<p> <i>Nora</i> is the story of a woman struggling with her agency in a world in which men dominate. My lighting design for the play was embodied by a vast sky made of light with a low- hanging sun that symbolized how the power of women held back by their circumstances of time, place, and the strict gender roles therein. Contrasted by the harsh lighting of her home, the lighting heightens Nora&rsquo;s feelings of oppression and underlying desire to break free from societal norms and take agency over her life. </p><p> The following report examines the point of view, inspiration, development, final execution, and a self-critique of the lighting design by Caitlin C. Eby for California State University, Long Beach Theatre Arts Department&rsquo;s 2017 Cal Rep production of <i>Nora</i> by Ingmar Bergman. It is submitted in partial fulfillment for completion of the Master of Fine Arts degree option in Lighting Design.</p><p>

<p> The costume design for Naomi Iizuka&rsquo;s <i>Polaroid Stories </i> focused on the adaptation of runway fashion to street clothes for the homeless characters in the play. The dichotomy between runway fashion and the homeless youth visually represents the nature of the play. It explores the societal oppression of youth living on the streets who are constantly striving for what they cannot achieve. The use of distressing on the costumes was crucial in portraying the extent of the character&rsquo;s plight. The collaboration between scenic, lighting, sound, hair, and makeup design, created a successful visually new portrayal of <i>Polaroid Stories</i>. </p><p>

<p> Inspired by the heightened representation of reality in early twentieth century art, the costume design for <i>Machinal</i> utilizes techniques found in Cubism, Futurism, and Vorticism to reveal the principle character&rsquo;s inner experience and communicate her state of mind to the audience. Modifying traditional twenties&rsquo; dress with these aesthetic practices provided an opportunity to emphasize aspects of each character in relation to the protagonist, Helen. Additionally, by seamlessly including moments of modernity, the costumes emphasize the relevance of <i>Machinal</i>&rsquo;s themes to today&rsquo;s social and political environment. In fusing the aesthetic practices that contextualize Sophie Treadwell&rsquo;s play with historical fashion, a visual language developed that successfully meets Expressionist goals of communicating interior human reality while also remaining faithful to the twenties&rsquo; aesthetic and reinforcing the constraints of the patriarchal machine of society. </p><p>

<p> This thesis serves as a record for the process of designing and delivering costumes for the production of <i>Back to Methuselah</i>, produced by the Washington Stage Guild at the Undercroft Theatre of Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, 900 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C., opening on February 19 and closing on March 13, 2015. It was directed by Bill Largess, costume designs were done by Debbie Kennedy, set design was by Shirong Gu, lighting designer was Marianne Meadows, sound design was by Frank DiSalvo, Jr. and stage manager was Arthur Nordlie. This document traces the seven steps of the design process, includes supporting research, describes challenges and opportunities and showcases final production photographs.</p>

<p> Adam Rapp's <i>Red Light Winter</i>, produced by the University Players at California State University, Long Beach is a play that explores the difference between memory, nostalgia, and reality. The creation of an effective scenic design involves zeroing in on the central meaning of the piece and formulating through metaphoric and poetic associations a stage design that effectively communicates these associations and meanings to the audience. <i>Red Light Winter</i> is ultimately about how people struggle to reconcile their memories, the reality of the present, and strong feelings of nostalgia and how these three things can become intertwined, sometimes to disastrous effect. This visual and poetic association allows for the creation of a room space on stage that forces the audience to look metaphorically through the walls of the room into a confined and claustrophobic memory space. The creation of this room by definition also creates a space outside this room. Just as the audience is peering through the walls of the room and into the memories of the characters, all three characters at some point must see beyond their own memories and catch a glimpse of the harsh reality - the "outside" - of their lives.</p>

<p> The costume design for the physical theatre piece <i> Elements</i> uses juxtaposition of the &lsquo;human&rsquo; clothing with that of the natural &lsquo;elements&rsquo; to reinforce the premise of an empty, mechanical world where the void echoes with meaningless routine and two people perform the motions of life without noticing one another until nature interferes. The constructed world is a normal, everyday human existence, and the crisp, tidy office wear worn by the two &lsquo;human&rsquo; characters, Sally and Avi, reflects this. In contrast, the costumes for the ensemble representing the elements of air, earth, fire, and water are approached from a figurative perspective, playing with texture achieved through Shibori dyeing techniques to give each actor characteristics of more than one natural element at a time. The tension between the cardboard-cutout world of the humans and the natural world is visually reflected through textural contrasts and asymmetrical silhouettes. </p>