The Upstage Interview: John C. Dinning

We can’t, as an audience, be sitting and waiting for something to change in front 

of us. We have to see it morph into something else.

The Upstage Interview, each Monday, is a result of CharPo's media partnership with Upstage: Theatre on Radio on CKUT.

Upstage and CharPo contributor Sarah Deshaies spoke with Set Designer John C. Dinning about Schwartz’s The Musical. Below is an abridged version of the interview transcribed by Estelle Rosen, CharPo Editor-in-Chief.

Deshaies began the interview by thanking Dinning for coming into studio.

Any chance I get to talk about designing for the theatre is always exciting for me because lots of people don’t know what we do.

The story takes place at the end of the 90s, at a time when it was doubtful if the restaurant would go on, considering there was a possibility it might go into receivership.

Deshaies asked about current production for which he’s designing the set, pointing out that while Montreal has many iconic places, perhaps very few are quite so popular as Schwartz’s deli. 

A new work is always interesting and challenging. Especially trying when it takes the structure of a musical. To deal with something iconic  has  huge responsibilities. For example, Schwartz’s, so many people have gone there to eat and remember it. We want the details, the feeling, and the dramatic aspect of the musical to all happen at the same time.

Deshaies asked about the story, considering it’s a musical based on a restaurant.

The story takes place at the end of the 90s, at a time when it was doubtful if the restaurant would go on, considering there was a possibility it might go into receivership. Somebody  from Toronto has arrived. We don’t know why she’s there.

In fact, what she’s doing is trying to find out the secret of Schwartz’s. Why is it so popular; how did it become almost an institution in Montreal. The reason she’s wanting to find out is to try and franchise it. Her fiancé, a wealthy businessman in Toronto is pushing for this to happen.

The first meeting with Director Roy Surette was at Schwartz’s. Eating smoked meat, pickles and fries, we discussed what we wanted to do with the play.

In the meantime, a love interest develops between her and a waiter. To find out more, you’ll have to see it! There’s lots of great music covering various genres.

Deshaies referred to Schwartz’s almost becoming a sort of pilgrimage. People visiting Montreal have heard about it and make it part of their visit. Dinning was asked about his introduction to Schwartz’s.

I came to Montreal to study at National Theatre School and discovered Schwartz’s: affordable for a student, so I went there often. Doing the research was like stepping back in time, recalling student days.

Deshaies asked about the research process, and whether it included eating lots of smoked meat sandwiches. 

The first meeting with Director Roy Surette was at Schwartz’s. Eating smoked meat, pickles and fries, we discussed what we wanted to do with the play. The question of a stylistic approach was one item we had to work out. If we did a filmatic realism; to try and duplicate it on Centaur stage would not be physically possible. 

What are the things that people might remember, take those details and enhance them on stage to maintain the feeling of Schwartz’s. 

The  restaurant is long and deep; the Centaur stage is not. We had to find a way to extrapolate certain details. What are the things that people might remember, take those details and enhance them on stage to maintain the feeling of Schwartz’s.  There are also certain demands in terms of it being a musical to allow for dancing and singing. 

Most musicals have a lot of different scenes, different changes of scenery and changes of location. It was a matter of finding the flow of the show to work. I sort of think of it as trying to find the engine of the show that will actually make the car run through the course of  an evening so that it’s nice and easy from one scene into the next scene or one song into the next song.

We can’t, as an audience, be sitting and waiting for something to change in front

of us. We have to see it morph into something else. We have to see that the lighting easily goes into another state and we’re in another moment with a song or relationship. That’s what contributes to a fulfilling evening in the musical  theatre world.

We’ve duplicated the signs, front of store, counters…

Asked if the audience will feel as though they’re in Schwartz’s…

Oh yes it’s like you’re actually there. We’ve duplicated the signs, front of store, counters…

Deshaies wanted to know if the meat in the window has been duplicated.

Edible smoked meat is on stage but actors can’t eat that throughout the show so they have a lot of fake fries, sandwiches  and pickles. We have to have an awful lot of arrangements of food coming out at various times by various waiters – and there is a waiter song & dance.

Mar 31-Apr. 24

At Centaur