Amelia! (1984)

Set designer Morris Ertman conceptualised the plan for Amelia! ten years before its debut on the National Arts Centre stage in 1994! Designed for a production of John Gray's Amelia! — based on the life of pilot Amelia Aerhart — this maquette is constructed with foam, cardboard, and wire, and features a black background with a semi-circular watercolor sky, which sets a dramatic atmosphere for the scene. 

In his program notes, Gray indicated that he was intially resistant to writing on the theme of aviation, but it occurred to him that "the aviation field is a bit of a boy's club; so for gender balance as much as anything, [he] wrote some songs about Amelia Earhart, who was in 1992 pretty well ignored. (Though not forgotten: she reappears, Phoenix-and-Elvis-like every few years.)" While he avoids sharing what the show "means" to him in the notes, he does share what he learned about the mysterious pilot:

"In this era of intense gender conflict, there is a point where male and female concerns are the same: for both sexes, to live a lie is a kind of death. [...] Voices surround us, urging us to rise above it all through religion, alcohol, work, money, success, by aping people we admire, when the only really way to transcend, to fly, is to take the hardest route of all — to find and to be truly one's own self."

The English Theatre's production was greatly supported by the National Aviation Museum. As outlined in the programme, the Museum gathered books, articles and photographs of Amelia Earhart to "create an interesting and fascinating display in the Theatre lobby area."

Sitting at 54.5cm (height) by 82cm (width) by 38cm (depth), the maquette for Amelia! showcases the pilot's biplane, integrated into a circular set with stairs leading to the top of the plane. The surrounding set pieces include a piano, chair, desk, piano bench, and ironing board. Three figures are positioned on the set, representing the performers in certain roles. This maquette serves as an archival record that captures the vision that shaped the on-stage experience at the NAC. 

As part of the preservation process, the students carefully examined the maquette, treating it with as much caution and care as possible. The team that worked on the maquette for Amelia! assessed the materials and condition of the maquette closely, ensuring to note any deterioration and applying appropriate conservation techniques taught to by the NAC's archival team.

The maquette required a meticulous and careful approach due to its delicate condition, with visible signs of damage and fragile components. Throughout the process, these students handled the maquette with the utmost care, protecting the materials from the potential transfer of oils and dirt by wearing latex gloves, and using soft brushes, cotton swabs, and cheesecloth to gently clean the surface without risking any damage.