L'étoile
opera by Emmanuel Chabrier
Philip Chosky Theater (Pittsburgh PA), 2014
Role: Scenic Designer
Director: Gregory Lehane
Musical Director: Brian Garman
Lighting Designer: Evan Shimizu
Costume Designer: Daniel Tyler Mathews
Synopsis:
In Ouf‘s kingdom, one person gets executed each year for the King’s birthday party.
Lazuli, a poor pedlar, insults the disguised King and becomes the candidate for the next victim.
But the King’s astrologer find out that the fates of King Ouf and Lazuli are linked together, and thus they would die within 24 hours from each other's death.
Design Note:
The annual execution event may be a pleasure to King Ouf, but it is a dreadful threat to the people. In order to express the two sides of an action, I used translucent painting on fabric walls. This technique makes it possible to show the selected colors, between two opposing images, in accordance with the mood of each scene.
Overall, Ouf’s odd kingdom is in an exaggerated scale and perspective, with a comic French touch.