Angel Street

For Angel Street (also known as Gaslight), I created a Victorian drawing room that mirrored the psychological tension and period elegance central to Patrick Hamilton’s suspenseful drama. Directed by Rich Cole and produced by Okoboji Summer Theatre, the 2010 production demanded a scenic environment that balanced authenticity with a growing sense of unease.

The design featured deep red wallpaper applied using a 1930s wallpaper roller, introducing both texture and a subtle sense of claustrophobia. Trim details, wainscoting, and decorative molding grounded the room firmly in the late 19th century. A functional staircase was built into the set, allowing for elevated staging and offstage implications—key elements in a play driven by surveillance, secrecy, and manipulation.

Collaborating with the Properties team, we filled the room with Victorian-era furnishings and objects: a carved settee, a secretary cabinet, and a working grandfather clock. Each item reinforced the story’s domestic tension and the illusion of respectability that the antagonist works so hard to maintain. Low-wattage table lamps, framed portraits, and a distressed rug completed the lived-in aesthetic, while strategic practical lighting supported key narrative beats—including the subtle dimming of the gaslight itself.

Color and composition were critical in shaping mood. Rich mahogany wood tones, burgundy wallpaper, and period brass fixtures combined to create a world that was both alluring and increasingly oppressive. The space suggested not just class and status, but the weight of secrecy within domestic life.

This scenic design supported the psychological depth of the characters, providing an immersive container for the unraveling narrative. It allowed the suspense to unfold visually, drawing the audience into a space that was beautiful, confining, and ultimately complicit in the story’s central gaslighting.