Spatial Transformation: Action Design in the Work of Lucidity Suitcase Intercontinental

Abstract

This paper investigates the work and creation methods of Lucidity Suitcase Intercontinental, a six-year-old experimental company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Bogotá, Colombia. Under the direction of Thaddeus Phillips, the company produces ensemble-based work that is rooted in extensive research, dramaturgy, and textual intervention, but is guided by what they call “transformational scenography.” Also dubbed “action design,” the productions’ technical elements go beyond mere aesthetics and focus on the functionality and interactivity of scenography, which forms an essential element of director/designer Phillips’ work, as well as that of the company. Specific attention is paid to the manner in which Phillips creates parallelism between actor-driven character shifts and set/environment transformations.  I examine the primacy of innovative design in the company’s work through the lens of their most recent production, “WHaLE OPTICS,” and discuss the trajectory and long-term viability of such work. I also examine the work’s lineage, particularly the influence of Robert Lepage, and the place of this brand of modern experimental work in today’s avant-garde milieu. The design of specific spaces and the multifaceted use of individual scenic elements to effect shifts into entirely new worlds is examined through a lens of visual dramaturgy. Furthermore, the role of international influence and travel as a research methodology is discussed.