Debuting Artist: Cameron Carcasson
Cameron Carcasson shares his scenic and props talent with OpenStage during his summer break from Boston University.
Tell us about yourself! What theatre or other experiences did you have in this discipline before working on this show?
My name is Cameron Carcasson, He/Him pronouns. I am a rising sophomore college student pursuing a B.F.A. at Boston University in Theatre Arts, concentrating in Scenic Design and Performance, with a minor in Visual Arts. Most of my experience in theatre has been through Debut Theatre Company here in Fort Collins. I joined the younger classes when I was five, and joined the signature troupe “Debut Players” when I was eleven. Theatre, and art in any of its forms, has driven and guided my life as long as I can remember.
How did you hear about OpenStage?
I have been an avid audience member of OpenStage for years, having grown up here in Fort Collins. When I was a youngster, I was actually one of Sydney’s students so I was delighted to get to work with OpenStage in a professional capacity this summer.
What is this show about?
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a vibrant, raw, and raucous story of an individual chasing love and identity. More of a rock concert than a play, it’s loud and exposing, and filled with musical catharsis.
What is your brainstorming and design process?
I often get inspired by materials and media first. Just wandering around the warehouse or visiting thrift shops can get me chewing on ideas. From there, I obsessively jot thoughts down in one of my many sketchbooks until the idea holds enough water to try in reality. Honestly I just love experimenting and trying things I haven’t done before.
How did you get into design?
Design has been something I have always been interested in. I love art in any of its forms, and in addition to my love of props, I have dabbled in puppetry, costume design, graphic arts, and illustration. I truly live a project-based life, always making something (often several things at once). I am grateful to have learned so much through my experiences with Debut, BU, and now OpenStage.
What other shows have you worked in the past?
Most recently I have worked on shows with Boston University Theatre: “ArtHouse,” a live sitcom taping as wardrobe crew, “Elephant’s Graveyard” as a production assistant and cast as Young Townsperson, and “Mankind” as lightboard operator. Before that, Fort Collins audiences might remember me both onstage and off from Debut Theatre Company’s “Alice in Wonderland” or “Dracula.”
What has been the most challenging part of this show and your work?
The most challenging part of this show has honestly just been adjusting to a professional atmosphere. I’m unused to having an actual budget to work with, or a warehouse I can visit and store my work in. I am incredibly grateful for these things but it’s certainly been a mental adjustment to my usual “im just a student learning, and have no money so I have to make everything out of cardboard.”
What has been the most rewarding part of this show and your work?
These challenges have been just as rewarding, of course. I’ve been bolstered by the collaborative nature of this job, excited to bounce ideas off the director Sydney and together create an atmosphere where art can happen.
What is your favorite thing you designed in the show?
My personal favorite thing I’ve designed for this show is a giant 5′ x 3′ frame I got from a garage sale. I layered the canvas of it with clippings and papers and paint to create a collage reminiscent of the graffitied Berlin Wall as well as the back bathroom hallway in a dive bar. Complete with a giant icon of red lips and the spray painted title of the band (and the show). Come see the show and you’ll find it hard to miss, hanging above our drummer.
What is your favorite thing you designed in the show?
I read a lot, but I also enjoy playing piano, singing, dancing, baking, and playing with dogs.
What is your favorite part in the show?
“Hedwig and the Angry Inch” is a unique show in that it really presents itself as a real drag-esque rock show. The plot unfolds fully aware of the audience watching– and as such, there are many moments throughout the show where Hedwig gets to interact with, make fun of, and riff off the audience. These parts tend to be my favorite, because they really show off the talent of the actor, the personality of Hedwig, and the flavor of this crazy show.
What is the importance of this show today?
This show is… exposed. The bravado of rock and wigs is slowly peeled away until we are left with an individual that has been abandoned, mutilated, manipulated, and rejected. Rejected by society, yes, but more hurtful, Hedwig has been rejected by individuals. Loved individuals. This show is important because of its raw study of gender and identity but moreso, I think, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” is important because it hurts. What happens when all you want to do is love, but you are left angry, unsure whether you laugh or cry.
What is something you spend your free time doing, outside of theatre?
When not doing theatre, I spend my time doodling, doing commissions, playing video games with my sister, or driving around with my boyfriend. I have a habit of becoming incredibly busy any time free time presents itself.
What is something audiences can look forward to in this show?
Audiences can look forward to fantastic music, a heartbreaking story, and a hell of a good time.
Text by John Cameron Mitchell
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Trask
Directed by Sydney Parks Smith
Music Direction by Victor Walters
Vocal Direction by Emily Hatch
Choreographed by Angie Simmons
July 8-22, 2023
Playing at the Lincoln Center Magnolia Theatre
Come see Cameron’s work come to life in “Hedwig and The Angry Inch” July 8 – July 22!
Winner of four Tony Awards, Hedwig is a cabaret, a rock ‘n roll gig, and a stand-up act rolled into a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience. Hedwig Schmidt, “internationally ignored song stylist,” is a fourth-wall-smashing, East German rock goddess who also happens to be the victim of a botched gender reassignment surgery. Proving time and again that an indomitable spirit can never be tied down, she tells her furiously funny, poignant, and high-voltage story in the only way she knows… with song. An adult, thought-provoking musical about the quest for individuality, Hedwig is an inspiration for anyone who has felt life gave them an inch when they deserved a mile.
