Stencilmaker, Stencilmaker, Make me a Match!

She Loves Me!

In 2008, one of my favorite families decided to put on a show. They went with something suitable for a small cast, of course. They chose the musical, "She Loves Me!" which is based on the same story as the vintage movie classic, "The Shop Around the Corner," and the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan film, "You've Got Mail!" This version takes place in Maraczek's Parfumerie. (That is, the toiletries shop owned by Mr. Maraczek... Don't ask me. He's Polish and the store is French?) While they had enough people in the family to take the leads, they needed to bring in a few friends to help round out the cast, and I was one of the lucky ones to get tapped.

Other cast members took care of sets and costumes, so I got to focus on details. My favorite part was the chance to try my hand at stencil making. I did some research on Art Nouveau and Art Deco, the art movements relevant to the show's 1900-ish setting, and designed a logo for the store that seemed fitting and passed with the director's approval. From there I made a set of three stencils and used them on each of the clerks' stands and on the back wall over the door.

As with most of my first cracks at things, my first try at stencilling taught me a few things to do differently next time, but ultimately, I am really pleased with what my efforts brought to the set.