The Cardboard World of Condemned to a Life

One of my favorite things about producing this show has been discovering new ideas alongside my production designer, Kyle Anne Grendys.

Early in the design process, Kyle and I went through the entire script for Condemned to a Life and discussed every set piece and prop. One of those pieces was an old television—pre-remote control with rabbit ears—just like the one in my childhood home.

At first, we talked about finding one at a thrift store. But then someone suggested making it out of cardboard.

The idea was intriguing, especially because we had to think about how we’d get all of our set pieces to New York for the Off-Broadway run and, hopefully, beyond if the show tours.

Kyle loved the idea because cardboard lends itself to the childlike imagination of the show.

And then she ran with it.

She built a cardboard laptop.

A cardboard model train.

A cardboard remote control.

She even suggested making the couch out of cardboard.

I stopped her there.

A cardboard couch would have cost about $250. We settled on an inflatable couch for $50 instead. It packs down easily, and with any luck makes a fun sound when you sit on it.

Kyle is truly a joy to work with. She’s designing the set (including backup versions of every piece), building props, sourcing materials, attending rehearsals, thinking through repairs before anything breaks, and moving props around backstage so everything appears exactly when it should.

More than anything, she’s become an indispensable creative partner. She sees possibilities I never would have imagined, and the show is better because of them.

Independent theatre depends on artists like Kyle—people who solve problems creatively, build beautiful things with limited resources, and say yes to ambitious ideas.

This week, my fundraising goal is to raise $900 to cover Kyle’s work on the Chicago production: designing and building the set pieces, transporting them to rehearsals, and running props throughout the show.

If you’ve been enjoying following the journey of Condemned to a Life, I hope you’ll consider making a donation to help us build the rest of this cardboard world. You can make a tax-deductibe donation here.

And if donating isn’t possible, that’s okay too.

Sharing this post helps more than you know. And if nothing else, I hope these photos of our cardboard creations make you smile.

They certainly make me smile.