Scenic Design - Drama 
07
2013

Angel Street [Gaslight] —Okoboji Summer Theatre

Scenic Design Rendering for Angel Street create in Vectorworks. Red Wallpaper, Victorian Furniutre. 
Scenic Design Rendering created in Vectorworks.
Two actors dressed in vintage clothing, one reading a newspaper while the other hugs him from behind on a stage set resembling a cozy, classic living room.

Design Notes

For Angel Street (also known as Gaslight), I created a Victorian drawing room that mirrored the psychological tension and period elegance central to Patrick Hamilton’s suspenseful drama. Directed by Rich Cole and produced by Okoboji Summer Theatre, the 2010 production demanded a scenic environment that balanced authenticity with a growing sense of unease.

The design featured deep red wallpaper applied using a 1930s wallpaper roller, introducing both texture and a subtle sense of claustrophobia. Trim details, wainscoting, and decorative molding grounded the room firmly in the late 19th century. A functional staircase was built into the set, allowing for elevated staging and offstage implications—key elements in a play driven by surveillance, secrecy, and manipulation.

Collaborating with the Properties team, we filled the room with Victorian-era furnishings and objects: a carved settee, a secretary cabinet, and a working grandfather clock. Each item reinforced the story’s domestic tension and the illusion of respectability that the antagonist works so hard to maintain. Low-wattage table lamps, framed portraits, and a distressed rug completed the lived-in aesthetic, while strategic practical lighting supported key narrative beats—including the subtle dimming of the gaslight itself.

Color and composition were critical in shaping mood. Rich mahogany wood tones, burgundy wallpaper, and period brass fixtures combined to create a world that was both alluring and increasingly oppressive. The space suggested not just class and status, but the weight of secrecy within domestic life.

This scenic design supported the psychological depth of the characters, providing an immersive container for the unraveling narrative. It allowed the suspense to unfold visually, drawing the audience into a space that was beautiful, confining, and ultimately complicit in the story’s central gaslighting.

Interior of a vintage-style living room with pink wallpaper, wooden furniture, and framed paintings, including a pink sofa, two chairs, a small table, and a staircase.

Creative Team

Written by Patrick Hamilton

Directed by Rich Cole

Scenic Design by Brandon PT Davis

Costume Design by Ashley Harrison

Lighting Design by Christopher Bowe

Sound Design by Michael Burke

A scene from a theatrical play set in a vintage room with red wallpaper, featuring five actors in period costumes. Four actors, dressed as police officers and a man in a suit, stand in a line in the center, while a woman in a pink dress stands on the
Young woman dressed as a maid standing in front of a dark wooden wall with two lit lamps and a framed picture behind her. She has red hair and a cheerful expression.
A man and woman dressed in historical clothing sharing an intense moment indoors with wooden paneling.
Two women dressed in historical clothing are sitting close together, one with her hand on the other's shoulder and hands clasped, in a dimly lit room with wooden walls and furniture.
A woman dressed in vintage clothing appears concerned as she holds a yellow piece of paper, while a man with a bald head and beard, also in vintage clothing, leans towards her and speaks passionately. They are in a dimly lit room with dark wood panel
A scene from a theatrical play with three actors in period costumes, set in a Victorian-style room with dark red wallpaper and antique decorations.
Four men in vintage costumes stand together in a room with red walls, some wearing police hats and one with a bow tie, in a theatrical or film scene.

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