Courtesy photo
Costume Designer Erica Webster measures Lucifer (Philip Aurand).

The theatrical roots that WHS plants in its drama department students run deep.

Though it’s true that not many students go on to pursue a major in the arts, a number of them continue to act or do tech for community or college productions simply for the joy of the experience.

For those who choose to make acting their profession, however, the road can be bumpy and rough. They often find it difficult to get opportunities to use their education in the “real world,” as getting involved in large production companies usually requires years of experience and training.

Instead of struggling with this frustrating situation, WHS alums Cory Bickford (2007) and Joshua Tillman (2004) decided to take matters in their own hands and do something about the problem.

Last spring, the pair formed Prismatic Eye Productions, a performance and film production company dedicated to presenting quality productions to a wide audience base.

“The company was formed to act as a stepping stone for artists to use their education outside of schooling, to gain a better understanding of the industry in the real world,” explains Bickford, who serves as Prismatic Eye’s artistic director. “We want to give opportunities to inexperienced actors and technical people in the arts by giving them the experience they need to continue their careers. But at the same time, we want to put on productions that are a bit more fantastical than the average show.”

Bickford continues: “We prefer to choose scripts which allow for more magic onstage or onscreen than most typical productions. In short, we’d rather give you ‘Peter Pan’ than ‘Barefoot in the Park.’ These productions, because of the increased amount of technical design and work that goes into them, create more opportunity, particularly for designers. Our motto is ‘Prismatic Eye: an eye for talent.’ We have the eyes to form the show into a vision, to make it a colorful show of brilliance.”

The company’s first production is Arthur Miller’s play, “Creation of the World and Other Business,” a dark comedy about Genesis, which details the happenings in the Garden of Eden and ends with the death of Abel in the hands of Cain.

According to Bickford, the show’s director, the play is humorous, but in true Arthur Miller tradition, it ends on a tragic note. She describes the theme as a parable, inspired by the Book of Genesis, which explores the classic notion of good versus evil via a comedic retelling of a story of the creation of man and woman.

“I chose this play partially because of its wit,” says Bickford. “It gives a new twist to looking at Genesis. Arthur Miller uses comedy and drama simultaneously to discuss human dilemma through the guise of these religious figures. The play touches on questions about what is good and evil and whether good can arise from evil. Another reason for choosing the show was that it is Prismatic Eye Production’s first show and the ‘Creation of the World’ seemed an appropriate play to celebrate the creation of our company.”

The cast consists of nine actors, several with current or past ties to WHS’s Drama Department. They include alums Helen Roundhill and Alex Clarke-Johnson and senior DJ Ross. Behind the scenes, WHS grads Nick Maurice, Joshua Tillman and Erica Webster are helping with some of the design elements of the show.

Performances will be at the Raisbeck Performance Hall, a small and intimate venue in downtown Seattle, owned by Cornish College of the Arts. For Prismatic Eye’s show, the venue’s stage will be converted to a three-quarter thrust formation, where the audience will sit on three sides of the stage.

After “Creation of the World and Other Business” closes, Bickford and Tillman (the company’s managing director) will spend time focusing on organizing and managing the business side of the company.

The goal is for Prismatic Eye to become a 501c, not-for-profit organization and expand its board of directors. In addition, the pair will seek to further develop the financial and marketing departments of the organization and lay the groundwork for a gradual build up of the company in the coming years.

Down the road, they hope to expand their production capabilities to present performances of ballets, operas and cirque.

They will be trying to accomplish all of this while continuing their studies. Bickford will be attending Vancouver Film School in British Columbia, followed by Cornish College of the Arts. Tillman is currently a student at Cornish, enrolled in the Performance Production BFA program.

“Creation of the World and Other Business” is produced in association with Cornish College of the Arts.

The show runs August 23rd – 25th at Raisbeck Performance Hall. Tickets are available online at www.prismaticeye.org. or at the door.