The Voice Bank

The Voice Bank is a true story of a lady who defies the ALS diagnosis to strive for the right to speak. My scenic design in this play created a hospital-like scenario which was simple, but still offered the possibilities for dramatic lighting. Scenery was built to highlight the conflict between the medical world and human beings’ emotion, which could be shown within the process that Andrea helps the lady overcome progressing symptoms via vocal training. In this production, a place for this solo show was sculpted where the actress could change her roles by interacting with the props and the scenery. The design concept was inspired by a video which showed that the doctor was checking the throat of an ALS patience. During the treatment duration, the patience always looked painful. The uncomfortable feeling made me consider visualizing the tension of the atmosphere by hanging oversize tongue depressor boxes above the ceiling and laying them on the ground. Also the spirit of the script inspired me to build real hospital-like curtains which indicated the border between the human and medical world. This paper is written for presenting the project for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Art. It will narrate my ideas and the evaluation for scenic design from professional creative team.

Creative Team:
Directed by Amanda McRaven
Assistant Director: Chelsea Anne
Dramaturg: Daniel Wally
Scenic Designer: Xiyu Lin
Costume Designer: Kathryn McGaughey
Lighting Designer: Vannia Ibarguen
Sound Designer: Matthew Barabasch
Stage Manager: Gilbert Soto
Talkback Moderator: Dr. Shanti Pillai

Cast:
Herself/Terry: Andrea Caban

Sketch & Model of The Voice Bank