David Korins’ 27,000-Pound Rotating Bank Set Earns Tony Nomination for ‘Dog Day Afternoon’
Scenic designer David Korins, known for 'Hamilton' and 'Beetlejuice,' earned his fifth Tony nomination for the Broadway adaptation of 'Dog Day Afternoon.' The show’s centerpiece is a 27,000-pound rotating set that transforms from a nondescript brick bank exterior to a detailed interior with tellers’ windows, a manager’s desk, and a vault, using a 1970s palette of taupe, gold, and burnt orange. Korins based the design on archival images of the Chase branch at Avenue P and East Third Street in Brooklyn, where John Wojtowicz led a 1972 bank robbery that inspired the film. He aimed to trap characters inside the box, emphasizing the space’s narrative impact. The set’s period details include authentic paperwork, creating a transportive and foreboding atmosphere as employees become hostages.
Key facts
- David Korins designed the set for the Broadway adaptation of 'Dog Day Afternoon.'
- The set weighs 27,000 pounds and rotates on a pivot.
- The exterior is a nondescript brick-walled bank that rotates to reveal the interior.
- The interior features tellers’ windows, a manager’s desk, and a vault.
- Period details include 1970s taupe, gold, and burnt orange palette and authentic paperwork.
- Korins earned his fifth Tony nomination for this scenic design.
- The design was based on archival images of the Chase branch at Avenue P and East Third Street in Brooklyn.
- The real bank robbery occurred in August 1972, led by John Wojtowicz.
- Wojtowicz was a Vietnam War veteran who hoped to fund his lover’s transition surgery.
- The robbery attracted police, news media, and a neighborhood crowd.
Entities
Artists
- David Korins
Institutions
- August Wilson Theater
- Chase
- Broadway
- The New York Times
Locations
- Brooklyn
- Avenue P and East Third Street, Brooklyn
- New York City