Creating Raushen
Designing for theater is a crucial part of the storytelling process, creating a world to actors to exist, but also to better help audiences understand the subject matter of the show.
For this production of THE EFFECT, that meant building a believable and immersive clinical trial experience, while leaving room for the deeply human story of these characters. Some of our design team offer a behind-the-scenes look at how they approached bringing Lucy Prebble's intense and vulnerable world to the Jungle's stage.
FROM SCENIC DESIGNER: BENJAMIN OLSEN
THE EFFECT is set in a drug testing facility - a space with aesthetic qualities at once ergonomic, antiseptic, and soothing.
Visual research showed that the palette used for these facilities was similar to the coloration of MedSpa decor, CT scan read-outs, surveillance footage, scrubs, and pharmaceutical branding. I am interested in how a single color conjures all of these associations. As a design element, a limited palette allows us to explore a full range of intensities of that color.
Parts of this play are naturalistic, while some passages are quite expressionistic. The set establishes a neutral space that can be correspondingly activated by light and video.
FROM PROJECTION CONTENT DESIGNER: LESLIE RITENOUR
In THE EFFECT, it is questionable on what is reality– especially when placed in a sterile medical environment for a clinical trial full of unknowns. In THE EFFECT by Lucy Prebble, projections serve as a powerful theatrical tool that deepen the audience’s understanding of the characters' emotional and psychological journeys.
Through the use of projections, words, patient data, and medical tests appear on the walls of the clinical trial environment designed by Benjamin Olson, creating an immersive atmosphere that reflect the highly controlled and clinical setting of the play. Not merely decorative; projections serve as a visual manifestation of the perceived reality of the characters within the play. Data that is intended to be objective and impersonal, conflicts with the deeply personal experiences of the characters. The data does not offer easy answers to what the characters are experiencing. This further emphasizes the tension between science and human emotion. The audience is allowed to experience the unsettling artificial nature of the clinical trial, where the line between reality and perception becomes increasingly blurred.
As a visual storyteller, the projections highlight the tension between reality and perception. In a world where the clinical and the emotional collide, the projections serve as a reminder that the boundaries between what we can measure and what we can feel are never as clear-cut as they may seem.
FROM COSTUME DESIGNER: SARAH BAHR
When I first read THE EFFECT it reminded me of how media has portrayed experimental medical procedures and the effects on relationships with a sci-fi aesthetic. ‘Maniac,’ ‘Black Mirror,’ ‘Legion,’ and ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ where a few that came to mind. A common theme all these stories had was specificity around color pallet that effected the mood and character development.
While researching costume images for THE EFFECT I was drawn to a track-suit style for Connie and Tristian’s patient uniforms, and a dark grey tone would add to the coldness of the monochromatic green set and help isolate each character in contrast with the white lab coats of the doctors. To continue the theme of contrast, I chose bold patterned jewel tones for Lorna that oppose Toby’s sleek minimalistic style. There is a balance of near futurism and modern realism in the design that helps tell a dual story about the effects of medical drugs and the basic humanity of relationships and connection.
From seamlessly blending a stylized, muted color palette to evoking intense human emotion, our THE EFFECT designers have truly united to craft an immersive and unforgettable experience.
