After reading the script for Blues for an Alabama Sky by Pearl Cleage, I immediately envisioned Angel’s apartment but felt the set needed to convey a larger, overarching theme. I designed Art Deco-inspired columns that could be lit with wireless LEDs to enhance the mood and storytelling. To bring this vision to life, I sketched a custom pattern and routed it onto luan sheets, which were mounted on bi-fold and tri-fold panels. These panels housed the LEDs, creating a stunning stage picture that captivated the audience as the show opened, closed, and transitioned between scenes.
This script is rich with culture and flavor, and the set design needed to not only reflect that but also serve as the engine driving the characters to inhabit their world fully and navigate their circumstances.