This thesis is a description of the process of creating the scene design for the Theatre VCU production of Arabian Nights. It was directed by Gabriel Barre and the production ran April 11th – 27th, 2014. It follows the preproduction, build and a final evaluation of the design and the process used in creating it.

This thesis details the evolution of my scenic design for VCU’s 2018 production of Into The Woods. The document explains key factors for my design concept featuring a unit set instead of implementing traditional staging methods for James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim’s classic musical, based on the fairytales of the Brothers Grimm.

Scenic and Lighting Design

A visual investigation into the lighting, scenic and projection design work of Lucas P. Ingram during his training at the University of Iowa from 2013 – 2016.

A collection of work from the graduate tenure of Kevin Loeffler at the University of Iowa Department of Theatre.

The ideal city project was a performance that presented the design for an ideal city with stories about how that imaginary city failed. The design was represented as a 4’0” x 4’0” wood and Styrofoam sculpture. Upon seeing this design, seven writers created scenes and monologues outlining the destruction of the city. The flaws they discovered were not designed into the city intentionally. In fact, the writers pointed to several different sources for the downfall ranging from issues with its layout to socio-political breakdowns. At the end of the performance the audience was left with the ruins of something that was once so full of hope. This piece was intended to serve as a reminder that cities are not predetermined utopias, but continually changing and evolving environments created by those who live in them. Even the best examples eventually fail or evolve into something different. However, this does not mean we stop trying to create better places to live. George Bernard Shaw said “A reasonable man adapts himself to his environment. An unreasonable man persists in attempting to adapt his environment to suit himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” Theater performances provide an excellent way to explore ideas and create dialogue about what these better places look like and how they function. / text

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AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OFZachary Alley, for the Master of Fine Arts degree in Technical Direction, presented on March 27, 2022, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: I HAVE A FEVER FOR MORE PEACOCKS: TECHNICAL DIRECTION FOR HAY FEVER MAJOR PROFESSOR: Thomas FagerholmThe Hay Fever production was produced on December 2, 2021 at Southern IllinoisUniversity Carbondale’s School of Theater and Dance. This thesis will pull the reader through the ideas, planning, and construction of the realized scenic design that composed the work of the technical director on this production. Focuses on how the technical director maintained open communication between the production team throughout the process. The technical director strived to bring clear interpretations of the scenic elements into their drafting to be used by the build crews to make the set a reality within the time and budget. Hopefully by presenting this thesis to the reader they can have a more extensive understanding that the work of technical direction is even more involved than just the material world of set construction.

This document is an illustrated journey of my process as scenic designer for August Wilson's The Piano Lesson. produced by the University of Central Florida’s Conservatory Theater Program. The production opened on November 8, 2007 in the Backbox theatre on the university's main campus and closed on November 18, running for a total of eight performances. I begin by examining my role as the scenic designer for The Piano Lesson and follow with an explanation of experiences that were a result of the assignment. Through this process, I present a script analysis of the play, describe the design process through conversations with the artistic team, present visual research and follow it through "the build" process, to its final presentation on the UCF stage. As a whole, this paper is a comment on the potential that theater has to bring different cultures together and how I, a twenty-two year old white male, could connect with August Wilson's play The Piano Lesson1 which is rooted in the African American culture. Race is a major component that I explore throughout my reflection of my experience with The Piano Lesson. This paper also documents personal experiences that I had as a direct result of working on The Piano Lesson at the University of Central Florida. I document winning the National Award for Scenic Design in 2008 from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival for my design. I also report about the summer I spent at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, where The Piano Lesson was originally work-shopped in 1986. Finally, I write about my visit to the Hill District in Pittsburgh, PA, where August Wilson grew up and where The Piano Lesson is set Each of these experiences are connected to my initial assignment at the University of Central Florida as scenic designer for August Wilson's, The Piano Lesson.

‘ratio, is a new play that was conceived as a collaborative experiment to investigate the possibility of a playwright and designer co-authoring a script through their preferred mediums; written text and visual art. The final script document consists of both a written text and visual narrative text, asking the reader to create and interpret the story through both mediums. / text