This weekend we opened Turn of the Screw at U-M, directed by faculty director Chía Patiño. I had an absolutely blast working with her and the shop to tell a spooky ghost story. Though the operas are double cast, this is a small show for us, and thankfully so, sandwiched between A Few Good Men, Titanic, and a devised piece, Our Oz. We used a Pepper’s Ghost effect, a trap door, and scrim bleeds for mirrors, harnessing 19th century stage tricks. Shelby Loera did such an amazing job with the lighting, and Kevin Judge’s set design was of a series of angled panels that gave the impression of the world twisting in on itself.
Our costume plot for Turn of the Screw was deceptively complex as our goal was ensure the audience was unclear about who is a ghost, who isn’t and, who, if anyone, is actually evil, or not in their minds. The ghosts had costume doubles of the children, and the Governess wore a vest with a silhouette from the late 1800’s but inspired by a straight jacket with an extra strap and buckled added for Act 2.
It was all very moody! The dramaturgy team had an emmersive experience in the lobby with a soundscape and Michigan ghosts stories, and the carillon played The Bells (Act 2, sc 2) pre-show and at intermission. There were so many layers of intrigue and misdirection. It was great spooky fun!
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