Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael McClain.
Michael, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I always tell people that Theatre found me. I didn’t grow up in a home that exposed me to culture or the arts. I was always a creative child; however, growing up, I never found my form of expression. I tried visual arts, choir, dance, and piano when I was younger but nothing really seemed to click. I was blessed to have a teacher in the 7th grade who saw something in me and suggested that I audition for the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts. This was also the same time that I was outed at school and had spent years being bullied and was desperate to go anywhere but my community high school. By this point in my life, I had learned to use some of the tools in my father’s garage and was designing and building themed birdhouses, so having no clue that my life was about to change, I auditioned for the theatre department at DSOA with one of my birdhouses. Upon my surprise, I was accepted and my freshmen year of high school started what would be become my life’s work.
I finally found my form of expression and excelled quickly. I went to Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri, to get my B.F.A in Scenic Design. Immediately after college, I raced to New York City and thought I’d be accepting a TONY before long. That fantasy was quickly shattered and I found myself overwhelmed and unprepared to be an “adult.” My identity as a person was my work, my whole being fit into an oversized portfolio and I was terrified at the thought of rejection, and not sure how to “break-in”. Depression took over life and my journey with alcoholism and drug abuse took root. Eventually, I had to move back to Florida and spent almost ten years away from Theatre. Theatre found me again after a year in recovery, in 2012. I’ve been actively involved in the South Florida theatre community and since then, my career has exploded as one of the many gifts I’ve experienced since becoming sober.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
“Breaking in” or “getting your foot in the door” is one of the hardest things I’ve experienced and hear from those I work with. I didn’t start designing in South Florida overnight, I had to work my way up, first taking an opportunity working with props, then paint, then set construction, building relationships and trust with members of the community. Once I started to get small low budget/low paying opportunities as a designer, I made the hard choice to make little to no money and, at times invest my own money into these projects, because I viewed it as an investment in myself, my work, and my reputation. I was fortunate enough to have a survival job that allowed me time off to work on these productions and to be in a position to take those financial gambles, not everyone has that luxury/privilege. One issue that has always been a challenge for me as a Freelance artists is setting a value for my time and work. “We do it because we love it” or “its great exposure” is true but it also doesn’t pay the bills that make it possible to do the work. I’ve taken the long and hard road to understanding that, in the freelance world, the only person who’s going to look for you, is you.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
As a freelance set designer, it’s my job to work with the director of a play or musical and the other design departments (costumes, lights, sound, etc.) to create the visual world/setting for that production. I start by reading the play, doing research, coming up with a concept (sometimes the director will already have one), making working sketches, meeting with the other designers, making revisions, creating draftings/build drawings, paint elevations, properties research, a scale model or rendering, and then overseeing the implementation and building of the design, working closely with all department heads, and addressing any issues that arise once the set is loaded into the theatre and actors interact with it.
That’s of course, assuming you’re working for a bigger company that employees different artists, if not, then normally I am the one building the set, painting it, and finding the furniture and props to go on it. In addition to being a freelance set designer, three years ago, I had the opportunity to leave my survival job and do theatre full time. I joined the remarkable team at Theatre Lab, the professional resident company of Florida Atlantic University, as their Production Manager, Technical Director, and Resident Scenic Designer. It is incredibly rewarding to be apart of a company who’s mission is to inspire, develop, and produce new work, artists, and audiences for the American Theatre. Having freelanced and worked in the south Florida community, I am proud to be in a position where I can give back and provide opportunities to new artists.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I am truly proud a part of the Educational Outreach that we do at Theatre Lab. Each fall, Theater Lab opens with the Heckscher Theatre For Families production. This show is a unique theatrical experience, offering content relevant and relatable to an audience of all ages. Theatre Lab’s Educational Outreach Program, Future PAGES Project works in conjunction with this production, providing students in grades 4-12 with a writing workshop at their school, as well as a live theatrical performance at Theatre Lab.
Following the workshop and show, students submit their own piece of writing for the opportunity to participate in a 6-week intensive, where selected students work as an ensemble to create their own original production using their writing. Thanks to generous funding, the workshop, performances, and intensive are all offered at NO COST to schools or students. Last fall, we produced a play titled WHEN SHE HAD SINGS and during one of the talkback sessions with a group of elementary-age students, a young girl raised her hand and said, “I didn’t know they made plays about me.” As someone who wasn’t exposed to art or culture until later in my life, I was moved to tears to know that I played a small role in that young girl’s life and the possibilities of her own creative journey.
Contact Info:
- Address: Theatre Lab
Florida Atlantic University
777 Glades Road Boca Raton, FL 33431 - Website: www.fau.edu/artsandletters/theatrelab/
- Phone: 561-297-4784
- Email: theatrelab@fau.edu
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