Three heightened Roman façades turned A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum into a comic machine, balancing classical reference with cartoon-like exaggeration and the speed of farce.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum needed a scenic world that could move with the speed of farce while giving the audience a clear comic map. At Lake Dillon Theatre Company, I centered the design on three distinct houses: Senex's orderly home, Lycus's lively brothel, and Erronius's more modest dwelling. Each facade had its own personality so the architecture could help drive the joke before anyone entered the room.
The design pulled from Greco-Roman pottery, classical columns, and decorative motifs, then pushed them into a more heightened theatrical language. I wanted the set to feel rooted in ancient Rome without becoming museum-like. The world needed enough specificity for the story to land and enough exaggeration for the comedy to keep accelerating.
Because the musical depends on timing, entrances, and immediate recognition, clarity became the main design tool. The scenic design created a bright, playable Roman street where status, desire, confusion, and comic momentum could all be read quickly from the audience.
