Megan Chaney
Scenic Designer / Scenic Painter / Props Artisan
SCENIC DESIGN
Get Out Alive
January 2020
Scenic & Props Designer
Steppenwolf Look Out Series
Steppenwolf 1700 Theater
Dir. Roger Ellis
Asst. Dir. Rebecca Blaich
Costume Des. Ziare Paul-Emile
Lighting Des. Garrett Steinke
Projections Engineer Chris Owens
Get Out Alive is a multi-media performance event that deconstructs writer/performer Nikki Lynette's mental health journey. Through the lens of an afrogoth celebration of life service, this work revolves around themes of persistence and survival in the face of extraordinary odds.
For more information on the show, please visit http://nikkilynette.com/the-play
The 2020 iteration of Get Out Alive as a part of Steppenwolf's Look Out series was developed with the playwright and performer, Nikki Lynette. The production occurs within three distinct spaces: a memorial service/DJ booth, the performer's symbolic cluttered mental space, and her art studio. All three are presented onstage in a triptych split via hanging floral arrangements, so the delineations can exist while preserving the open dance space. All elements were pre-made and installed into the space over one install day, shared with tech rehearsals in the space.
Elevator Girl
January 2019
Scenic & Props Designer
Vanguard Arts Collective
The Edge Theatre
Dir. Adrienne Matzen
Projections Des. Erin Pleake
Lighting Des. Michael Goebel
Costume Des. LaVisa Willilams
Sound Des. Steve Labedz
Illustrator John Shane
Elevator Girl was never meant to be more than an urban legend, a sexual revenge fantasy created by Vanessa and her graphic illustrator boyfriend. But when the comic superhero unleashes her boyfriend’s darkest fantasies, as well as a flesh-and-blood copycat, Vanessa must stop EG in her tracks—with the truth.
"First and foremost: Megan Chaney’s scenic design for “Elevator Girl,” a comic-book panel-inspired set with a functioning elevator door, immediately conveys a sense of the universe that we’re stepping into for the evening in a playful and exciting manner." - Ben Kaye for New City Stage
The characters of Elevator Girl are 3D people navigating a 2D world, provided by the relatively flat and minimized black and white world behind them. The props and people of Urbanville stand boldly against the cartoon textures of the backdrops. Peter's apartment and Vanessa's office flank a sliding multi-use elevator door at the center of a life-size comic page. The top panels offer dynamic projection surfaces, separated by a violent slice through the center of the space. The build was executed with a budget below 500 dollars, and in a 3-day build window.
Colorado
July 2017
Scenic & Props Designer
Vanguard Arts Collective
The Edge Theatre
Dir. and Projections Des. Chris Owens
Lighting Des. Michael Goebel
Costume Des. Hanna Wisner
Sound Des. Joe Palermo
Whatever We Want
October 2014
Scenic Designer & Paint Charge
Vivarium Theatre Company
Bo-ho Theatre: The Heartland Studio
Dir. Megan Johns
Lighting Des. Oriana Dentici
Sound Des. Matt Beard
Whatever We Want follows two sisters over the course of 15 years as they're separated by their parents' divorce and struggle to maintain their relationship. The show deals with reconciling the reality of loved ones with the way they exist in our minds, and learning to meet the adults we loved as children. There're some laughs too!
The sisters' continuing questions are all based in their childhood memories, so the worlds visited through the play are all built on top of the remnants of the dock that they start in. The paint design for the floor and walls is an abstraction of that pond and woods that their best memories were made in. The scenery is all built out of cubes that are re-arranged to create 7 distinct locations. The design was executed with a minimal budget and to work around a lack of backstage storage space for scenic pieces.