Feathers and Teeth
Role: Scenic Designer
Director: Ricky Araiza
ASU MainStage Production
Feathers and Teeth is a horror comedy play written by Charise Castro Smith. For this production of the play the Director's question for approaching the script was: How far would you go for family? From this I found my theme and point of view for approaching the scenic design of the play.
The Theme is: Family.
The Point of View is: Violent Decay.
The design takes inspiration from the 1970's, and creates an artificial looking surface facade that represents false normalcy. And an interior facade that shows the decay hidden inside.
The sitcom like appearance adds to the metaphor of putting on a show for someone and the need to pretend, which is further emphasized by the windows in the background.
The use of a monochromatic color scheme of harvest gold, adds the 70's aesthetic, while also creates a cheery vibe. Something that entirely juxtaposes the premise of the play making it creepy and adding to the artificial feel. We used smooth flat textures on the outside and rough jagged textures of the inside (inside cabinets) to showcase the decay inside versus the fake life they pretend to live.
For the crawlspace which is such an integral part of the play we explored many options.
As crawlspaces are usually below a home we thought having a flip on the floor that would give the appearance of something appearing out of the floor.
However in the end we chose to go with a wagon that could be rolled on and off stage and hence could add to some comedic moments. While also allowing for a quick removal from the stage rather than having the actors crawl out.
