Hey, I’m Fran - Nice to meet ya!
By night: A whopper-popper-popping, safety pinning, Interval resetting, magic making Wardrobe wizard.
By day: A sweaty browed, Costume granny trolley wheeling, tote bag laden, Oxford Street loitering, budget Carrie Bradshaw.
As much as the pandemic has been the worst show-stop EVER in a very long time, it has not put a light out on the fantastic industry I am very proud to be a part of.
Stageblok was born out of how much I missed my home from home. These illustrations started as postcard doodles now and then through the first lockdown, to keep myself and colleagues entertained.
A year later, I have decided to develop the originals into an official collection; wonderful birthday gift ideas, Valentine’s, Christmas, ‘I saw this and thought of you’, ‘I got this for the downstairs loo…’
Stageblok presents a lovingly satirical (and loosely anecdotal…) lens on a truly brilliant sector.
@thestageblok
For all enquiries, please drop a message @thestageblok
Image Descriptions:
Left: The Wigs Department. The composition is set inside a large dressing room with a row of mirrors and a long desk that runs along the back of the composition, left to right. On the desk are an arrangement of pots of hairpins, combs, brushes, hair product. At two points across the desk stand two block stands. Above the mirror runs a shelf that houses boxes of rollers, spare head blocks and un-set wigs on head blocks. To the right of the image, an upright wigs oven plays host to four roller laden wigged head blocks. A character dressed in chefs whites, a striped blue and white apron, toque blanche and red polka dot oven gloves places a set head block on a table in the left side foreground. The block is adorned with rollers and joins a further two set wig blocks of similar composure. A hand scribbled text box to the right lower foreground reads, BAKE EVENLY UNTIL HOT AND CRISPY.
Middle: The Sound Department. The Composition is of two characters in the backstage wing of a theatre glimpses of the stage and into the other wing beyond. The character to the left is wearing a colourful and voluminous Tudor doublet and hose and ruff collar. They are having their face vigorously mopped of sweat by the right hand of a denim-clad cowboy with a large moustache. The cowboy is a Sound technician, head set under a larger hat with a tail comb bucket into the hat band. The tassels of their jacket are precept pieces of micropore tape and they have a box of tissues as a holster. In their right hand, they are poised with a large spray canister, labelled ‘Miracle Air’. A hand scribbled text box to the lower left foreground reads, BUT WILL IT MAKE ME SOUND BETTER…?
Right: The Wardrobe Department. A backstage set up of a wood clad partitioned area for costume changes, otherwise know as ‘Wardrobe Village’. The space is set out with red carpet, spaced out chairs with actors names labeled above, pieces of costume set on chairs, a rail of costume, hooks and a full mirror screwed to the wooden walls. A figure is mid quick change. Their large red wig is askew, their face covered by two layer of garments.
A jacket hangs off their left arm as they stand on their left leg to tug their right leg high out of their trouser leg. A bright yellow stocking droops at the toe from being caught in the transaction. A fake moustache is discarded on the floor, along with with other accessories. The figure clutches a ruff collar high into the air, in their right hand. Another character sits on a chair in the background. They are wearing black clothes and a head torch. They hold up a large newspaper, it rests on their knees and covers them up to their head. In the right side foreground, a hand scribbled text box reads, IT’S NOT THAT BIT YET…]