🎭 Inside the small world where Rick Polenek builds small worlds

Walking past Rick Polenek’s corner office across from Longfellow Park, it’s hard not to stop and peer inside. Especially when he’s working at night, as is his habit. 

Surrounded by toys and tchotchkes, only the top of his head is visible as he hunches over a desk, tinkering with…something, though it’s not exactly clear what. Around him, dioramas adorn the walls and windows, lit by soft lamplight. Whether or not jazz is actually playing, it sure seems like it is.

In a way, the whole thing looks like a backdrop of a scene in a movie or play. Which is appropriate, since that’s what he’s toiling away on. For 26 years, he’s been designing theater sets in that corner office, making sketches and building models of worlds that will be brought to life on stage. One of his most well-known shows, Glensheen, opens its annual run at the History Theater tomorrow.