Scenic design for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
The idea for this project was to practice design in a new environment. I have previously done work by hand with pencil/paper/paints as well as SketchUp and Autocad. Throughout this course, I had been using Fusion360 outside of class to work on projects that I found interesting to help me better understand those projects. I found that Fusion360 had become my favorite design environment to work in, and this was going to be my first attempt at fully designing a show within it. This project allowed me to explore designing in this new environment even if it isn't an industry standard in theatre to design in. I personally really like using Fusion to design in and as I pursue a career in technical theatre, if I should ever be given the opportunity to design a project, I will be using Fusion as my environment.
Design Statement: One Flew Over mechanizes the world so that we don't have free choice and only run in one direction. It is an elimination of free will. Chief sees this mechanization and realizes that he doesn't fit the mold. He hides in this mental hospital hoping to escape the world but finds that you can't escape society.
Although this piece takes place in a psychiatric hospital, I hope to include elements of industry to hint at what is happening outside of the hospital, at least through Chief's eyes.
This project was designed under Logan Reagan as part of THE 404: Scenic Design. Chairs and T.V. found online on thingiverse.com. Scenic design and research by Brendan Corbett.
Industrial Highlight: by using a scrim, I could hide the industrial pipes hidden behind the metal mesh and when backlit could reveal them during monologues that Chief has. This would help transport the audience to the world how he sees it while allowing us to return to the world as seen by everyone else when not being backlit.
Industrial Highlight 2: my hope is that by putting up large industry piping in the grid of Sisters Theatre, we would be able to achieve the effect of these pipes across the ground during Chief's monologues. I think this could help further add to the mechanical feel that is what he knows.
Nurses Entrance/Exit: a place of power, as these nurses who rule over the patients need a place to enter and tower over them.
Window and Nurses' Station: although accessible to all, it is well known to not mess with the nurses' station for fear of what might come. That is why at the end of the play when Chief breaks the power box off the wall and breaks the window, we as an audience are shocked that he would be willing to commit to this action.
