See Rules for UIL Theatrical Design.

In Hadestown, Orpheus inspires those around him (workers and audience members) with the beauty of his song. By immersing the audience with the contrasting elements of beautiful artwork and misshapen AI-generated images, this design not only highlights the idea that art is a catalyst for unprecedented change, but serves as a call to action against the sudden rise of AI “art”.  To both pay homage to making art and creating a link between the audience and the performers, I utilized many elements from Growtowski’s Immersive Poor Theatre, such as a more intimate stage type, simplistic acting boxes, and a ladder for added height. Hermes starts the show by first welcoming the audience and then transporting them to the world of the show. The first couple of projections will be videos, designed to show the temperature, the wind, and the environment. When it is winter the world is a blank white canvas that lacks creativity and inspiration. During the spring, however, the color and beauty of the world return through the art shown in the projections. The contrast between the different looks of the seasons gives Orpheaus a reason to make the gods remember “the song of their love”. With that in mind, when Persephone returns and “the world comes back to life”, the screen transforms into a spring garden.  The projections are designed to look as if they were paintings on a canvas to represent the power and brilliance of Orpheus’ artistic abilities. Three hanging planters change color based on where we are in the show to add to the ambiance of the scene. The centerpiece of the design is a statue of Persephone with a turntable below it. The main reason for the implementation of the turn table is to more dynamically fill the stage and showcase the ensemble without creating structures that would obscure the sightlines of the audience. The overworld highlights not only the beauty of the natural world but also showcases how art is an extension of that. Contrary to this, Hadestown should feel uncanny and artificial. The projections showcase an electronic urban area with a distinct twist. I was inspired by the rise of AI art and how threatening it has become to the livelihood of real artists. Often times AI art looks very uncanny and almost alien, having random blurring and misplaced objects. All of the projections have been created using AI and will become more and more warped as the show goes on. The passion and love present in the overworld have been replaced with impersonations of its beauty. More acting boxes will be brought in to give Hades a higher place to stand on. By this point in the show, one of the focal points of the design will also begin to take shape. The stage floor is to be painted white and before every show laid with a thin painter's tarp. Before every show, Orpheus will have red paint/ink applied to the bottom of his boots, creating a red bootprint every time he takes a step. This serves as a visual representation of the ability art has to lead a revolution and make a change. Orpheus is the one that Eurydice and the workers are supposed to follow to freedom. He is the embodiment of the transformative power of art. Sticking to the style of Poor Theatre, the transition from the overworld to the underworld is at its core incredibly simple. The projector will change the images within the room from artistic masterpieces to those of an artificial dystopian wasteland. The projections depict code scrolling down to represent Orpheus’s descent, giant walls to make him feel lost, and a glitch in the system to show how he has broken into this land he shouldn’t be in yet. The hanging planters are translucent custom molded glass/plastic with a cyc light inside to change the color throughout the show. The rest of the imagery throughout the transition should be through the movement of the actors’ bodies. The stage is their canvas, and they are the artwork. Hadestown is the story of how one person’s love and devotion to his art changed the perspective of all those around him. Orpheus’ art made people see the way the world could be, despite the way that it was. There would be no world without those who create art, and Hadestown is living proof of such.