Scenic Design - Drama
07
2022

An Inspector Calls — Okoboji Summer Theatre

A dimly lit, elegant room with red and black checkered flooring, dark wooden walls, and red curtains. A man in a suit stands by a large window, looking outside. Portrait paintings hang on the walls, and there are chairs and a table in the center of the room. 
Scenic Design Rendering created in Vectorworks.
Three men in tuxedos standing in a dimly lit room with dark wooden walls, a large window with blue curtains, and a table with chairs, holding glasses of wine.

Design Notes

For An Inspector Calls, I approached the scenic design with a focus on mood, symbolism, and psychological tension—crafting a world that reflects the play’s brooding atmosphere and sharp critique of class and conscience. Working closely with director Stephen Brotebeck, we developed a visual language that heightens the themes of moral ambiguity and societal accountability embedded in J.B. Priestley’s text.

The set is anchored by imposing Gothic architectural features—tall, arched windows with divided panes that evoke both grandeur and isolation. These windows serve as visual portals and dramatic devices, allowing for moments of shadow play and silhouette, where characters are partially revealed or fully obscured, reinforcing the story’s sense of mystery and surveillance.

At ground level, a red-and-black checkerboard floor rendered in forced perspective pulls the viewer into a distorted reality. This visual illusion subtly echoes the unraveling mental state of the characters, while the contrasting colors suggest danger, judgment, and duality. The entire environment is designed to feel slightly off-balance—rigid yet unstable—as if the truth could rupture the facade at any moment.

Strategic lighting punctuates the narrative shifts, spotlighting moments of interrogation and revelation. As the Inspector peels away each layer of the Birling family’s moral defenses, the set becomes a silent accomplice—trapping them in a space that grows increasingly claustrophobic and abstract.

Rather than depict a realistic Edwardian drawing room, the design leans toward expressionism. Every scenic choice is rooted in the tension between appearance and consequence, individual choices and collective impact. The set holds a mirror to the audience, just as the Inspector does—challenging us to consider the weight of our actions in a larger social fabric.

Ultimately, the design is not just a container for the drama—it’s an active participant in the moral reckoning at the heart of the play.

Two men in formal suits sitting across from each other at a table with a window in the background, on a stage with a red and black checkered floor.

Creative Team

Written by J.B. Priestley

Directed by Stephen Brotebeck

Scenic Design by Brandon PT Davis

Costume Design by Kirsteen Buchanan

Lighting Design by Lennox Emery

Sound Design by Stephen Brotebeck

Actors performing in a theatrical play set in a vintage-style room with dark wood paneling, red checkered floor, and large windows in the background.
Scene from a theatrical play set in a dark room with five people; two of them appear as silhouettes behind a window with red lighting, and three are in the foreground, dressed in vintage attire, standing on a stage with dark wooden walls and old-fash
Stage scene with three actors in period costume, set in a dark, elegant room with large blue window, portrait, and wooden furniture.
A theatrical stage set resembling a vintage room, with four men dressed in tuxedos. Two men sit at a table in the center, facing each other, with glasses of wine in front of them. Two men stand to the sides, one seated on a red chair and the other st
Actors on stage in a dark, elegant room with wood-paneled walls, a chandelier, and large window with blue sky, performing a scene.
Man in a tuxedo standing in a dimly lit room with wooden walls, red chairs, a portrait painting above him, and a candle holder with three lit candles.