This was a class project that I particularly enjoyed. Since I did not have a model to work with, I decided to try a new tool that I had recently begun using, RenderWorks. The shots above are from that program, after being touched up in Photoshop. I certainly learned a lot about the rendering process and its strengths and limitations. It gave me a very good idea of what I would like to see during the cuing of the show and the 3D aspect of it certainly helped me understand the space. It was a good experiment when it was all said and done and certainly worthy of the time spent on it.

The piece itself was another thing I really enjoyed. I thought the music was great and the storyline had a lot to offer. It follows the story of Violet, a young lady who was facially disfigured by her father in an accident with an axe as a child. She has faith that if she travels to meet a preacher in Tulsa that he will help heal her scars. Along the way she meets up with two soldiers, Monty, going to Vietnam, and Flick, who is returning to his second tour. This trio has several adventures along the way and Violet falls for Monty, only to realize that he is not really in love with her. But Flick is. Having had enough of soldiers, she travels on without them to meet her preacher.

When she arrives, she watches a dress rehearsal for his television show only to find that he feels like he is a sham, that God stopped helping him. Violet is furious and convinced that she will be ugly forever. During a dream sequence she finds out that her father never meant to hurt her and loved her the only way he could. She also discovers the beauty that is inside her.

She travels back to meet Monty, fearing that he will love her and that she will have to take a chance and go with him. She finds him and discovers that she does not really love him. Flick then appears and confesses his love for her, convincing her to take a chance together.

My design for the show dealt with trying creating a specific vocabulary for scenes to help the audience understand where we were: interior, exterior, flashback, dream, the present, the bus and various towns along the way. Interior scenes revolved around the use of one or more practical fixtures. Exterior scenes washed over the entire space and used the back wall as a cyclorama as much as possible. Flashbacks were lit from a single direction, dreams were evenly lit from all sides with cool white light and the bus used fluorescents along the sides of the stage to give a more confined look to the space.

1 - Initial shot of the stage floor

2 - The first scene on the bus

3 - Violet arrives in Memphis with Flick and Monty

4 - The preacher at his church

Lighting design questions

Violet scene breakdown

Violet song breakdown

Drafting and magic sheets

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