UW-Parkside's fall 2014 production of It's a Wonderful Life; A Live Radio Play was my first time creating a realized scenic design.  Brainstorming with the director and my scenic assistant began early, where we shared our ideas with eachother over Skype.  I wanted the set to reflect the shapes of tabletop radios that were popular fixtures in homes during the time period the show is set in.  This would also suggest that the performers were inside the radio broadcasting the action directly to the audience.  

The director wanted the set to feel like a studio space and expressed interest in including a window.  In order to give this appearance, I wanted to make the "speaker" cutout area of the radio into a projection screen where a cityscape of vintage New York City could be featured.  We brought the main drape in about halfway in order to create a more intimate space and continured the cityscape into the ground rows on either side.  

A big part of a radio play is the sound effects created by the foley artists.  My assistant and I created an elevated platform and counter in which the foley artists could create their sounds and store their props.  Creating the elevated foley area allowed the audience to see the artists at work without being blocked by the actors and vice versa.  The counter also gave us a place to display the radio station's name and hang Christmas decor.