FEn
About my Design:
Against the flat, bleak landscape of the Fen-lands, men and women are cramped into bitterness by grinding labor and economic oppression. Fen is composed of brief, fiercely resonant scenes, carving with powerful humanity the desolate lives of the village’s men and women.First performed in 1983 at the University of Essex Theatre, Fen is a flinty, eerie play, haunted by the ghosts of starving field workers and claustrophobic in its condemnation of agrarian and social exploitation.
Fen is a play that pits humanity against the desolate landscape. In my design of this show; I create a juxtaposition between the hopelessness of the fen (marsh for farming potatoes) and the powerful emotions expressed in the character’s private lives. I show the difference between the meaningless existence of a person subject to the exploitation present in this show and the life we find in the things we care about. As well as the subject of “life”, its bounds, and the freedom that can be found elsewhere.
Production Credits:
Director: Christopher McCann
Lighting Designer: Joshua Eric Rusinov
Scenic Designer: Ryan Dziedziech (ryandziedziechdesign.com)
Costume Designer: Tessa Pilon
Sound Designer: Keaton Kominsky
Technical Director: Colin Nickel
Production Stage Manager: Kori Broadnax
Venue: C.M.F.T. Performance Theater, Purchase. NY
Year: 2019
Unique Challenges/Elements:
This production of Fen was done in a 35’ by 50’ by 20’ black box.
This theater contains a complete wire-rope tension grid
The main scenic element was a large stage deck made of real dirt that needed to be sprayed with water and alcohol nightly
This created challenges with:
Units or Equipment installed in and around the dirt
Power management and planning
The focusing of units above the stage
The other large scenic elements were 2 large mirror walls on SL & SR, this created a lot of room for experimentation with light reflection
Light Plot/Drafting Packet:
