Production photograph for Last Train to Nibroc at Okoboji Summer Theatre; scenic design by Brandon PT Davis.

Last Train to Nibroc

An intimate, warm playing space carved inside a much larger proscenium, using reclaimed barn wood, a slight rake, and a long backdrop to support closeness and quiet change in Last Train to Nibroc.

Year
2016
Company
Okoboji Summer Theatre
Project
Drama
Location
Okoboji, IA
The intimate barn-wood framed stage for Last Train to Nibroc at Okoboji Summer Theatre.
The compressed proscenium and warm material palette for Last Train to Nibroc at Okoboji Summer Theatre.
The raked stage and intimate playing space for Last Train to Nibroc at Okoboji Summer Theatre.

Scale was the first design problem on Last Train to Nibroc. The script is intimate, but the Okoboji Summer Theatre proscenium was large, so I built a smaller textured frame inside the theatre using reclaimed Kentucky barn wood.

That frame immediately compressed the stage into something more personal. A slight rake improved sightlines and gave the environment a quiet forward pressure, while the barn wood carried warmth, history, and rural honesty.

A 30-foot backdrop supported the journey between locations without breaking the rhythm of the conversations. The scenic design was not about spectacle. It was about proximity, memory, and giving stillness enough architecture to hold.

The intimate barn-wood framed stage for Last Train to Nibroc at Okoboji Summer Theatre.

Creative team

Playwright
Arlene Hutton
Director
Janice Goldberg
Scenic Design
Brandon PT Davis
Costume Design
Kristin Cook
Lighting Design
Josh Hiser
Sound Design
Michael Burke
The intimate barn-wood framed stage for Last Train to Nibroc at Okoboji Summer Theatre.
The architecture holding the characters gently for Last Train to Nibroc at Okoboji Summer Theatre.
Rendering of the compressed proscenium and barn-wood material language for Last Train to Nibroc at Okoboji Summer Theatre.
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