West Linn High School Performing Arts Dept.

Distracted

Set , Lighting, and Projection Design (and Direction) by Jon Ares.

Spring 2012.

Written by Lisa Loomer.

Directed by Jon Ares. Costume Design by Annie Kaiser.
Sound Design by Corbin Wescott. Projection Design by Jon Ares.

Performed in our cozy Black Box Studio Theatre, “Distracted” was a monster of a small show, with hundreds of video, sound, and lighting cues. I kept the set as simple as possible, because I knew the rest of the show would be so tedious. The sound design was phenomenal, and Corbin created a soundscape that really nailed the frenetic, modern energy of our daily lives, bringing it to life in the black box. 5 points of sound frequently were assaulting us with the layers of technology and nature that bombards us daily without much thought. The cast was also phenomenal, and they were able to deftly act and react to the assault of “distractions” that surrounded them.

For those that care about the technology: video and audio was fired from two computers, running QLab. The actors also fired a few sound cues, by way of a radio-frequency triggering ‘fob’ in their pocket, or built in to a prop. Lighting was from our black box board: ETC Express 24/48.

Two stagehands were also used au vista – moving chairs, bringing props on and off stage, and were incorporated into the general onslaught of “distractions” in the show. An extremely successful production.