Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2021 - 36

Student Design Teams:
TEAM RED
Meagan Morrow (WIU director)
Tetta Askeland (KSU scenic designer)
Desiree Childers (WVU costume designer)
Nina Saunders (UH lighting designer)
TEAM ORANGE
Laura Moreno (UH director)
Brian Seckfort (KSU scenic designer)
Sarah Korn (WVU Costume Designer)
Amina Alexander (WIU lighting designer)
TEAM YELLOW
Edward Lindem (WIU director)
Travis Williams (KSU scenic designer)
JP Riddle (UH costume designer)
TEAM GREEN
Courtney Crouse (WIU director)
Steve Sawicki (KSU scenic designer)
Jennifer Wood (UH costume designer)
Colleen Doherty (WVU lighting designer)
TEAM BLUE
Aiden Smeurd (UH director)
Alex Barnhart (KSU scenic designer)
Emily Bishop (WVU costume designer),
Monica Bowker (WIU lighting designer)
TEAM INDIGO
Taylor Dahlberg (WIU director)
Brandi Alexander (UH scenic designer), Katrina
Lundquist (WVU costume designer)
Christina Gianelli (UH lighting designer)
TEAM VIOLET
James Tweedale (WIU director)
Bryan Moses (UH scenic designer)
Toby Francis (WVU costume designer)
Lex Allenbaugh (WVU sound designer)
FACULTY
Kevin Rigdon, Professor, Scenic and Lighting
Design, University of Houston
Paige A. Willson, Professor, Costume Design
and Technology, University of Houston
Hadley Kamminga-Peck, Assistant Professor,
Theatre History & Directing, Western
Illinois University
Josh Wroblewski, Assistant Professor, Lighting
Design, Western Illinois University
Mary McClung, Professor, Costume Design,
West Virginia University
Alan McEwen, Clinical Associate Professor,
Lighting and Sound Design
Joshua B. Williamson, Director of School of
Theatre & Dance, Professor, Lighting Design,
West Virginia University
ADDITIONAL THANKS
Rajiv Joseph, playwright, Bengal Tiger at the
Baghdad Zoo
Alley Theatre, Houston, Texas
Final 3D set model by Alex Barnhart (KSU)-Team Blue. | Image courtesy Tammy Honesty.
using graduate student directors would
enhance the networking for these emerging
artists. Each team was then led by a
graduate student director with a scenic
designer, costume designer, and lighting
designer. Most of the students were
graduate students, augmented by a few
advanced undergraduate students. The
project reflected the LORT model of
working as a freelance artist in an unfamiliar
space with an unfamiliar team,
using Zoom as a means of communication
with files shared via Miro, Google
Drive, and Dropbox. " This project's greatest
component was the ability to take
theoretical design to a new level, " says
student participant, Brian Seckfort, of
Kent State University. " Usually when we
work on theoretical designs, we play scenic
designer, lighting designer, costume
designer, and director all in one person.
In this experiment, we were able to communicate
with others across the country
from different backgrounds, programs,
and skill sets and work to make the most
cohesive project we could. "
Rigdon suggested we use the Hubbard
Theatre at the Alley Theatre in Houston,
which offers many opportunities for creative
solutions with traps, motorized battens,
flying capabilities over the thrust,
a large lighting inventory, and a threequarter
thrust audience seating that has
a steep incline. Rigdon also had access
to the pre-made designer package for the
space, which enabled the faculty to not
have to create such materials.
36 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | FALL 2021
We planned for an unlimited budget
so that teams could dream big for this
theoretical project. Additionally, it was
important
that
our
students
pushed
themselves to embrace highly conceptual
solutions. We chose the play Bengal
Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. Rigdon had
worked on several of Rajiv Joseph's plays
and asked if Joseph would meet with the
students to kick off the project, which he
agreed to do.
The project began on Friday, Jan. 22,
2021, via Zoom, with introductions of the
teams. Rajiv Joseph talked with the students
about his journey creating Bengal
Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, as well as
some of the important themes of the play.
The students were invited to enter a dialogue
with the playwright. " Meeting the
playwright and hearing his thoughts on
the piece and what he would have done
differently [if] he had [the opportunity to
do] it again " was one of the most rewarding
parts of the project said Emily Bishop,
an undergraduate costume design student
from West Virginia University.
As an instructor, it was fascinating to
watch the students navigate different approaches
to the design process from the
different schools. When the students do
design work at their home university, in
general the entire team follows the same
process and has the similar outside commitments.
By introducing them to three
other people from three different educational
backgrounds, it revealed the variety
of nuances that shape a design process.
Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2021

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