Todd F. Edwards
Theatrical Design and Production
"When I sit alone in a theatre and gaze into the dark space of its empty stage, I'm frequently seized by fear that this time I won't manage to penetrate it, and I always hope that this fear will never desert me."
Josef Svoboda, Scenographer
Documentary of our recent world premier of
Big Plastic Something Lunar. A socially distanced, immersive, devised piece performed in the Natural Lands of St. Olaf College. I was the scenic, media and lighting designer for the piece. Directed by Bryan Schmidt, original sound design by Parker Love, costume design by Aimee Jillson. Documentary by Marko Kojicki .
The Northfield Experience, a site-specific, immersive performance event by site specific Artist and Director Stephan Koplowitz used the town of Northfield, Minnesota, as its canvas and inspiration. Audiences experienced a series of interlaced performances of theater, dance, visual installations, and digital media, at several locations throughout Northfield. The collaborative event, inspired by the spirit of history and architecture, thriving industry and scholarship, as well as the people of Northfield, featured more than 200 performers from both St. Olaf and Carleton Colleges and the greater community.
The Northfield Experience was a unique, one of a kind performance event and an experience that was not to be missed!
Here is a link to my first large scale projection mapping project. This is the public showing of my CURI 2016 work. If you do not want to watch the entire performance, make sure that you scan through it so you can see the various segments throughout the piece. For a full description of the project, click on the "Cool Stuff" tab above.
We created custom content and integrated a live performer (he is hard to see in the video because of where the camera was placed) who moved the story forward by interacting with the content. Additionally, I incorporated realtime motion capture of the performer as he danced and interacted to the media.
There is a problem with the audio midway through and the lighted hallway to the right could not be turned off due to safety concerns. The dancer accidentally disconnected the leg module to his motion capture suit midway through the performance. That is why he looks like his legs are broken and he moves around erratically. This was an experiment. The fact that I was able to stream real-time motion capture data was thrilling, now to work out the bugs.
Enjoy! This was a great experience for me and one that I hope to do more like in the future.
Here is a link to the live stream...
"No matter. try again. fail again. fail better..."Samuel Beckett
Who am I...
I am a freelance theatrical designer and educator. I specialize in the areas of scenery, media/projection,sound and lighting. Additionally I am a member of the theater faculty at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN where I serve as a designer and the program's Technical Director. In the summers, along with my wife Mishia, who is also a freelance director, actor and educator we run the Summer Theater Camps at St. Olaf College.
I have had the opportunity to design over 120 productions for numerous theaters across the country. I have been fortunate to work in large professional venues, on Union productions through the IATSE Local 42, regional theaters and summer stocks, to smaller professional and community theaters and educational institutions. I am an eclectic designer who approaches my work collaboratively and holistically. As a designer I love the creative energy generated through the collaborative process. Working with directors and fellow designers to see a story brought to life. I view the work of the designer as being the creator of the world that the text of the story resides. It is my belief that all elements (scenery, costumes, lighting, media, sound) have to come together in a cohesive and holistic way to truly bring a production to life. When we pair that with an audience, we complete the cycle that is live theatre and only then are we able to transcend the mundane and experience the true magic of the theatrical experience. I strive to create those worlds, unafraid of failure, willing to take chances, explore, create, grow and expand as an artist, designer, educator and individual. I truly have the best job in the world.
Please take a moment to look over my online portfolios and share in some of the works I have been part of. If you have any questions, are in need of a creative collaborator or just want to share your experiences, drop me a line through the contact link.
This website is in a constant state of flux as I add more shows and share the cool things that are happening.
Check back often!
