The Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts at The Ohio State University planned to produce In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) by Sarah Ruhl in the spring of 2020. Two graduate students were slated to produce the scene and costume designs as their MFA thesis production. Although the show was cancelled due to the pandemic, the students pivoted hard and reimagined the world of Sarah Ruhl’s play as an immersive exhibit that explored the theatrical design process as well as the fabricated environment of the play for patrons who visited.

The scene designer, Will Ledbetter, reimaged the stage as an exhibit space with unidirectional travel for visitors, allowing for safe scheduling and social distancing. The scenery was adapted for a more intimate experience and a smaller footprint. The costume designer, Jensen Glick, built garments suited to specific performers but displayed them in the exhibit on mannequins, creating a full-scale diorama for visitors. To evoke a moment of magic at the end of the play, patrons who stopped to read the final lines of the show would discover snow falling on them as they stood beneath a streetlight.

The project was very successful with regard to informing and delighting visitors, especially the broader campus community who had a rare opportunity to experience both the process and product of theatrical design up close during the pandemic. However, the greatest impact was likely on our design students who deeply examined the many intersections that theatrical events and exhibits share, and thoughtfully reconsidered the role of the audience/patron.

Scene Design/Environment: Will Ledbetter
Costume Design: Jensen Glick
Lighting Design: Meghan Stanford