CATCO presented the first professional production of JuCoby Johnson’s …but you could’ve held my hand since its development at the O’Neill Center. Although highly episodic and non-linear, the scenes all involve celebrations of sorts: school dances, weddings, even a funeral. I worked closely with one of my undergraduate students, Yun Yen, as Assistant Scene Designer. We worked to create an environment that was celebratory, not only for the performers, but the audience as well, who entered through a flowered arbor and processed down a white isle under a canopy of balloons. The floating stage platform was wrapped with carpet that softened and humanized the action. A recessed mural of marigolds vailed with blue scrim anchored the main wall.
SCENE DESIGN: Brad Steinmetz
ASST SCENE DESIGN: Yun Yen
PROPS DESIGN: Lonelle Yoder
COSTUME DESIGN: Esther Sands
LIGHTING DESIGN: Molly Tiede
SOUND DESIGN: Daniela Chaparro
CATCO (The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio)
DIRECTION: David Glover
March, 2023
