Inheritance
; A Work In Progress
Devised Work | Lighting Design
Inheritance is a collaboratively devised work produced by UNC School of the Arts (School of Drama & School of Design And Production) that examined this thought:
"In isolation, we often struggle with ourselves and the people around us; it can be a pressure cooker. Meanwhile, outside our windows, something is brewing – protests, a pandemic, an election, climate change, and weather events. It can feel like the world is on fire and everything is crumbling. Do we have the power to change any of that?” - Andy Paris
Unlike a "traditional" theatrical design process the performers and creative team had to build the script and develop ideas collaboratively and on a tight schedule. With less than two months to create a first iteration, we dove into working immediately.
Creative Process
The Lighting Design Perspective
Roughly a month into the devising process, we confirmed our location for this iteration: The Historic Brookstown Inn - A landmark in Winston-Salem NC, with a rich history of its past life as a cotton and textile mill. Over the course of two weeks, the production electrician (George Meltzer) and I took some equipment to the location to find interesting textures and angles that would help aid in the story we were writing, as well as tell the story of the building's history
After completing a load of light tests and texture studies, I worked with the creative team to consolidate the visuals we found the most compelling to share with our audience.
I began to refine my research and move forward with the lighting and atmosphere design with this concept in mind:
Inheritance is a metaphorical looking glass that examines the lives of six characters, struggling with the present-day world around them. Isolation, Fear, and loss- all under the veil of a global pandemic, systemic racism, and social injustice. As we see these characters through the windows of the historic Brookstown facade, a past era emerges, and we are surrounded by what this building used to be: an early 19th-century cotton mill, built by marginalized individuals, who lived lives that were strikingly similar to the ones of the characters in the windows. A nod to the past, to encourage change for the future.
Production Team
Produced By the North Carolina School Of The Arts
Conceived by
Eliza Kelley
Directed by
Andy Paris
Assistant Director and Dramaturg by
Eliza Kelley
Written by
Murphy Applin | Acadia Barrengos | Reagan Carstens
Luke Klein | Deandre Savon | Mimi Viglietti
Scenic Designer
Romello Huins
Lighting Designer
Jake Frizzelle
Properties Director
Adia Matousek
Costume Designer
Melissa Thurn
Sound Designer
John Schirillo
Wig & Makeup Designer
Abby Eubanks
Production Manager
Joel Magill
Production Stage Manager
Carson Roxanne Gantt
Vocal Coach
Robin ChristianMcNair
Assistant Properties Director
Amy Laliberty
Lead Artisan
Tatum Eyre
Properties Artisans
Nat Carreiro | Brooke Downing | Praveer Gangwani
Audrey Harms | Becca Morgan | Cas O'Neal
Mackenzie Potter | Emma Thomas | Gabe Weis
Props Run Crew
Mahalet Andrachew | Megan DeVolder | Cayman Raff
Head Sound Engineer(A1)
Nora Cuthbertson
Deck Sound Engineer (A2)
Dylan Schoolfield
Deck Sound Engineer (A3)
Talia Whitehead
Assistant Production Manager
John Poindexter
Assistant Stage Manager
Lindsey Cope | Quinn Mishra
Assistant Sound Designer
Kelsie Grigg
Costume Designer Assistants
Molly Klemm | Maureen Wynne
Assistant Wig and Makeup Designer
Cheyenne Hart
Production Assistants
Alex Magallanes | Omar Sosa
Production Electrician
George Meltzer
Head Electrician
Haley Burdette
Assistant Head Electrician
Jacob Gerber
Programmer
Jacob Rodgers
Electricians
Izzy Fores | Taylor Gordon | Sara Green | Abigail Hall | Grey Nicholson | Harrison Reid | Stephen Smart
Costume Shop Manager
Rebecca Eckes
Drapers
Lily Mateus | Maggie Tennant
First Hand
Chloe Walters
Stitchers
Marquita Horton | Abbey Maruyama | Megan Peck
Wardrobe Supervisor
Jenna Travis
Wardrobe Assistant
Molly Klemm
Wardrobe
Abbey Maruyama | Will Wharton
Wig & Makeup Shop Manager
Cassie Richardson
Assistant Wig & Makeup Shop Manager
Abby Eubanks
Wig & Makeup Build Crew
JoAnn Battat | Dustin Kirby | Nic See | Madison Skinner |
Exhibition Photography
Photography by Peter Mueller & Jake Frizzelle