Join us for an afternoon webinar, during which industry professionals will discuss more sustainable practices in the Scenic Art industry and the survival of our craft through the digital age and the transition to AI.
As the event nears, more information will be added to this page and on social media.
Cost: FREE (attendance limited)
About the Sessions
Get a Bigger Brush, by Rebecca Pancoast
Rebecca will share tips on painting faster and working more efficiently, drawing from her years of solo Scenic Artistry. She will discuss methods to achieve treatments more efficiently, how to make larger tools, and ways to think about the most efficient pathways.
Scenic Art and the West Coast Motion Picture Industry, by Michael Denering
Scenic Art in the Motion Picture world has a fascinating history. It started with painted backings, creating realistic backgrounds by hand. As technology advanced, the industry moved to digital techniques, using computers to create detailed scenes. Recently, AI has further transformed the field, making it easier and quicker to design stunning visuals. This evolution showcases the incredible journey from traditional art to cutting-edge technology in movie-making.
Rehearsing Resilience: Sustainability and the Stories We Tell, by Alivia Cross
By examining Design/Scenic Art processes for large musicals like Sweeney Todd at Penn State’s Centre Stage, Alivia aims to illustrate how sustainable practices, such as fostering local collaborations, can minimize the ecological impact of theatrical productions. Sustainability should transcend technical aspects, becoming an underlying ethos that informs the artistic process. The physical, mental, and emotional demands placed on artists and technicians are part of the ecological equation. A truly sustainable practice must consider rest, equity, and care for the bodies behind the work.
Meet the Presenters
Rebecca Pancoast
Director of Scenic Art concentration in Design and Production at UNCSA
Rebecca Pancoast is the current Director of the Scenic Art concentration in Design and Production at UNCSA with additional expertise in the many fields tangential to traditional scenic art.
Throughout the course of the more than twenty years in freelance roles, she dabbled in faux-finishing and mural work in private homes, design for Sea World Orlando, painting for Tait Towers, Atomic Design, and many non-profit theatrical venues, including the Fulton Opera House, Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, and Arkansas Repertory Theater. She served on the board of what was, at the time, a fledgling professional networking group in Florida, Slice Creative Network, helping to connect industry professionals to companies in the themed entertainment arena and was nominated for two awards for her artistic achievements. During her career, she gained a reputation for her strong work ethic and personal aesthetic standards, developed out of necessity from years of working as the sole artist on regional theater productions
Michael Denering
Retired Union Scenic Artist with over 30 years of experience painting in the Motion Picture Industry
Micheal Denering became a Union Scenic Artist in 1978 and worked until retirement in 2020. He worked in Los Angeles during this time painting backdrops, murals, billboards and artwork for Theatre, Television and Motion Picture.
Michael spent 30 years in the Scenic Department at Warner Bros. and 10 years at Fox Studios. His work included painted backings, billboards, portraits, and some 3-dimensional artwork. Michael has artwork in over 100 feature films and countless television shows. He has murals painted in California, Texas, New York, Louisiana, Florida, Hawaii, Italy, Spain, and China. At Fox Studios, he painted murals on the side of their stages for Family Guy, Simpsons, Seven Year Itch, Oxbow Incident, Young Frankenstein, Fox Studios Daycare Center, and their Historical Commissary. He has painted on films at all the major motion picture studios.
Some notable work: Backdrops for Ghostbusters 1 and 2, Lethal Weapon 1, 2, 3, Die Hard, Toys, A Time to Kill, The Green Mile, Iron Man 1, 2, 3, The Hulk, Charlie’s Angels 1, 2, 3, What Dreams May Come, Batman, Jurassic Park 1, 2, Congo, Django Unchained, The Relic, Deadwood: The Movie, Lemony Snicket’s, and many more.
Was on the Scenic Artist Board of Directors during the Local 816 days and, after merging with the Art Directors Guild, served on the board for several years. Co-founder of Gallery 800. Co-founder of Figure Drawing Workshop. Co-founder of the Art Directors Guild Museum at the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival. Work displayed at: Orlando Gallery, Gallery 800, Motion Picture Pension Gallery, Topanga Inn Gallery.
Alivia Cross
Scenic Designer/Artist. PhD Student in Arts Education at Penn State University
Alivia Cross is a Scenic Designer/Artist, researcher and educator creating theatrical spaces that aim to inspire and invigorate all generations. She recently graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with an MFA in scenic design and is currently a PhD Student in Arts Education at PSU. Alivia’s research focuses on sustainability for the performing arts and arts-based pedagogy. In her creative pursuit, she is driven by a profound passion for storytelling and a desire to engage with broader and surrounding theatrical communities.
Selected credits: The Rocky Horror Show (Penobscot Theatre Co.), Sweeney Todd, Urinetown, Falsettos (Centre Stage), A Christmas Story (Millbrook Playhouse) A Bronx Tale, Rent, All Shook up, and Jersey Boys (The Mac-Haydn Theatre). To see more of Alivia’s work please visit https://www.
