Eurydice

This intimate, stylized show - a retelling of the classic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice from the heroine’s perspective - was unique in that it exploded the boundaries of a traditional black box production by seating the audience onstage and using the house itself as a proscenium stage in certain moments. I used my design choices to capitalize on this disorienting effect, using light to create distinctions between the realms of life and death. While the “above world” of Eurydice’s life as a young bride was awash with the warm colors of a spring day, complete with rose petals swirling amongst rosy pink hues, the “underworld” sharply contrasted it, with muted gray, blue and dirty cyan light. I continued to highlight this contrast throughout the story, using light to create palpable shifts between optimism and despair that the audience could not only see, but also feel on their skin. Memory plays a huge part in the story, so often color subtly creeps in or drains out in these passing moments. For instance, when a character enters the underworld, they are dipped in the river, erasing their memories. As this happened, I projected light onto silks waving in the breeze of fans - pinks, lavenders, warm whites and greens gradually fading to the drab hues of the underworld as the cloth gradually slackens and drops to the floor. My favorite part of the show, however, was the elevator to the underworld, which rained inside as characters descended into the underworld. For this effect, I lined the interior with warm white waterproof LED tape which offered a fleeting last glimpse of the above world.