The Governor’s Academy is honored to feature the works of Janie E. Howland on campus beginning Thursday, March 29. Howland is a Boston-based scenic designer and teaches at Emerson College and Wellesley College.
Howland received her MFA from Brandeis University in scenic design and has designed over 200 shows. Her designs have been seen at dozens of theaters including the Lynn Redgrave Theatre (Off-Broadway), Lyric Stage Company of Boston, Boston Children’s Theatre, New Jersey Shakespeare Festival (NJ), American Stage Festival (NH), New England Conservatory, Boston Conservatory of Music, Barter Theatre (VA), Boston Midsummer Opera, Weston Playhouse (VT), and North Shore Music Theatre. She has been an exhibit designer for CONSENSES, Festival of the Senses since 2014. She has received eight design awards in Boston.
The show, titled “Abstract Thinking In Theatre Design,” is a retrospective of her work with images, drawings, and sketches of her scenic designs. Howland describes her work and design process, “Designing scenery is creating a sculptural, evocative world in which a production can take place. The set immediately influences the mood for the audience. I believe in the emotional and evocative power of a set in the context to the whole experience of engaging with a theatrical production. I begin my design process with an ‘emotional response’, a creative regurgitation of any form that expresses my emotional reaction to the script, music, movement, etc. From there I compile research, sketches, lists, more sketches, drafting, model building, three-dimensional rendering and more lists in collaboration with the director and other designers.”
“Abstract Thinking In Theatre Design” will be on display in The Remis Lobby of The Wilkie Center for the Performing Arts at The Governor’s Academy throughout the month of April. The opening reception for this stunning exhibit is Thursday, March 29 at 6:00 p.m. in The Remis Lobby. The reception is open to the public.