Adam First Design

November 2019, Scenic Design

University of Pennsylvania, Penn Players. Director: Lauryn Morgan Thomas

My design for Urinetown depicts a metropolis on the brink of crumble. The once vibrant area has been dilapidated under the control of the UGC, a forceful government enterprise. The UGC has blocked residents from the outside world, illustrated by the soulless, commercial tarps that obscure the audience from further upstage. The only color is found in graffiti messages of hope, written by the residents in the only medium with which they had access. As the show progresses, more graffiti and signs of life are revealed as the central tarps are lifted. Additionally, my design plays with the use of levels to further physically divide the statuses of those wealthy and those not. For example, The CEO of the UGC was limited in his movements to elevated surfaces, never touching the lowest level of stage deck.

April 2019, Scenic Design

University of Pennsylvania, Front Row Theatre Company. Director: Grace Mattes

My design for Next to Normal renders a realistic depiction of Dan and Diana’s house in order to achieve an enhanced emotional response from the audience. My goal was to create a space with so much detail that individual audience members would not be able to process everything, just as Diana sees images that others in her world do not. The walls of the living room are internally lit in obscure patterns as Diana has delusions and thoughts of her deceased son. Additionally, objects and set dressing (Diana’s memories) flood the set in act one, and are removed from the space at intermission as Diana receives ECT and loses much of her past life.

November 2018, Scenic Design

University of Pennsylvania, Stimulus Children’s Theatre. Director: Duval Courteau

The Prince and the Wooglefoof is a world-premiere new musical, written by Jessica Penzias and based on the book “The Prince’s New Pet” by Brian Anderson. It is about a kingdom devoid of color, as the King banished all colors after the death of his wife.

Thematically, umbrellas are often the only source of color when the weather outside may be grey. The white umbrellas in my design work as an element of the newly grey kingdom. However, they also act as canvases for the added colorful light as the kingdom transforms back to color.

August 2019, Scenic Design

University of Pennsylvania, Front Row Theatre Company. Director: Tias Volker

My design for Fun Home imagines Alison’s attic as the catalyst for her memories and discoveries. She reflects on all of the scenes that unfold in front of her, as boxes and old furniture return to their prior significance. Elements of the Bechdel home are fragmented and hazy, with only bits and pieces rendered realistically. The modified V-thrust seating brings audience members closer to the action, dropping them in the middle of the story itself.

Lines of string and yarn span the entire performance space, reflecting how the fabric of the house is being torn apart. Additionally, these lines serve the functional purpose of accentuating the song “Telephone Wire.”

November 2017, Scenic Design

University of Pennsylvania, Penn Players. Director: Ryan Hazelbaker

My concept for Spring Awakening was heavily based around the omnipresent force of Christianity as well as how in the dark the children are about true adult life. Much of the set is a massive wall which appears incredibly burnt, reinforcing the idea that there is something secret on the other side. The wall evolves over the show, such as segments being removed and serving as trees for forest scenes. In addition, there is a religious-alter like platform center stage where Melchior and Wendla initiate their sac-religious relationship, further demonstrating their rebellion against the world around them.

April 2018, Scenic Design

University of Pennsylvania, Penn Players. Director: Amanda Pasquini

In this production of Sylvia, Greg and Kate’s quirky, eccentric apartment acted as the source of the story, with all other locations in the play always stemming from elements already within. For scenes in the park, for example, the center painting was specially lit and the sofa was revealed to actually be a park bench. The multi purpose objects were frequently lit in the transition blackouts in order to set the context of the next scene for the audience.

September 2018, Scenic Design

University of Pennsylvania, Front Row Theatre Company. Director: Ralphie Flores

My set for Tick Tick Boom is very inspired by the work of Salvador Dali. What began as looking at his melting clocks transitioned into the principles behind his work. I liked how he used pieces to compose larger images, as well as presenting objects in obscure or unnatural ways. Chairs and furniture compose the New York skyline, and the pipe structure twists and bends towards the periphery of the set. Additional elements such as the fence and other practical furniture shift the space between the different locations.

November 2016, Scenic Design

Horace Mann School, Director: Joseph Timko

When designing An Experiment with an Air Pump, I wanted the set to complement the actors and match the tone and characteristics of the play. I designed the set around a concept I came up with called “peripheral disintegration.” The walls on either side of the stage break apart and dissolve, which resembles the unraveling of the story itself. The turntable center stage allows the show to jump two centuries into the future or past in just a matter of seconds. I wanted the 1799 side to be busy, full of trinkets and collectibles, which contrasts the simplicity of the 1999 side.

February 2016, Scenic Design

Horace Mann School, Director: Woody Howard

When designing Wonderful Town, I wanted to create an environment that blended realistic features and structures with an over exaggerated color scheme that was similar to some of the paintings of the 1930’s. I came up with the phrase “palette enhanced realism” to describe the set. A lot of the larger pieces of the set are crafted in realistic ways, while the colors have a more vibrant tone to them. For example, the buildings on the either side of the proscenium are fully rendered with window ornaments, bricks, trim, and even fire escapes but are colored in blues and reds instead of more natural or realistic colors.

June 2017, Scenic Design
Horace Mann School Alumni, Director: Phoebe Brooks

Marie Antoinette’s world is incredibly chaotic and cluttered, almost as if there are objects floating around her. The rings in this production act as different locations, with earlier scenes played in the smaller rings. The previous objects are then removed as a new ring is added to the playing space. The idea of rings or circles came from the cyclical nature of clocks, which are an important factor in the story.

April 2018, Scenic Design

University of Pennsylvania, Quadramics. Director: Shailly Pandey

This production of Pippin was heavily based around the idea of the temporary traveling troupe. I looked at research from Medieval architecture as well as passion plays. Additionally, I took influence from 1950's metal/tin toys, as I especially loved their intricate patterns and colors. Even though this design had many sources of inspiration, I feel as though they blended together to create a unified space for the story to unfold.

February 2018, Scenic Design

University of Pennsylvania, Front Row/iNtuitons Theatre Companies. Director: Meerie Jesuthasan

She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes discovering the secret life of her deceased sister Tilly through the Dungeons and Dragons game she left behind. This experimental production featured a life-sized game board as the space for the story to unfold, as I felt the actors were like the game pieces in this adventure. The director’s vision included cardboard boxes acting as the modular set within the game world, and I added game squares throughout the entire theatrical space (including the audience) for total immersion.

Lighting Design Co-Scenic Design

Horace Mann School, Director: Ben Posner

When designing Legally Blonde, one of the biggest problems to solve was how to visit all of the locations in which the play takes place. We looked for similarities between all of the settings in order to ease transition. We found that the Greek Temple was an image that appears often throughout the story, representing everything from the Delta Nu sorority house, buildings at Harvard, and the courtroom. On a more conceptual level, we also thought of the Greek Temple representing the establishment and the patriarchy that Elle is constantly fighting throughout the progression of the show. The plain white pediment and columns are lit with pink in moments when Elle has her big moments (such as getting into Harvard and receiving Callahan’s internship.)

February 2015, Co Scenic Design
Horace Mann School, Director: Alexis McGuinness

All I Need to Know I Learned from Being a Zombie takes place in a world where zombies are accepted members of society. To mimic this, the set was designed to take everyday items and “zombie” them. Elements of skeletal structures and green/brown hues are integrated into the scenery.

March 2014-April 2017
Re-creations of observed Broadway set designs, for model building skill improvement.

Full model videos can be found here