myriad of discussions that took place as part of the process, Ella was always positive and clear in her communication.

The modest production budget for a student show, set against the high level of ambition dictated by the script (and director!), meant that Ella had to be creative and flexible in order to achieve the design and maintain integrity. Given the cast size, and ‘black-box’ nature of the set design, Costume design was the most apparent design contribution of the show. The overall stage picture that Ella’s costumes contributed to, was a delight, and what could have been a chaotic shambles was coherent and aesthetically rewarding.

I can wholeheartedly recommend Ella Lincoln, Designer, to anyone looking for an intelligent, innovative, committed and meticulous professional.

Even when under production week pressure, Ella was able to remain clear, and have fun - playfulness being something I value highly as part of the creative process. I would work with Ella again like a shot should the opportunity present itself.