CAROUSEL

Emerson Stage, April 2014

Assistant Scenic Designer

director: Stephen Terrell

scenic designer: Janie Howland

costume designer: Meredith Magoun

lighting designer: Brett Israel

 

This production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic musical took an unconventional and minimalist approach to the scenic design. The production opened in the present day, with the cast entering a bare stage in their street clothes for a "rehearsal" of the show. By the end of the prologue (after a dramatic reveal with the main curtain), everyone was gathered in full costume around the carousel horse with all the major scenic elements present, fully immersing the audience in the world of the play. All the scenic elements were created from assorted carousel parts, all of which were worn down and broken to show the casually cruel world that this show takes place in. A collage of mirrors, carved panels, turned carousel poles, and even a few old carousel horses was arranged against the bare brick back wall of the theatre for the entirety of the show. The various structures like Nettie Fowler's porch and Julie Jordan's cottage were made of carousel poles and stained glass panels, and the moon and clouds for the nighttime scenes on the island were inspired by wooden panels found on an old carousel. Most importantly, the countless stars seen in Billy Bigelow's entrance to heaven were made of lightbulbs attached to cherub heads with wings (a detail spotted on an old carousel).

 

For this production, the assistant scenic designer was responsible for gathering research images, designing most of the back wall collage, drafting the entirety of the set, constructing the white model for design presentations, painting some of the elevations, liasing with the other departments (especially lighting due to the vast number of working lightbulbs on the scenic elements), and serving as a second pair of eyes during the tech process.

 

all photos credited to Jacqueline Ziegler or Perspective Photo