With many locations and production requirements, this musical was a challenge for our department. We created a frame for the show wherein the ensemble was made up of squatters in an abandoned theatre. This allowed us to employ many simple theatrical techniques to accomplish complicated scenes and created an interesting visual environment. We were able to create a successful production and received many positive reactions from our audiences.

 

Reviews of the Scenic and Lighting Designs:

 

“The Demon Barber may get top billing, but anyone familiar with staging of Sweeney Todd can tell you that it is the set – and that horrific barber chair at its center – that is the true star of the show. Working with the obvious limits of space and budget associated with a college production, Matthews manages nonetheless to create stage sets that serve both the actors and the story. In the case of Sweeney Todd, that set is a series of platforms and steps that bring the whole of Fleet Street to the stage, with Todd’s shop and its deadly chair rising above center stage as the focus of all the action to come. The audience is free to let their attention roam from the barber’s to Mrs. Lovett’s pie shop beneath, and to platforms stage left where The tragic Johanna flitters in captivity, but all eyes are naturally drawn back to that chair. And in keeping its machinations relatively simple. Mathews has avoided the mistake of other designers whose Rube Goldberg take too often reduce the show’s central horror to a laugh line. Similarly, Matthews successfully maintains the show’s mood with a light design that gives the audience the sense of cast shadows and gaslight flicker without leaving the actors in darkness.”

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-Bart Mills, Executive Director, Council of the Arts of Greater Lima, Lima, Ohio

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"The Ohio State Lima Theatre Department is blessed to have great instructors leading their productions. With the combined efforts of Director Margaret Anich and Production/Technical Designer Dan Matthews, they both created a brilliant world to present Sweeney Todd. The setting was an abandoned theater where the actors were ‘forced’ to present the story yet another time for their audience. Set pieces were covered in cloths, which the actors would uncover and tell the tale. The lighting was haunting and set the mood of this musical thriller. I loved this ingenious way to present Sweeney Todd. The lighting and set designs integrated very well with the direction and interpretation of this story. I’m always impressed with the work and professionalism that Dan brings to the stage.”

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-Chad Stearns, Artistic Director, Octopus Productions, Lima, Ohio

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