Designer’s Note

Behind the Vines: Crafting Audrey II 

Designing Audrey II (or “Twoey,” as we’ve lovingly nicknamed her) has been one of the most delightfully bizarre artistic adventures I’ve ever had—and I was genuinely sad when the process came to an end. All four incarnations of our favorite flesh-eating plant were created by myself and Jamie Lafond, our resident art teacher and set design wizard. The two larger puppets were generously donated by Renert School and revived with layers of papier mâché and a full paint job courtesy of Jamie. Meanwhile, I took on the challenge of building the “infant” and “toddler” versions of Twoey from the ground up. 

The three baby seedlings were designed using our 3D printer, then hand-painted to add some personality (and menace) to all that plastic. But the real star for me—Toddler Twoey—was built completely from scratch and became my personal Frankenstein’s monster. I modeled her head after the seedlings, then spent a lot of time cutting, gluing, ripping apart, re-cutting, and gluing again. Once I had a shape I liked, I 3D-printed her teeth and got to work upholstering, adding details like a leaf collar, tongue, gum line, and neck. Big shoutout to an old art school pal with a sewing machine—couldn’t have done it without you Shay! 

Creating Twoey was the kind of project that made me genuinely excited to show up and get my hands dirty (sometimes literally). There’s something magical about turning a weird little idea in your brain into something that can live, move, and sing—well, kind of. It’s been a blast to help bring this show to life, and I hope you enjoy Little Shop of Horrors as much as we’ve enjoyed creating it. Watch your fingers!

Ms. Platts