BackJoan of Arc in a Supermarket in California

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Frances odysseys down California's freeways in search of a supermarket where she once received a prophecy. As the supermarket waits for her, its teen girl employees are surveilled. Frances inches closer, California burns, and the supermarket transforms monstrously. An epic daydream that explores intuition, paranoia, and possession.


I used a minimal lighting setup designed to be easy to set up and break down while still giving us tools to make the space feel distinct from a regular deli. Because of the verisimilitude already achieved by staging the production in a real grocery store, the goal of lighting was not to be realistic but to heighten the emotional content and magical realist elements of the story, as well as transform the space without needing to change set decoration drastically.
Live Performance
1hr 40min
Brooklyn, NY
2023

playwright
Chloe Xtina
director
Kaycie Sweeney
cast
Healy Knight
Khali Sykes
Izabel Mar
Madeline Wasson
Maaike Laanstra-Corn
producers
Anna Mader
Naomi Schiller
Ellie Zambarano

scenic & costume design
Cat Pfingst
live score
Caroline Strickland
Mikaela Jane
dancers
Amelia Evans
Victoria Vulner
Gwendolyn Torrence
choreography
Amelia Evans 
sound design
Ryan Gamblin 
lighting design
Pema Baldwin
dramaturg
Anna Mader
assistant director
Maya Rajan 
stage manager
Tabitha Davidson
associate sound design
Lola Basilere
poster & graphic design
Soryn Mouton
potographer
Ellie Gravitte
additional film photos
Billy Bates

© 2024 Pema Baldwin