GALLERY

Pod #6 (Isa Newport) designed by Joelle Gonzalez


Pod #6 Rendering
Groundplan
Po
Production Photos

LOVE & DEPOSITIONS

...was inspired by “Trojan Women,” a classic work by ancient Roman playwright Seneca. The play narrates the aftermath of the Trojan War and the unmerciful fates of the women and children of Troy. The central figure in “Love and Depositions” is a teenage girl of Asian descent obsessed with Greek mythology and searching for the character and voice of Polyxena, who was given no lines in Seneca’s work.

This process began as questions about power, rage, joy, and about ancient stories and their impact on our present behavior. We wondered about sacrifice, children, loss, privacy, and survival and asked where the characters of “Trojan Women” might live in our history, in our imaginations, and in our world today. We took a translation of Seneca’s play and distilled it along with the emotional landscapes of bathrooms, raves, and the Fibonacci spiral’s quantum order. We danced, moved tires, raked rocks, and found broken streetlights deserted in yards.

The production was elaborate, featuring monologues from eight different characters happening simultaneously, each within their own self contained space or pod, before turning to its central character for a twenty one minute monologue and ending in a rock musical. Small groups of audience members viewed a single actor during the individual monologues and listened through earbuds and a chorus moved throughout the venue at various times while a sound score filled the space. Every person who comes to see the work will have a different vantage point, a different window into the world of this piece. If a person sees the piece twice, they will see the world from a different view, capturing a different shard of the poem.

The devised production faced additional challenges and opportunities from the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing requirements. It was originally planned for an indoor venue in a much different form. To pull off the show, cast and crew worked together in a highly collaborative atmosphere. That container included the work of a multitude of designers and production crew. Scenic designers Melissa Smith and Erin Morales coordinated many moving parts. In addition to leading the overall scenic design, they each also designed two of the actors’ pods, with artists Abel Brone Hammer, Joelle Gonzalez, Carew Henry, and Jules Lightbeam Magnus working on the remaining pods.

There were many first time elements with this production. It was devised, it was outdoors, and it was during COVID. Restrictions meant rehearsals were limited and actors and crew often could not share the same space, so time had to be carefully planned and managed. That shared work and delegation to individual designers led to an extraordinary opening night. Walking through on the first night and seeing it all together was magical. The aesthetics of the individual designers naturally overlapped and mirrored each other. Alongside that collaboration was a sense of trust that became one of the biggest takeaways. There was no way one person could possibly know or do all of it.


Sources: https://www.uncsa.edu/news/20211025-love-and-depositions-devised-theater.aspx

https://www.uncsa.edu/performances/docs/20210429-love-and-depositions-program.pdf

CREDITS

Conceived and stewarded by
Acadia Barrengos, Mollye Maxner and Marina Zurita

Created by the entire Cast, Design Team and Crew

Text by Acadia Barrengos, Isabelle Bushue, Maddy Brown, Lukey Klein, Mollye Maxner, Tess Riley, Deandre Sevon, Maleek Slade, Michael Washington and Marina Zurita

CAST LIST

Isabelle Bushue
Maddy Brown
Lukey Klein
Isa Newport
Tess Riley
Deandre Sevon
Maleek Slade
Michael Washington

PRODUCTION STAFF

Scenic Designers
Erin Morales
Melissa Owens

Lighting Designer
Wheeler Moon

Sound and Music Compositions Team
Ian Vespermann
John Schrillo
Lance Perl
Ryan Anderson
Nick Teeter

Pod Artists
Abel Brone-Hammer
Joelle Gonzalez
Carew Henry
Jules Lightbeam Magnus
Erin Morales
Melissa Owens

Costume Designer
Sara Petty

Wig & Makeup Designer
Suyan Zeng

Vocal and Accent Coach
Robin Christian-McNair

Properties Director
Natalie Carney

Technical Director
Ana Perez Aguilera

Production Manager
Keenan Van Name

Production Stage Manager
Kate Baxter

Assistant Production Manager
Lauren Kean, John Poindexter

Stage Managers
Devyn Tibbals, Corina Matos Aguilera

Assistant Stage Manager
Kayli Kimmerer Assistant

Lighting Designer
Frankie Stiehl-Guerra

Assistant Costume Designer
Hannah Andrews

Assistant Wig and Makeup Designer Nova Cunningham

Production Assistants
Lizzie Furman, Olivia Kurima

Production Electricians
Mac McClary

Head Electrician
Harrison Marcus

Electricians
Sarah Green, Stephen Smart Special

Production Artists
Abel Brone-Hammer, Joelle Gonzalez, Carew Henry, Jules Miller

Costume Shop Manager
Rebecca Eckes

Assistant Costume Shop Manager Jocelyn DuBose

Drapers
Tutu Anderson, Lillian Murphy,
Willow Kearns Stanley

First Hand
Zoe Gilreath, Diana Haberstick,
Emily Harris, Damarius Kennedy,
Molly Klemm, Lizzie Lovett, Melissa Thurn

Stitchers
Anna Burgess, Adriaen Hobgood, Marquita Horton, Abbey Maruyama,
Maki Niikura, Kira Miller, Ella Moffly,
Madi Pattillo, Megan Peck,
Brayden Pilson, KC Paulson,
Jenn Sommers, Mara Trefzger,
Will Wharton

Master Stitcher
Karen Milla

Craft Head
Willow Kearns Stanley

Craft Assistant
Jennifer Smith

Wardrobe Supervisor
Hannah Andrews

Wardrobe
Adriaen Hobgood
Megan Peck

Properties Assistant
Anna Baldwin
Amy Lalibert
Adia Matousek
Cas O’Neal

Properties Crew
Mackenzie Potter
Gabe Weis

Props Run Crew
Jack Zubieta Elliot
Seth McLaughlin
Sam Mulick
Logan Salas

Head Sound Engineer
Lance Perl

Installation Sound Comp & Design
Ryan Anderson
Nick Teeter

Performance Sound Comp & Design
John Schirillo
Ian Vesperman

Sound Technicians
Molly McGill
Kai Machuca

Sound Assistants
Camile Everett
Mathew Kupferer