2010 Dallas-Fort Worth Theater Critics Forum Choice Award Winner:
Set Design, SubUrbia
Article in Dallas Morning News:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/columnists/ltaitte/stories/DN-awards_0915gd.ART.State.Edition1.3553bbb.html
List of Winners:http://artsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/09/2009-2010-dallas-fort-worth-th.html
American Buffalo - Broken Gears Project
Alexandra Bonifeild - WordPress.com
"The Fort Knox gold of the performance? Mine it in Broken Gears’ production values. Set designer Cindy Ernst,...met the major challenge of creating a viable seedy junk shop circa 1970’s with style, class and veracity."
06.08.10
http://sjamaanka.wordpress.com/2010/06/08/of-wooden-nickels-fort-knox-gold-american-buffalo/
Laura L. Watson - The Column
"...an amazing display of acting and design talent"
"Set Designer/Dresser Cindy Ernst had the difficult task of outfitting the space with junk, yet junk that didn't overpower the storyline and was period appropriate. I made a note in my program, even, that it looked like every prop the theatre company had ever used or had donated was placed on stage."
"I wanted to go shopping after the show was over -- you never know what treasures are under the junk! The store itself was well-constructed and felt very much like every junk store I've ever been in (and I've been in a lot)."
06.16.10
http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2010/jun/16/theater-review-part-deux-american-buffalo-irving/
SubUrbia - Upstart Productions
Arts and Culture DFW - March issue
Photoshoot and Editorial for Upstart Productions
http://www.artsandculturedfw.com/downloads/a+c_mar_2010.pdf
Lawson Taitte - Dallas Morning News
"Cindy Ernst's detailed, realistic setting may feel more urban than suburban – but, hey, this is supposed to be New Jersey, not Texas."
03.29.10
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/columnists/ltaitte/stories/DN-suburbia_0329gd.ART.State.Edition1.4c880f3.html
David Novinski - D Magazine
"Take the set co-designed by Zachary Broadhurst and Cindy Ernst. The terrifically realized brick back lot perfectly reinforces the soul sucking anonymity of the ubiquitous store stamp anti-architecture. No wonder these characters have nothing greater to identify with than their next purchase."
03.22.10
http://frontrow.dmagazine.com/2010/03/upstarts-strong-production-of-suburbia-cant-shake-plays-shortcomings/
Elaine Liner - Dallas Observer
"enough of it reproduced ... to make you crave coffee and a cruller"
03.25.10
http://www.dallasobserver.com/2010-03-25/culture/in-suburbia-angst-and-nihilism-at-7-eleven-in-fat-pig-love-comes-super-sized/
Jerome Weeks - Art and Seek
"a terrifically realistic set by Cindy Ernst and Zachary Broadhurst. You can practically smell the flattened ketchup packets, the warm tarmac and burned coffee"
03.19.10
http://artandseek.net/2010/03/19/review-suburbia-by-upstart-productions/
Christopher Soden - Pegasus News
"Special props to Set Designers Cindy Ernst and Zachary Broadhurst who have recreated the exterior of a 7-11 with bleak verisimilitude. When you find your seat and begin to take it in, the effect is strangely unnerving, like it’s the last place you’d want to be. (Forgive me Super Big Gulps!) It’s such a crazy idea that the vague purgatory behind a small, brightly-lit, refuge for the disenfranchised might become the center of the universe, even if only for a few hours. But Broadhurst and Ernst make it happen."
03.30.10
http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2010/mar/30/theater-review-part-deux-suburbia/
Doug Dodasovich - EDGE
"the amazing set that Cindy Ernst and Zachary Broadhurst have assembled. The 7-11ish store they have created looks like it’s been standing for 30 years down to the mortar in the brick façade, the telephone stand, the oil-stained parking stripes, no trespassing signs and the cutaway window allowing you to see the majority of a well-stocked convenience store." -
03.23.10
http://www.edgedallas.com/index.php?ch=entertainment&sc=theatre&sc2=reviews&sc3=performance&id=103755
Alexandra Bonifeild - WordPress.com
"it’s the sidewalk and lot in front of and massive brick wall adjacent to a 1990’s convenience store. The parking lot curb looks made of concrete; the brick wall appears like real masonry; the convenience store–from interior light strips to its stocked shelves, to the pay phone out front—all seen at a slant so the action focuses on the slackers’ corner of the parking lot – feels like it got transported to the theater directly from the 1990’s. It’s artistic and realistic at the same time. Kudos to the design team of Zachary Broadhurst and Cindy Ernst"
03.19.10
http://sjamaanka.wordpress.com/2010/03/19/no-slacking-off-upstart-productions-suburbia/
Clyde Berry - The Column
"thorough, detailed and fully functional. We see the side of a 7-11 type chain, complete with parking spaces, dirty sidewalks, graffiti, gas meter, crates and such on the outside. However, the interior of the store is also visible with a fully cluttered counter, signage, aisles, and coffee stand. It is so nice to see a decent brick façade and not the glue board sheets from the chain home improvement stores. The distressing is well done. With the intimacy of the space, this set clearly does exactly what it should, and is impressively timeless and period at the same time."
03.23.10
http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2010/mar/23/theater-review-suburbia-green-space-dallas/