ARTIST | EDUCATOR | DESIGNER | DIRECTOR
The design evolved directly from key phrases in the director’s early notes, including: “dark basement,” “full of spiders,” “thriller,” “suspense,” “film noir,” “shadows and mystery,” and “imprisoned in the mind.” These concepts became the foundation for a space that is both atmospheric and deeply internal, reflecting the tension between external reality and psychological experience. … … Open Project…Crime & Punishment
Don Giovanni was conceived as a highly abstract, contemporary opera rooted in psychological and symbolic imagery. Director Melanie Helton envisioned Don Giovanni as a man trapped within his own cyclical hellscape; his damnation not imposed from the outside, but generated from within his own “black heart.” In this interpretation, his fate is to continually indulge his depravity, spiraling deeper into darkness. … … Open Project…Don Giovanni
By Jeff Augustin Charge Artist – Thalia Lara Presented by the Michigan State University Department of Theatre October, 2022Directed by Chamara KwakyeThe Pasant Theatre, East Lansing, Michigan Scenic Design by
Music and Lyrics by Stephen SchwartzBook by Roger O. Hirson Presented by Summer Circle Theatre Directed by Rob Roznowski with Music Direction by Dave WendelbergerJune 2022, East Lansing, MI Scenic Designer,
By Ike Holter Scenic Designer – Thalia Lara Charge Artist – Thalia Lara Presented by Michigan State University Department of Theatre Directed by Elizabeth Gray March, 2022The Arena Theater, East