The Pigpen Theatre Company’s devised musical The Old Man and The Old Moon was produced by the Tulane University Department of Theatre and Dance in November of 2019. The show was produced and presented at Tulane University’s Lupin Theater under the direction of Assistant Professor Monica Payne. The artistic design was led by a staff of third-year MFA students including scenic designer Myrna Padilla, costume designer Samantha Johnson, and lighting designer Jasmine Williams. The production stage management was led by Joey Vreeland (first year MFA student) with assistance from Sarah Peeler (BFA 2021). I acted as technical director with support from scene shop practicum students, graduate students, and Anthony Contello, Staff Assistant Technical Director. Professor of Practice in Musical Theatre and Voice Michael McKelvey was the musical director. The cast consisted entirely of Tulane undergraduate students, most of whom doubled as musicians for the musical. The production opened on November 19th, 2019 and closed on November 24th, 2019.
The purpose of this thesis is to explore the process of technical direction, examining the particular requirements of this project’s design and how our production ultimately executed a variety of solutions.
