This play was to be put on and performed by the Lehigh University Theater Department but was cancelled to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the initial design and model were completed. The director and I decided we wanted the set to reflect the Bethlehem, PA community where the play was to be performed. I began my design research by walking through the town collecting scenes, colors, and textures. I then collaged the photographs to represent the city as collection of unique parts that create a unified whole.

The collage concept led to the idea of a fragmented stained glass structure as the main element of the set. Six steel-framed panels evoke a silhouette of the Bethlehem Steel Factory, the city’s industrial origins. The panels frame materials of various texture and transparency to allow for unique lighting looks. They also rotate on vertical axes to open and close portions of the stage creating different environments and partially revealing the band positioned upstage. The floor is treated with patterned paths sourced from the research collages representing the different journeys of the characters .