Cole

For Cole at Okoboji Summer Theatre, I wanted the audience to feel like they had stepped into a late-night room in the 1920s. Not a museum version of the jazz age, something alive. The foundation was a black-and-white tile floor, rich walnut millwork, and a grounded bar that anchored the room architecturally.

The bar wasn’t just decorative. It defined the social hierarchy of the space. It gave performers levels to work on and around, and it created depth across the proscenium. The band lived onstage, fully integrated into the environment. That decision changed the energy immediately. The music didn’t feel underscored, it felt sourced.

I kept the layout relatively open so choreography and microphone work could breathe, but framed it with vertical elements that referenced art deco geometry without becoming ornamental. The design relied on texture and proportion more than decoration.

This production wasn’t about spectacle. It was about proximity. The set created an intimate cabaret atmosphere where Cole Porter’s music could feel conversational, elegant, and just slightly dangerous.