New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu


?>

 

A Look Inside The Set With Carrie Mossman


By Gary Wien

originally published: 02/01/2005


Every now and then when people leave the theatre the design of the stage is on their mind. That was the case after the opening night of New Jersey Rep's production of Touch of Rapture. As the groups gathered to talk about the play, the production's sparse yet effective set design came up often in conversation. Set design is something that often gets overlooked, but set design is a very important part of each production.

I decided to talk with Carrie Mossman, the designer for this production to get her feelings on the set, and the role of set designers in general. Her answers were a bit surprising...

Tell me a little about your work with Touch of Rapture. You not only designed the set but helped create the sculptures on stage as well.

It was very interesting. The thing about the script is that they talk about the sculptures being so magnificentand so overwhelming that there was a concern at first whether or not we would be able to create somethingthat would still make you feel that. Honestly the set that you see is quite different from my original idea. The director and I originally talked about an idea of having the walls actually being a stretchable fabric with the sculptures being living people pushing through the back of the fabric because they talk about the sculptures being alive. But, as it turned out it was going to be much more difficult to do in a small space. So the sculptures sort of come out of the wall. It's not a sculpture that you can walk around. It's not a 3-D sculpture and yet, at the same time, it is 3-D because it's coming out and you can physically touch it and it's not flat.

 




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here



What is the goal of a set designer?

The truth is that designing a set is really a glorified way of designing entrances and exits. My job is to help the flow of the action of the play; to move the actors on and off stage in the best and easiest and most interesting way possible. But if it doesn't serve the play and if what I do upstages what they do then I haven't done my job. It's not about my set. It's about the play and what's going on between the actors. The best thing I can do is serve that in a way that helps it and moves it along. I don't think you go into set design to be a star; you go into it because it's a collaborative process. There are many Broadway set designers who want to shine, but I don't agree with that.



Gary Wien has been covering the arts since 2001 and has had work published with Jersey Arts, Upstage Magazine, Elmore Magazine, Princeton Magazine, Backstreets and other publications. He is a three-time winner of the Asbury Music Award for Top Music Journalist and the author of Beyond the Palace (the first book on the history of rock and roll in Asbury Park) and Are You Listening? The Top 100 Albums of 2001-2010 by New Jersey Artists. In addition, he runs New Jersey Stage and the online radio station The Penguin Rocks. He can be contacted at gary@newjerseystage.com.



Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here


FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


The

The Wizard of Oz

Saturday, July 12, 2025 @ 2:00pm
Algonquin Arts Theatre
60 Abe Voorhees, Manasquan, NJ 08736
category: theatre


 

A

A Broadway Tour of America

Saturday, July 12, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Grunin Center - Black Box Theater
1 College Drive, Toms River, NJ 08754
category: theatre


 

A

A Broadway Tour of America

Saturday, July 12, 2025 @ 2:00pm
Grunin Center - Black Box Theater
1 College Drive, Toms River, NJ 08754
category: theatre


 

The

The MAC players at the Middletown Arts Center present "Hairspray"

Saturday, July 12, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJ 07748
category: theatre


 

The

The MAC players at the Middletown Arts Center present "Hairspray"

Sunday, July 13, 2025 @ 2:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJ 07748
category: theatre


 



Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info





 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Brookdale

Brookdale Summer Shakespeare presents William Shakespeare's "Macbeth"

(LINCROFT, NJ) -- Brookdale Performing Arts Center's Summer Shakespeare returns for its 23rd season with a free production of one of William Shakespeare's most gripping and haunting tragedies, Macbeth. This annual outdoor event continues to be a beloved tradition, offering free, high-quality theater to the community in the scenic setting of the college's Great Lawn. Performances run July 10-13 and July 17-20, 2025.



Monmouth

Monmouth University Center for the Arts presents National Theatre: Broadcast in HD - "A Streetcar Named Desire"

(WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ) -- Monmouth University Center for the Arts presents the National Theatre: Broadcast in HD of A Streetcar Named Desire on Thursday, August 7, 2025 in the Pollak Theatre. From visionary director Benedict Andrews, this acclaimed production was filmed live during a sold-out run at the Young Vic Theatre in 2014. Showtime is 7:30pm.



The

The Artist Collective Troupe presents "The Trail to Oregon"

(POINT PLEASANT, NJ) -- The Artist Collective Troupe presents The Trail to Oregon from August 1-2, 2025 at the Woman's Club of Point Pleasant.  Based on the nostalgic video game, the musical follows a dysfunctional all-American family on the ultimate road trip down the Oregon Trail.



PHOTOS

PHOTOS from "42nd Street" at Surflight Theatre

(BEACH HAVEN, NJ) -- Surflight Theatre presents 42nd Street from July 8-27, 2025. Surflight's adaptation of the 1980 staged musical 42nd Street, based on the book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, directed and choreographed by Paula Hammons Sloan, takes us on the journey of Peggy Sawyer as she attempts to make her mark in the big apple. Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos.



This

This Weekend – Vanguard Theater & Essex County Launch the First-Ever Montclair Theater Festival: Once Upon a Stage!

(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- The inaugural Montclair Theater Festival: Once Upon a Stage makes its highly anticipated debut this Saturday, July 12, 2025, at Glenfield Park in the heart of Montclair's historic Fourth Ward. Brought to life by local creative powerhouse Vanguard Theater in partnership with the Essex County Board of Commissioners, this one-day celebration promises an unforgettable blend of live theater, interactive activities, family fun, and local flavor for people of all ages.