The Imaginary Invalid

Produced by University Theatre at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Fall 2009.

Original Adaptation and Translation by Arrie Callahan

Director: Patricia Boyette
Scenic Designer: Sasha Augustine
Costume Designer: Rachel Barnett
Lighting Designer: Tom Littrell
Technical Director: David Pierce

Steampunk and the juxtaposition of different styles was the basis for this design. The set is a collage of flat images evoking the time period and world of Argon’s home, splicing together images in multiple styles from tradition 17th Century court theatre and modern commedia dell’arte.

I played with the ideas of:
2D vs 3D
period vs contemporary
traditional vs accessible
forced perspective vs real perspective
structure vs space
real vs imaginary

The theater this was performed in is a triangle shaped modified thrust, and I wanted to utilize the odd shape rather than fight it. For the finale, when Argon is inducted as a doctor, the walls of the set disappear and reveal a ribbon tent like structure reminiscent of carnavale umbrellas and streamers.