The Objectives:
Our production of Everybody imagined the play as one of transition, specifically that of life to death, and an exploration of the grief of those who are left behind. Design elements were influenced by liminal spaces as we strove to create an immersive environment in which audience members will feel themselves being “implicated” in the material. We wanted to emphasize the illusion of the meta-theatrics in the material, blurring the lines between where the real world ended and the play began all with the aim of bringing the audience along on Everybody’s journey.
My Contributions:
As the Assistant Director of this production I attended all production meetings and rehearsals, providing insights to overarching production decisions as well as assisting to coach actors. I led the creative choice to incorporate projection mapping into the production, developed warm-ups for the actors, and assisted with line and scene work. Additionally, I performed any required research or analysis as requested by the director including providing context from the original Everyman given my past experiences studying that play. I also helped oversee auditions, assisting with callback selections and consulting with the director throughout the entirety of the casting process.
Everybody is an adaptation of the classic Everyman penned by Tony Award winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, reimagines a timeless tale of morality and mortality for a modern audience, exploring life, death, and grief. The show ran at Miami University Theatre October 2nd-6th, 2024 in the Studio 88 Blackbox Theater. I served as the Assistant Director of the production, working directly with Director Lindsey Mercer to cultivate our unique image for the production.
The Processes:
A variety of methods were employed creating the feel and direction we wanted for this production, including using a unique runway configuration for the theater. This allowed us to depict the literal point A to point B journey of the play more effectively, and create a feeling of moving along a path with the grave at the end of it. All characters entered with the audience at the beginning of the play, simply taking a seat as a normal audience member would until their time came to come on stage in order to quickly engage the audience. Elements of play and immersion further pushed along this engagement, including characters interacting with and speaking to the audience, a live game of cornhole when Everybody visits their family, and not placing any boundary between the audience and the playing space. At my recommendation, projection mapping was also incorporated into the performance in order to further blend the lines of reality by blending physical and digital space.
