Stage to PageHow Projection Design Is Changing the Landscape of TheatreAs proven by Dear Evan Hansen, Anastasia and more, projection design is no longer an onstage bonus, it鈥檚 an integral part of design.
By
Allen Mogol
June 03, 2017
Ten years ago, projections on Broadway were viewed with trepidation. What role does such a cinematic device have in the theatre? This has been a watershed season for projections, which have been drawn on to achieve a variety of effects in productions as diverse as Dear Evan Hansen, Anastasia, Oslo, Indecent, 础尘茅濒颈别, and Sunday in the Park with George.
Cast
Matthew Murphy
鈥淥ver the past ten years, the panic has gone away,鈥� says Aaron Rhyne, projection designer for Anastasia. 鈥淧rojection design is an art form that can add to the theatrical experience and not detract from it. What are we trying to get the audience to feel and think?鈥�
In Dear Evan Hansen, projection design functions as an additional set of characters. In Anastasia, they provide literal backdrops. For Oslo, they offer historical and emotional context while Indecent often uses projections as subtitles. 础尘茅濒颈别鈥檚 atmosphere relied on them and Sunday in the Park with George鈥檚 titular inspiration came to life.
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鈥淚t鈥檚 about harnessing the technology in a way that feels like an organic extension of the emotional tone happening on the stage,鈥� says Peter Nigrini, projection designer for Dear Evan Hansen and 础尘茅濒颈别. The Dear Evan Hansen script noted projections, but the form and content came from Nigrini鈥檚 interpretation of the words.
Rhyne approaches his work similarly. 鈥淵ou start with the piece itself,鈥� he says. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 the intent, what鈥檚 the goal for projections? What are we trying to get the audience to feel and think?鈥� For this show, Rhyne visited Paris for inspiration. 鈥淚 wanted to shoot specific architecture,鈥� he says, 鈥渢o provide lush environments that would help the audience follow the show鈥檚 journey.鈥�
While Rhyne re-created Paris in his designs, Oslo projected archival footage on the walls of Michael Yeargan鈥檚 set. 鈥淸Director] Bart [Sher] wanted some texture in those transitions to convey the stakes the characters were going through. It evolved from there,鈥� says projection designer Ben Pearcy.
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Christy Altomare
Matthew Murphy
For Tal Yarden, projection designer for Indecent and Sunday in the Park with George, he starts with the characters. 鈥淚 want to get into their heads and hearts and I want the projection concepts to reflect the world these characters live in subjectively, realistically, and dramaturgically,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t was obvious from Paula Vogel鈥檚 script and in my first discussions with [director] Rebecca Taichman that the primary role of projections for Indecent would be to represent the words and language of a people all but lost to the atrocity of the Shoah [Holocaust]. It was important to keep the projections simple and true to the intention of the play.鈥�
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鈥淚鈥檝e always regarded projection as painting with light,鈥� says Pearcy. Projection design means providing texture for the world of a show. As it did with 础尘茅濒颈别. 鈥淲hat it ultimately did was be more atmospheric, sitting between what scenery and lighting do to create atmosphere and landscape,鈥� says Nigrini. 鈥淚鈥檝e really done my job if at least 90 percent of what I do goes unnoticed, but not unexperienced.鈥�
Pearcy agrees that projections can be at their best when they don鈥檛 draw attention. For example, molding that defines the meeting room in Oslo is a projection, not a physical set element.
Projection is a new piece of the design puzzle, and collaboration is key. 鈥淪et design, lighting design, and projection design work together to blur the lines. We aim for moments where you can鈥檛 tell where the set stops and the lighting and projections begin.鈥�
鈥淚 wish that there was an award for projection because it鈥檚 really becoming such an integral part of what we all do,鈥� says Oslo鈥檚 Tony-nominated scenic designer, Michael Yeargan.
鈥淭heatres now have the technology to do what films do, but in real time,鈥� says Nigrini. 鈥淭he goal is to co-opt that language鈥� in a way that works for the stage story and live audiences. 鈥淭hen we鈥檙e getting the best of both worlds,鈥� he continues. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how to keep theatre relevant, isn鈥檛 it?鈥�
Flip through some of the fully realized projection designs of the 2016-2017 Broadway season:
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All the Ways Broadway Used Projection Design in the 2016-2017 Season
All the Ways Broadway Used Projection Design in the 2016-2017 Season
From Dear Evan Hansen to Anastasia to Sunday in the Park with George, take a look at how projection design creates the world of Broadway.
