MORE INTEGRAL TO THE PROCESS: MEGAN SLABACH

One of the distinctives of the OUR COUNTRY’S GOOD project is that designers have been part of the process from the very beginning, sitting in on our rehearsals monthly to see how what the actors are discovering informs their design work. One of the activities in which they’ve participated is a close, slow read of the script over several sessions, with everyone on the team providing INTERROGATIONS (questions we have about the text or characters) and OBSERVATIONS (things we find of interest that we want to note). This very slow, open dialogue is allowing the designers to iterate their work, based on new discoveries being made in the hall.

Something that has become apparent from reading the script together is that I was more skeptical than I realized about how this longer process would impact my perspective. Being one of the few people on this project that has never been an actor, I became accustomed to my limited process and range for character development. I never had the opportunity to discuss and realize who these characters/people were in this intentional way. These types of conversations have typically been reserved for one-on-one work or solely between the actors cast and the director. Hearing these artists, who have enveloped themselves in these roles, share their perspective has helped bring me as a designer into the fold in a way that is unfamiliar to me. As I am processing, I am also moving forward with this challenge, and spurring new territory and seeing where it takes me creatively.

In the meantime, here is an album that inspires and drives me as I’m creating.