Bright Ideas ~ by Eric Coble

Norton Theatre, University of Northern Colorado

Creative Team

Directed by Thomas McNally
Brie Vicek ~ Scenic Designer
Patty Cleary~ Costume Designer
Katie Gruenhagen ~ Lighting Designer

Concept

There is a lot going on with this show as far as the scenic portion goes. Most profoundly disturbing is the lack of actual children in a show about this pre-school world. My goal was to incorporate this unease by creating two main playing areas; there is a floor space used for many of the shorter scenes and a main corner, meant to resemble a child’s play kitchen - all living in this pre-school world. The floor treatment reflects a play school atmosphere, the tiles larger than life so the adults appear more childlike themselves, and as the murder unfolds, the story appears to be even more of a game. The overall aesthetic is one of a dangerous and yet child-proof world, everything is “plastic”, and elements of the adult world, such as the airplane scene are all that remind us that we are playing this “murder” game on a much more serious level than the Bright Ideas Academy warrants.

Process and Detail Shots