Star of Ethiopia By W.E.B. DuBois

I began with W.E.B. DuBois’s Star of Ethiopia, a pageant which detailed the gifts which were brought to America by enslave Africans. It was considered controversial because of it’s approach to race relations but I see it as a radical statement of truth. I began my design through creating mood boards and took inspiration from the colored stone homes of modern day Ethiopia. I created large rock arches that the actors could use as playing space- to climb, run through, and generally use as they see fit. The brighter blue of the front most arch is representative of the beauty of those that chose the sea while the reds on the back arch are representative of the violence that DuBois details in the pageant, as well as the dirt and blood stains. The scale model was made with craft paper, clay, wire, and acrylic paints.

To be Young, Gifted, & Black: Lorraine Hansberry In Her Own Words

Adapted by Robert Nemiroff

Second, I designed To Be Young, Gifted, and Black: Lorraine Hansberry in her Own Words adapted by Robert Nemiroff, which details Hansberry’s life from childhood all the way up to her passing. The set notes were very specific and intentional- a portrait of Hansberry on a spindle and a ramp which would transition from downstage right to downstage left. Though my original designs had each of these elements, I felt that a large bookshelf with a projection screen might support the play in a different way. Her portrait would still be seen on projections and the bookshelves are a nod to her love of literature, as well as the handful of known photos of her, almost all of which feature her in front of bookshelves. The scale model is made with craft paper, wood, and woodstain.

A Strange Loop by Michael R. Jackson

I finished out with Michael R Jackson’s A Strange Loop. My design for the first act features 3 subway cars which could be moved or shifted in whatever way fits the scene, though the resting areas are in a semi-circle symbolic of the world closing in on Usher. There’s a bench downstage of the cars which would be Usher’s set piece to play on, as well as a space for his writings and musings. I wanted a slight decaying feel, as seen in the rust creeping onto the trains and the burn on the bottom of the cross. Though the musical is comedic, there is a throughline of hopelessness to Usher that I wanted represented through these finishes. There is a point in the musical where the subway transforms into a church, as shown through the stained glass windows and cross which drop down from the grid. The stained glass windows would be largely backlit, highlighting Usher in silhouette as he slowly comes to terms with his identity. I 3D printed the subway cars and bench, painted them with acrylic, and used age wax for the rust. I laser cut the frame of the stained glass windows and added small thin pieces of paper in between for the ‘glass’. The cross was made from balsa wood and dark wood stain, with a resin crown of thorns.