Buchanan concurs with a nod. We've had many emotional moments here. Our jobs are quite different than those of a set or lighting designer. Our work talks to us at every fitting. We hear how the rehearsals are going and the latest gossip.
Scenery never has a nervous breakdown.
He was working at the Folger Shakespeare Theater when TFA's company manager Kevin Murray and artistic director Rick Davis approached him to design for one of their shows. That show was Dream of a Common Language , which brought him a Helen Hayes award and a job at Mason. That year TFA, still fewer than five years old, beat out the more established regional theaters and brought home four awards, including best play. Kurtz has been designing for TFA ever since. It wasn't until after he was hired on a free-lance basis that Murray, looking over Kurtz's resume, realized he had a master's degree from Penn State and was qualified for a Costume Shop supervisor opening they had.