When designing Mary Poppins, I wanted to highlight the divide between the dull and blandness of Edwardian London, and the imagination and whimsy that Mary brings into the lives of every family she visits. I did so by weaving bright and joyful colors into the set for moments in the show where Mary is present in the Banks’ lives vs. duller, less exciting shades when she is absent. The chimneys along the top and sides of the proscenium not only act as set pieces in some of the scenes, but are also always present to help set the audience in the right context.

This was Disney’s pilot production of Mary Poppins Jr, staged at Sleepy Hollow Middle School