Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL | April 2018
Projection Design
Direction Aaron Thielen
Lighting Jesse Klug
Scenic Kevin Depinet
This show was a 75th anniversary performance and used a minimal scenic design in conjunction with projections and lights to create the different locations in rural turn-of-the-century Oklahoma. Because the surface expanded around the back of the audience, we had to use material that could be seen through in places - as you'll see the board op in one of the photos below. Almost all of the content for the show was static images that slowly transitioned in support of the text and music. We used mostly realistic composited vistas - with exception of the dream ballet which got quite surreal.
We used a variety of high-end projectors, from 9000 to 12000 lumens, to achieve a full 360 degree experience in the arena setting of the Marriott. Fourteen projectors made up the system, controlled by five Watchout computers. We projected on burlap which had a lovely diffused quality that was perfect for the rolling landscapes of Oklahoma.
"The designers Kevin Depinet and Anthony Churchill have come up with a circular projection at the rear of this theater in the round, here used to create a sense of endless flat land, of flowers on the prairie where the June bugs zoom, of the possibilities of pasture. It’s not cutting-edge technology — it reminded me of the old display in the visitor’s center in Gettysburg, Pa. — but it’s done well, and it has not been done here often.
The ribbon became visible as the orchestra struck up a new set of orchestrations with more of a country flavor — heavier on the acoustic guitar and fiddles — and it connected one slice of statehood prairie in one time to another on the brink of becoming a territory. All around me, arms snaked around the backs of partners."
-Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
