Sibyl
Sibyl was a play written by Trip Venturella and directed by Alan Patrick Kenny about members of an organization dealing in looking into minds searching for a missing coworker. It ran as part of the 25th Annual Playwrights' Festival in April 2019 at Ohio University.
The play was written with projection in mind, and I was brought on as an Assistant Projection Designer, working with Owen Lowery.
The play was written with projection in mind, and I was brought on as an Assistant Projection Designer, working with Owen Lowery.
Using Scenic Designer Nathan Arnold's blueprints of the stage and paper models from design meetings, I created a 3D model of the set in Maya. Owen and I brought it into TouchDesigner, which allowed us to test and demo our ideas for the space even before the set was built. Our view of the stage was limited, so this setup, plus the custom user interface, allowed us to adjust projections as needed.
Documentation Video by Owen Lowery:
Photo Set 1:
1. An early physical version of the Sibyl set design by Nathan Arnold.
2. The 3D model of the set I made in Maya.
3. Projections overlaid onto the textured model with user interface.
4. Very early scrim projection tests introducing the technology to the actors.
5. Stage during set construction showing two of the three projector locations.
6. Our view of the stage and user interface.
Photo Set 2:
1. Manda Neal and Nick Wilson perform a scene from Sibyl.
2. Nick Wilson, Manda Neal, and Zach Brueneman perform a scene from Sibyl.
3. Zach Brueneman, Nick Wilson, and Manda Neal perform a scene from Sibyl.
4. Nick Wilson and Manda Neal perform a scene from Sibyl.
Photos 1 and 3 are by Laura Meltzer and photos 2 and 4 are by Riley Perone.
Photo Set 3:
1. Zach Brueneman and Nick Wilson perform a scene from Sibyl.
2. Zach Brueneman and Nick Wilson perform a scene from Sibyl.
3. Abby McNulty, Nick Wilson, and Zach Brueneman perform a scene from Sibyl.
4. Manda Neal, Abby McNulty, and Zach Brueneman perform a scene from Sibyl.
5. Abby McNulty, Manda Neal, and Zach Brueneman perform a scene from Sibyl.
Photo 1 is by Riley Perone and photos 2, 3, 4, and 5 are by Laura Meltzer.
Photo Set 4:
1. Zach Brueneman and Nick Wilson perform a scene from Sibyl.
2. Nick Wilson performs a scene from Sibyl.
3. Nick Wilson and Abby McNulty perform a scene from Sibyl.
4. Zach Brueneman performs a scene from Sibyl.
5. Nick Wilson performs a scene from Sibyl.
6. Manda Neal, Zach Brueneman, and Abby McNulty perform a scene from Sibyl.
7. Sibyl end title.
Photo 1, 2,3, 4, 6, and 7 are by Laura Meltzer and photo 5 is by Riley Perone.
Technology & mediums used:
Autodesk Maya
Derivative TouchDesigner
Python
Microsoft Kinect
Sibyl Cast and Crew:
Trip Venturella, playwright
Alan Patrick Kenny, director
Cast:
Les........................Nick Wilson
Dixi........................Manda Neal
Professor.......Zach Brueneman
Sibyl....................Abby McNulty
Hank.........Seth Eggenschwiller
Production Staff:
Nathan Arnold, Scenic Designer
Grace Bunt, Costume Designer
Howard Leuthold, Lighting Director
Owen Lowery, Projection Designer
Daniel C. Dennis, Sound Designer
Raine DeDominici, Stage Manager
Grayson Basina, Technical Director
Cass Huscher, Costume Shop Manager
Stephanie Kesterson, Assistant Scenic Designer
Hope Moore, Assistant Projection Designer
Julianna Simons, Assistant Stage Manager
Emma Havranek, Master Electrician
Supported by the Game Research and Immersive Design (GRID) Lab
and the MFA in Communication Media Arts program.
