Concept
To work with the Media Design students with the tools presented to expand our The Ghosts of Mirror Lake scene using various forms of projection, live-feed, or other technology available with the goal of enhancing the experience thematically, dramatically, and theatrically. This project will be incorporated into the collectively devised theater project titled “Once Upon The Oval” to be premiered in March 2020 at Drake Performing Arts Center at The Ohio State University.

Methodology
The process began with a presentation by Alex Oliszewski of the materials available to the media designers to build into the selected scenes. At the end of this class we had an opportunity to mingle with the designers. Our group, Tara Burns, Sean Naughton, Laura Neese, and Emily Craver met with William Ledbetter as our designer and brainstormed about The Ghosts of Mirror Lake. Later, he contacted us for a video of the scene sans media.

The performers worked with Sean, our assigned “outside-eye”, to expand the characters of the three ghosts of the lake. Sean suggested we began with a free-write of our ghost’s thoughts and feelings. We wrote, shared, and decided the location of the monologues within the scene which currently included mostly movement and choice sentences said by the three performers at the same time.

After presenting The Ghosts of Mirror Lake to the Media Design class with our monologues, Will showed us a presentation of the materials he gathered (images and videos) and his ideas for live feed connectivity. That weekend, we all met in the medial to rehearse and understand the connections between light, media, and expand the characters further. Sean coached us in our monologues and blocking, while Will videoed the final representation.

Discoveries and Looking Ahead
The final class was the first time we had done the whole piece with the media. Although I wouldn’t call this a collaboration with the media designer, I would call it a successful pairing and enjoyed everyone’s openness to ideas and investigation in the work. This process would have benefited from a full class period of experimentation with the media designer allowing for an active collaboration. However, with that said, the theatrics brought depth, the media cultivated history, and the work on text and character building brought meaning to the scene. Sean’s outside eye was thoughtful and inclusive, Emily, Laura, and I worked effortlessly together, and Will’s contributions completed a multidisciplinary vision.

Advisor/Instructor: Dr. Nadine George-Graves