Page 47 - Sandy Jackman Pantai Hotel

A New York Talent

By Judith A. Habert
In life we seldom come across an individ-
ual who excels at just about everything he
touches, but during my recent trip to New
York I was lucky enough to meet such
an individual. What made it even more
amazing was that he is only 21 years old.
Nick Gardella, a recent honors graduate
with a BFA from The Savannah College
of Art and Design, considers himself a
conceptual artist. His current focus is the
area of set design. Nick has designed for
musicals and films both on a small and
large scale. He has been a lighting de-
signer, a makeup artist, and prop master
on many productions. Having worked on
both films and stage productions, Nick’s
dream is to change theater by incorporat-
ing themed entertainment and providing
the 360 degree perspective that film pro-
vides and adapting it to the stage. “Work-
ing as a designer on a stage production,
is very different than for a film. The audi-
ence has to be able to view what is going
on from so many different angles when
they are viewing a film. Theater has just
one main perspective.” Nick’s ground-
breaking techniques provide a brand new
experience for theatergoers. From epic
theater to traditional staging, Nick seeks
to create a different experience, and with
each effort he creates magic. San Diego
One of the unique aspects behind Nick’s Woman
brilliance is that he has been on all sides
of the theater business. Other than the
production experience, his first love was
as an entertainer. An amazing singer, 47
dancer and overall performer, Nick was the
lead in a Savannah Dance Company and
is as adept in front of the curtain as he is
behind the scenes.
Although many of us believe it is the ac-
tors who transport us to magical lands,
Nick believes he also must play a part in
the experience. “Theater and film is a
means of escaping reality and capturing
the truth, it is the designer’s responsibil-
ity to help create this truth.” The process
of accomplishing this isn’t easy, but Nick
finds that by drafting and story boarding
he can clearly communicate his intentions
to the production team and meticulously
budget his opportunities before execut-
ing his (always) ambitious creations.
Nick’s talents go beyond conceptualizing
the finished creation, he researches the
subject, rolls up his sleeves and serves
as a master carpenter and finishes off the
project with his exceptional artistic scenic
painting abilities. From concept to final
product, Nick Gardella is a one man artis-
tic dream team, transporting his audiences
to wherever he desires to lead them. At
21 he has accomplished so much, but it is
only the tip of the iceberg for this talented
multifaceted artist.