Deepest Man
by James Scruggs
Directed by Mark Rayment
3LD Art& Technology Center
Premiered May 2014/ NYC 3LD Art & Technology Center
by James Scruggs
Directed by Mark Rayment
3LD Art& Technology Center
Premiered May 2014/ NYC 3LD Art & Technology Center
“The Twilight Zone” meets media critique meets psychological portraiture in James Scruggs’s "Deepest Man", a thought-provoking experiment at the 3LD Art & Technology Center. Given that the show comes from 3-Legged Dog — a company known for integrating performance, video and effects — it is unsurprising that the piece, loaded with abstraction and supernatural traces, is a visual marvel.
The stage has three planes: one near, offering action in the tangible present; one comprising scrims on which hologram-like images are projected; and one extending back about 30 feet, in which dreamlike tableaus are staged. Andy Webster New York Times Water is both healer and destroyer in James Scruggs’s Deepest Man, a hallucinogenic multimedia mélange highlighted by stunning holographic projections. As impressive as the 3-D elements of Mark Rayment’s diffuse production are, the pièce de résistance is a chilling segment in which the three describe their ordeals, heightened by the sounds of a storm and lit by a spotlight alternating from one to another. Deepest Man reaches genuine heights when not getting lost in its own depths. Diane Snyder Time Out Deepest Man is a dream play that unfolds in the last few moments of its protagonist's life. Dr. Hazzardville Sommers has been institutionalized following his wife's death, apparently by drowning. Deepest Man exploits the possibilities of Musion Eyeliner, the updated Pepper's Ghost system that turns up in so many 3LD productions, and it must be said that Grant McDonald's video design provides what may be the most beautiful cascade of images I've seen at this theatre. The side walls of the house are filled with rising waters. A terrifying storm, augmented by Ayumu "Poe" Saegusa's lighting and the fluent sound design by JoEllen Dolan and Kevin DeYoe, unfolds on the entire upstage area of David Ogle's expansive setting, which suggests an empty, abandoned hospital from another era. Deepest Man is a brief work, running just an hour, and, under Mark Rayment's direction, the words and visuals come at you so rapidly that there's little to do but let them wash over you; still, it's likely that you will find the final moments, topped by a previously unseen scenic tableau, more powerful than you might expect. Here, the technology fits the script in a much more organic fashion. If Deepest Man depends on technology, it isn't just a display of digital expertise; that's a good sign for this adventurous company. David Barbour Lighting and Sound America |
After a man loses his wife in a swimming accident, he seeks spiritual guidance through a television shrink who guides him through his grief to the underwater sport of freediving. Living in a therapeutic community, the closest he can get to the ocean is his sink. And that is close enough for him. This work utilized a 40’ 3D holographic projection surface allowing images to float between the actors and the audience.
Collaborators/Creatives
Presenter/Executive Producer… Kevin Cunningham/ 3LD Art & Technology Center
Writer/Creator/Producer… James Scruggs
Director… Mark Rayment
Set Design… David Ogle
Video Design… Grant McDonald
Assistant Video Design… Yana Biryukova
Assistant Set Design… Christopher + Justin Swader
Sound Design… JoEllen Dolan + Kevin Deyoe
Lighting Design… Ayumu Poe Saegusa
Costume Design… Stephanie Levin
Performers
Spencer Barros Vienna Carroll Alva Chinn Miguel Reis Libby Skala