Persephone

Playwright: Jennifer O’Grady

Director: Sophia Jade Kong

Stage Manager: Fiona Cutchins

Production Designer: Alvin Wang

Persephone is a story that takes the audience from the perspective of a ghost called Persephone to people who care about her. As a 10-minute play, Persephone features five scenic transitions between a void-like space, a library, a living room, a garden, and a kitchen. Initially, I thought about using a hazer and a variety of top lights to highlight different spaces on the stage for a simplified scenic transition. However, to maximize special travel and optimize the vibe change between each scene, I decided to spread the settings of this production across the theater, including in the audience boxes.

Scene 1 starts the whole play in an ethereal, cold, and dreamlike space; Scene 2 moves on to a slightly warmer, cozy, and homey living room; Scene 3 shifts to a similar-toned library; half of Scene 4 is slightly colder, with the other half being distinctly warmer; Scene 5 should demonstrate a warm but not too cozy dusk feeling in a park.