An Interview with Brian Sidney Bembridge, Set Designer for The Outgoing Tide
What first interested you about The Outgoing Tide?
Brian: It’s what BJ talks about as to why he identifies with the play, in part. My parents are getting older; we’re all going to get there at some point. It’s just something that people really don’t want to address. I lost my grandfather to dementia. He got to the point where he couldn’t recognize my grandmother, even when she slept next to him. And of course, I love working with Beej, so when BJ calls I try and do the project he asks me to do.
How did this background and these personal elements influence your design process?
Actually, not at all. (laughter) This is such a specific location (the Chesapeake), and then Beej sort of jokes about how, “We hire you because you take an abstract look at the story.” It was how to create the location and not just a realistic setting. I don’t often put whole houses onstage. Plus, the show jumps around to different locations, so what I do is try to make some sort of canvas for the show to take place in an abstract way. At one point it indicates “inside house,” then a “coast,” then a “dock,” and then a “beach.”
Were there any particular images that influenced the design?
We looked at a lot of houses with docks. The element that was important was the dock. It’s going to be a little challenging to navigate the one we created, but it is a strong and elegant line, so I hope it will be also interesting to play on. And, I met the playwright, Bruce Graham, last year in Philadelphia while I was teching another show; it was wonderful to connect with him in the area the play takes place about his view of the world.
What’s your design process?
This was sort of a quick process; I made a rough white model and then we pulled it apart and cut some things. Then I brought in a slightly colored model, and then we pulled material apart from that. I think originally we had some really abstract ideas, but we found a great middle ground in terms of where we are now. It’s a mix of the tactile real world and an abstract one.
What would you say would be the atmosphere of The Outgoing Tide?
I’m a lighting designer as well, so I like to design a set that considers light in interesting ways. And from what JR Lederle, the lighting designer, and I discussed, it’ll be implemented in some abstract and beautiful ones. It could be a grey world because the couple, Gunner and Peg, have occupied this house for a long time and aged in it. But I would love for it to begin as a rather calming space and then bust apart and transform through Bruce’s writing; my colleague designers’ work; John’s, Thom’s, and Rondi’s performances; and BJ’s direction, among other means.
Is there anything in particular you want the audience to walk away with after seeing the show and experiencing the design?
I designed the world premiere of The Big Meal by Dan LeFranc with the American Theatre Company and, similar to this show, I tried to create minimalistic gestures that had great impact. I’ve done shows like The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity by Kristoffer Diaz with Teatro Vista and Victory Gardens Theatre and New York’s 2nd Stage that made a huge statement, and it was all about making big statements. The Outgoing Tide set is about framing a space and framing an intimate world and putting all the focus on the actors and the story Bruce and BJ are telling.
Are there artists in particular that have influenced you on this piece or consistently for others?
Joseph Cornell (December 24, 1903 – December 29, 1972, is one of my favorite artists. What theatre artist doesn’t love Joseph Cornell? We make his boxes everyday. I’m married to a photographer, so I look at a lot of photography. I was actually online looking at art from a street art show at MoCA and thinking, “This is going to be a cool set.” I totally downloaded images and thought, “Okay, I’ve got to take this!”
