Eurydice

by Sarah Ruhl

Directed by Robert Homer-Drummond

Set Design by Regan Densmore

Photo by Lynn Guthrie

Photo by EJ Alexander

Design Statement and Goals

A journey is the act of traveling from one place to another. Eurydice is a journey. I kept this in mind while creating a design concept. The story travels through a lot of different settings or locations, and in my design I wanted to provide enough space for this to be explored. At the same time, I didn’t want there to be any wasted space, or for there not to be an intention behind each location. I wanted both the overworld and the underworld to be distinct locations. Eurydice is a very abstract, surrealist play so I wanted that to be reflected in the design of the space. To begin my design process, I wanted to figure out every location that I needed for each world that I was creating. Starting with the overworld, I knew I needed a beach, a place for Eurydice and Orpheus to have their wedding party, a far off water pump, and a very tall apartment for the Interesting Man. I also added a tree that has a swing for the moment between Orpheus and Eurydice. The overworld is very bright, vivid, colorful, and happy. The Underworld has lots of specific locations too. It needed to have the elevator, the string room, and a place for the stones to be. The underworld is dark, dusty, and gloomy. Each world has various different locations that don’t necessarily make sense and aren’t very cohesive, but pieced together they add to the abstract and surrealistic style.

Production Team

Director: Robert Homer-Drummond

Choreographer: Terrie West Poore

Stage Manager: Kaitlyn Crocker

Technical Director: Dalton Cole

Set Designer: Regan Densmore

Scenic Charge: Kat Bates

Lighting Designer: Jenna Grigsby

Costume Designer: Kendall Perry

Wig, Hair and Makeup Designers: Kendall Perry and Abbie Larsen

Sound Designer: Nick Joy

Props Designer: Madison Walker

Dramaturg: Liam Brenzel

Photo by EJ Alexander

Research Photos

Preliminary Sketches and Renderings

The design for our production of Eurydice went through many stages, and each new version developed into what was the finished set. These sketches below are some of the different designs I was envisioning for the show. You can see some elements are repeated in every one, and how they have elements of the final version in them. Some of them were made with the idea of just one unit set, others in an alley configuration.

eurydice sketches.pdf

Watercolor rendering.

I made this rendering using the app Procreate. This was my first rendering for the final design of the set.

Models

Prop List

Eurydice Prop Plot

Drafting Packet

Sheet .pdf

1 - Complete Ground Plan.pdf

2 - All Elevations.pdf

Process Photos

The initial stages of the build. The base platforms were laid out and I had mapped out the river and path in chalk for rehearsal purposes.

Here is the updated rendering for the Underworld stage, including the original design of the string house. I also used this rendering as a paint elevation to give to my scenic charge.

These are some of my sample boards that were made for the Underworld side. The left picture is a wood grain that was meant for the floorboards until it was cut and I used planks of wood instead. The right is what we came up with for the tile and the concrete. The tile was done using a blocking technique, and the concrete was made with a mixture of paint and sawdust.

Process photos of the Overworld.

The wood grain paint I did on the bridge connecting the two worlds.

Starting on the railings and the ouline of where the river is going to be.

The actors rehearsing on the set, getting used to the staircase and the elevator doors.

What the floor painting looked like. It was a scumbled gradient that went from green on the Overworld side to a a dark blue/purple on the Underworld side.

The other side of the floor painting.

Filling the two sides of the river up with water.

Realizing in rehearsal that the water was doing really cool things when the stage lights were on. This picture shows the water reflection up on the door and the window.