Georgia College - Directed by Iona Holder
Costumes by Eric Griffis - Lighting Design by Keith Bergeron
About the Design
What a fun musical! It isn't often that a musical is for a cast of 7 or really requires so little for the action of the show. My director wanted to create an ensemble of dancers to fill out the space (and provide more opportunities in the drama department) so it grew to 13--still small for a musical.
We came up with a space that is a sort of warehouse purgatory. All of the elements of the carnival and roller coaster are around a central playing space that the principals feel anchored to. This also included a set of sliding doors, and a ceiling section that was fun and felt very encapsulating of the action. The fortune teller booth was stacked on shelving stage left and all of the roller coast loops were climbable by the actors. The wall upstage also served as a projection surface for showing videos of the characters former lives.
My collaboration with Iona Holder was incredibly fulfilling as we found ways to help tell the story effectively. Often, we found ourselves commenting in technical rehearsals that the scenic elements created incredible flexibility for the cast as we put the finishing touches on what turned out to be an incredible performance run.
