SCOTT M. BOYLE
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
One River
University of MN Duluth
Department of Theatre
Scenic Design by Kia Lor
Production Photos
photo credit; Brett Groehler
Pictures feature; Wes Anderson, Alyson Enderle, Ryan Haff, Luke Harger, Phil Hoelscher, Lauren Hugh, Rebeka Meyer, Kayla Peters, Ryan Richardson, Kyliah Thompson and Erica Von Bank
One River UMD Theatre Scenic Design by Kia Lor
One River UMD Dept. of Theatre Scemic Design by Kia Lor
One River UMD Dept. of Theatre Scenic Design by Kia Lor
Technical Challenge
This production had no script when it was proposed for the 2016 season at the University of Minnesota Duluth. It was an idea based off of a larger community wide project called "One River Many Stories" which focused on the stories and history of the St. Louis river. This meant the design process was far more vague because there was nothing to "hang you hat on" since the stories were still being selected. Since the stories change location and time, the flow of the scenery was very key to moving the show along. Kia Lor's set was comprised of movable platforms and tables which could be arranged in different ways to change the landscape of the stage.
The real challenge came when the production was invited to perform for the KC/ACTF (Kennedy Center/American College Theater Festival) Region 5 festival in Des Moines, IA.
The Tale of Three Ground Plans
Click to enlarge
Original Ground Plan
Dudley Experimental Theatre
The original ground plan had the set placed in our "corner" position. This is a popular configuration because it allows for a variety of actor entrances and exits.
Touring Ground Plan
Kum & Go Theatre
The theater we were performing in was not as deep but wider than the Dudley Theatre. This meant we had to modify the placement of the tree units and eliminate of one unit entirely.
MPAC benefit performance plan
Since KC/ACTF has a competition for the best load-in and load out of the productions, we have to practice bringing the scenery onto a bare stage and removing it again. This also allows the cast to re-familiarize themselves with the show. I re-configured the set so it would mimic the layout in Iowa so the cast could work on the set and give a benefit performance to help offset some of the costs associated with bringing a production to the festival.
Load the Truck!
This is an example of the loading plan we used to load the scenery into a 26' truck. It did get modified as we found more efficient ways to pack everything in.
