Have Fun Storming the Castle

Angela Yee with the team from University Covenant Church in Davis, CA brings us this stage design for their summer day camp for kids (formerly VBS).

From Angela: This year’s theme was “Breakaway to the Royal Kingdom,” and the direction they gave me was they wanted to make a large castle in the front of the church.

Ever seen a magnificent castle appear on stage and wondered how it all came together? Let me take you behind the scenes of my latest theatrical adventure!

The Logo Journey Everything started with a castle. Not just any castle – I transformed a purchased Envato Elements image into a versatile logo that would shine everywhere from websites to T-shirts, banners, and even CDs. The client wanted something colorful, and that’s exactly what they got!

Here’s a secret: while I used to draw everything from scratch, I’ve discovered that using premium design resources actually lets me deliver better results faster. It’s a win-win – clients save money, and I get to pour more creativity into the really exciting stuff, like bringing that castle to life on stage.

Building the Dream Now, this is where things got really interesting! I pushed boundaries by designing a 3D castle set that did something unusual – it stretched above the church’s central arch. Trust me, that’s not something you see every day in theater design.

My Design Toolkit:

• Started in Adobe Illustrator to nail down the scale
• Moved to Google Sketchup for 3D magic (despite its occasional quirks with tricky angles)
• Captured eye-level views to help everyone visualize the final result

The Cool Technical Stuff This wasn’t just any set – it had to transform daily for different scenes. Without the luxury of traditional theater fly space, we had to get creative. The solution? A clever combination of:

• Lightweight, moveable pieces
• Elevated dance platforms (each over 3 feet wide and 11 feet long)
• Strategic use of Styrofoam towers that could be easily removed

Pro tip: The center building was deliberately designed taller to mask the back castle tower, while the side towers were made from Styrofoam for quick scene changes.

Want to create something equally amazing for your next production? Remember: sometimes the best designs come from combining ready-made elements with fresh ideas – it’s all about working smarter, not harder!