MOTHERSHIP, penumbra Theatre
Playwright Resmaa Menakem & Kristen Adele Calhoun, Director Candis C. Jones, Scenic Design Chelsea M. Warren, Associate Set Design Sebastian Savalza, Costume Design Azalea Fairley, Lighting Design Brandon Wardell, Projection Design Miko Simmons, Sound Design Jeff Bailey, Technical Director Zeb Hults, Scenic Charge Angelique Powers, Props Design Jenny Moeller, Production Photographer Caroline Yang
CRITICAL RESPONSE BELOW
Star Tribune, Rohan Preston: “Candis C. Jones directs this funny 95-minute one-act, aided by Azalea Fairley’s sleek costumes and Chelsea Warren’s caterpillar-like spacecraft that stretches into the house and turns spectators into fellow travelers.“
Cherry & Spoon: “And the ship itself is incredibly designed. Very cool and futuristic, but also feeling of this earth. The repeated motif is hard to describe, but looks a little like a tiny dragon curled around itself as if about to eat its own tail, with butterfly wings. This design is lit up in various parts of the stage, and also appears on the costumes. The pod dwellers are told to change into the clothes provided by them, and it's my favorite kind of costume design - the same colors and patterns, but slightly different designs for each character: white with a sort of bright blue-green patterned patch and appliqué of the design, pants or skirts with vests for the adults, the cutest overalls for Amina. The lighting, sound, and projection design are seamlessly woven into the set, to create this futuristic space environment that I wouldn't mind spending a few days in on the way to somewhere else. (Scenic design by Chelsea M. Warren, costume design by Azalea Fairley, lighting design by Brandon Wardell, sound design by Jeff Bailey, projections design by Miko Simmons.)”
The Stages of Minnesota: “Mothership’s production design, by contrast, is very creatively executed. There are three video screens that appear to show the space through which the ship is traveling, though they are also used to visually represent some exposition and give us a somewhat distorted visual of the entity that is the Mothership’s sentient split personality. There are also unexpected transformations of the set itself that help to achieve a larger scope visually. Great work from Scenic Designer Chelsea M. Warren and Associate Scenic Designer Sebastian Zavalza. Likewise, Projection Designer Miko Simmons and Video Programmer Bevibel Harvey.
Talking Broadway, Arthur Dorman: “If the play feels a little disjointed, the physical production is a marvelous, unified achievement. The stunning set designed by Chelsea M. Warren inventively creates the Mothership's interior, with the cosmos beyond visible by way of Miko Simmons' adroit projections, all heightened by Brandon Wardell's lighting design and Jeff Bailey's sound design. Azalea Fairley's costumes provide a visual album of the characters' transitions from individuals to a community with common goals and allegiances, and finally to a synthesis of community identity with blossoming individualities.”