University of Oklahoma School of Drama

Elsie C. Brackett Theatre

November 30 – December 8, 2018

Directed by:  Tom Houston Orr

Scenic Designer:  Uldarico Sarmeinto

Costume Designer:  Lloyd Cracknell

Sound Designer:  Jarrod Fries

Music Arranger:  Michael Moffitt

 

There are few stories more enduring than A Christmas Carol.  The classic Dickens story of the holidays, greed and redemption is one that we revisit every December.  This was our first attempt at this story, with a completely reimagined script and approach.

 

The director wanted the story to have its roots in the Victorian era picture postcard style.  The world needed to be bright and cheerful at the right moments, and properly bleak, dark, and sinister at others.  All the design elements pulled together to create these powerful moments.

 

My research started with the bookplate and artistic illustrations of the story.  Dark London was bleak and shadow-filled.  The interior of Scrooge’s bedroom was barely lit.  Moments with the ghosts were enhanced with large worlds and small isolations.  These illustrations served to inspire my looks for the show.

 

The scenic world was a building façade backdrop, framed by shop fronts on either side, and a large flexible bridge and stairs.  Being able to shuffle the world around gave me a huge amount of freedom to create the different scenes, but also required a very flexible lighting kit.  It was a combination of lights that could do multiple jobs and lights hung for very specific purposes.  It allowed a freedom of exploration that was very enjoyable yet challenging.  The ghosts and Scrooge’s journeys were enhanced with follow spots

 

One of my favorite moments of the show was during the Ghost of Christmas Present.  The Cratchet house and Fred’s house are both represented on each side of the stage, with Scrooge and the ghost observing in spotlight.  Each house had a different feel, a different color and texture, and we were able to switch focus between the two rapidly, and then blend them somewhat as their moment ended.