Tony-Winning Designer Finn Ross Says Associates Are the Unsung Heroes of the Theatre

In the interview below for the Playbill series How Did I Get
Here—spotlighting not only actors, but directors, designers, musicians,
and others who work on and off the stage to create the magic that is
live theatre—Ross shares the day job he once had that involved guns, and why he considers Curious Incident not only his big break, but also his proudest achievement.

Where did you train/study?
Finn Ross: Central School of Speech and Drama, London. My degree was in alternative theatre—24 years later, I am still not sure exactly what that means, but it did give me a lot of room to experiment and find my way into video.

Was there a teacher who was particularly impactful/helpful? What made this instructor stand out?
Miss Wheeler, my high school drama teacher. She made theatre a huge amount of fun, but you could also relate to her as a person, and she gave me the confidence to pursue a career in theatre, which no school career advisor advocated!

What are the duties of a projection designer before a show opens? What are the responsibilities after it’s running?
This falls into three areas: development, studio production, and production in the theatre. In a good process, we are involved from around the white card phase, we have conversations with directors, set designers, lighting designers, writers, producers, and production managers to establish the world of the show and the scope in which we can make the show. The very start of this process is great because everything is possible, but by the end of it, you have to arrive at something that is possible and within budget. After the world of the design is established, we move into studio production: building out scenes, musical numbers, effects, etc., and all the while sharing these with the wider team for feedback. By the end of this process, I like to have a pre-visualized show ready to put on the stage. When we move into the theatre, everything starts to move much faster; you see your work in the full context of the space, which informs how you develop it further and integrate it with others’ work. This goes on till opening night!

What were some of the specific challenges of designing the projections for Hello, Dolly!?
Dolly! occupies a very analogue world of New York around the turn of the century, so our approach had to be sensitive to that feeling and not overwhelm the stage. We built the world out of a collage of Photochrom images from around 1880 to 1900, which gave a very genuine feeling. The
other challenge is the design is all about video moving with trams,
trains, and actors on a travelator; however, the show has no time
code—it is all huge, lush orchestration, and it would be unfair to lock
it down. However, it made synchronizing video with movement on stage a challenge; luckily, I have done a lot of opera, where time code is anathema, so it wasn’t the first time I have tried to do this.

What made you decide to become a projection designer? Was
there a particular production or performance that influenced your
decision?
I am not sure I decided in one moment; it happened over time. I think the catalyst was seeing a play by Jeanette Winterson, The PowerBook,
at the National Theatre. Dick Straker and Sven Ortel’s video design
for the show was simple, elegant, beautiful, and really helped drive the
story. I think that was the first time I understood the power of video
as a storytelling tool.

You have a full plate at the moment with Dolly! plus BOOP! and Tammy Faye. How do you manage working on so many productions within the same season? What role do projections play in each of those three shows?
Fortunately, Tammy and BOOP! have both been done out of town; however, this doesn’t mean they aren’t going to change! Over the years we have developed a really solid studio that is responsible for all the content production. Modern musicals are so complex there is no way one individual can animate the whole thing. I also split the days of the week up into a Tammy day, a BOOP! day, and a day for catching up, and so on, which helps keep things focused. I am also lucky enough to be supported by brilliant associates on both shows, which is a blessing. I think associates are the unsung heroes and heroines of Broadway, allowing us designers to stay in the world of the show, helping us bounce ideas around, and then diligently taking care of many important tasks to keep the show moving forward.

Video in all of these productions is a large building block in the world of the show. On Dolly! it is a large upstage video wall, on BOOP! are four screens that move around, and I’ll wait till Tammy opens before saying any more—I don’t want to give anything away. I think what unites all of these shows is that video is tightly integrated with scenery, acting as a secondary layer to the scenic world, often extending beyond that and transforming the space.

How did you get your first job in the theatre?
I
did a work placement in my last year of drama school, which introduced
me to a lot of people. As I was graduating, one of them called to ask
if I wanted to come to do a week of electrical appliance testing;
needing the work, I said yes. On the second day of the job, management
fired everyone in the technical department apart from my boss, so within
three days I was the deputy!

What do you consider your big break?
Probably Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. It started in the very small and simple in the Studio Theatre at the National, and I think to all of our amazement grew into something that took over the world. It was humbling to read the various letters we got sent from audience members who it had a transformational impact on their lives. It is not often you get to have such reach with a show.

What is the most memorable day job you ever had?
I grew up in the North East of Scotland, on the edge of the highlands. Grouse shooting is a big thing there, so I would work as what is called a beater. Basically, you walk through the moors making a lot of noise to drive the birds towards the guns, which are held by a lot of drunk rich people! Now I think about it, the whole thing feels mad.

Is there a person or people you most respect in your field and why?
There are three: Paule Constable, lighting designer; Michael Levine, set designer; and Simon McBurney, director. All of them helped me find my voice in the early stages of my career, they gave me confidence, and even if they didn’t know it, they helped me form my ideas of how video in theatre can work.

What advice would you give your younger self or anyone starting out? What do you wish you knew starting out that you know now?
Don’t take no for an answer; believe in yourself, even when it feels impossible, an idea or an opportunity will present itself. Take all opportunities you can get your hands on. Learn to collaborate with and listen to your colleagues. And don’t work all the time. Take breaks—it’s good for the creative mind to step away. Also, don’t feel you only have to work in theatre; there are so many avenues for a video designer, be it rock and pop, installation, or events, etc. Try it all.

What is your proudest achievement as a projection designer?
I think it has to be Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. It was the first time I really felt the power of video to be part of a character’s voice, and I am proud of how we worked that into the show to tell Christopher’s story.

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Photos: Imelda Staunton in Hello, Dolly!