Cole
A late-night jazz-age room for Cole, anchored by a grounded bar, black-and-white tile, and an onstage band so the music feels intimate and sourced from the space itself.
- Year
- 2023
- Company
- Okoboji Summer Theatre
- Project
- Musical Theatre
- Location
- Okoboji, IA
I wanted Cole to feel like stepping into a late-night 1920s room: not a museum version of the jazz age, but something alive. At Okoboji Summer Theatre, the scenic design centered on a black-and-white tile floor, walnut millwork, and a grounded bar that gave the room architectural weight.
The bar defined more than atmosphere. It shaped social hierarchy, created levels for performance, and added depth across the proscenium. Keeping the band onstage made the music feel sourced from the room rather than placed on top of it.
The layout stayed open enough for choreography and microphone work to breathe, while vertical art deco references gave the stage elegance and structure. The design relied on proportion, texture, and intention rather than decoration.
Creative team
- Written By
- Benny Green and Alan Strachan
- Music By
- Cole Porter
- Director
- Alison Morooney
- Scenic Design
- Brandon PT Davis
- Costume Design
- Kirsteen Buchanan
- Lighting Design
- Savannah Bell
- Sound Design
- Kayla Sliger
Million Dollar Quartet
The Merry Wives of Windsor Cove
The Glass Menagerie
Bell, Book, and Candle
Head Over Heels
Romeo & Juliet
Much Ado About Nothing
¡LOTERIA: GAME ON!
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Romero
Urinetown
An Inspector Calls
All's Well That Ends Well
Little Shop of Horrors
Tomás and the Library Lady
The Penelopiad
Company
American Idiot
Parliament Square
An Enemy of the People
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Boeing, Boeing
The Bald Soprano
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
The Man of La Mancha
Dial “M” for Murder
All My Sons
Last Train to Nibroc
Rich Girl
