Morgan receives set design award from St. Louis Theater Circle

The award-winning set design of “Seussical” at the Muny by Robert Mark Morgan, of Arts & Sciences. (Click above for a larger image). For more images, visit Morgan’s webpage. (Credit: Courtesy of Robert Mark Morgan)

Robert Mark Morgan, senior lecturer in drama in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, received the 2015 St. Louis Theater Circle award for outstanding set design in a musical for “Seussical” at the Muny.

Morgan explained the process of designing the set for “Seussical.”

“The set design began, as all designs do, with a lengthy conversation with the director — in this case, Dan Knechtges. We wanted to create a world that embraced the marvelous opportunity that only the Muny can provide: to exaggerate the scale of scenic elements: a choice made even more appropriate by the script where Horton the Elephant sees a tiny world of Whos in a pink clover. The design consisted of a large stack of revolving books surrounded by giant books nearly 20 feet tall. Dan and I collaborated again this summer on ‘Hairspray.'”

Morgan also designed the sets for this season’s Muny productions of “Buddy,” which just wrapped up, and “Beauty and the Beast,” which runs July 29-Aug. 7.

Morgan won the same award in 2014 for the Muny production of “West Side Story.”

The St. Louis Theater Circle is composed of media critics who cover live professional theater in St. Louis. Its mission is to focus attention on dozens of area theater companies in the metropolitan area and to honor St. Louis professional theater.

Morgan explained the breakneck creative process behind Muny productions in an interview with KMOV TV.