Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2024 - 27

LAURIE MCPHERSON
(SCENIC) would like to be recognized
as someone people want to collaborate
with. She hopes to step away from job interviews
with the sense that she showed
" professionalism, work ethic, innovative
creativity, and most importantly, the ability
to work well with others. " Our field is
largely a group effort, she adds, " so being
able to communicate and collaborate
well is extremely important. " It can make
or break the collaborative experience.
McPherson approaches design largely
from the inspiration she draws from
a script. If she ever questions a design
choice, she goes back to the script and the
original research to make sure she is " supporting
the story well. " She often draws inspiration
from other designer's ideas and
inspirational research as well and tries to
" guide the set design in a way that showcases
the concepts that the team at large
wants to translate on the stage. "
The advice McPherson would give to
other emerging artists is to have a sense
of humor about the job. She says that she
often sees her peers " overly stressed and
worn thin while working on a production. "
Although the job isn't easy and requires a
lot from people, she has learned that she
enjoys the process so much more when
she takes a " step back and finds a more
lighthearted perspective. " At the end of
the day, she says, " we are creating worlds
onstage for audiences to enjoy. Creativity
simply can't flourish under stress, [remember
to] take a deep breath. "
While her immediate goal is to freelance
scenic design and scenic paint
around the Oklahoma City area, she
hopes to broaden her freelance work to
other parts of the country. She loves to
travel and embraces the idea of a more
nomadic freelance work style. She is also
passionate about sustainability in theatre
design and scenic painting, and her goal
is to create quality productions with " our
beautiful earth in mind whenever possible. "
She believes that our industry could
be " less wasteful with more innovative
use of recycled and repurposed materials, "
adding that it is inspiring seeing an
increasing number of " theatre artists who
are passionate about the environmental
impact we have and who are creating new
ways to lessen this impact and still share
our art with the world. "
Lauren McPherson is a scenic designer and
scenic artist from Edmond, Oklahoma.
She attends Oklahoma City University
and has designed multiple university
productions including She Kills Monsters,
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Paradise,
and Rent. She also enjoys working with
children's theatres and has designed sets for
Oklahoma Children's Theatre and Arizona
Opera Children's Theatre. In addition to
design, she has worked professionally as
a scenic charge artist for Lyric Theatre of
Oklahoma and Oklahoma City Repertory
Theater, and she looks forward to returning
for a second summer to paint for Utah
Shakespeare Festival. She is excited to
graduate with a BFA in theatre design
and production this May. Website: https://
laurenmcphersondesign.com/scenic-art
TOP: Paradise by Laura Maria Censabella
Oklahoma City University School of Theatre
Director: Leslie Swackhamer
Scenic Designer: Lauren McPherson
Costume Designer: Dexter Mosburg
Lighting Designer: Ivy Walker
Sound Designer: Jacob Henry
Properties Designer: Lauren Harrison
Stage Manager: Halcyon Benson
BOTTOM: A Midsummer Night's Dream by William
Shakespeare
Oklahoma City University School of Theatre
Director: D. Lance Marsh
Scenic Designer: Lauren McPherson
Costume Designer: Kate Hartigan
Lighting Designer: Kennedy Nichols
Sound Designer: G. Clausen
Properties Designer: Katelyn Louise
Stage Manager: Danny De Jong
ISSUE 3, 2024 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | 27
http://www.laurenmcphersondesign.com/scenic-art http://www.laurenmcphersondesign.com/scenic-art
Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2024

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