The Dutchman and The Owl Answers

  • Daniel Hobbs, Scenic Designer
  • University of South Florida Theatre
  • Tampa, FL
  • October 2021

The Dutchman and The Owl Answers were performed back-to-back in a single sitting. The set featured a subway car in a subway station. The subway car had two sets of sliding metal doors for The Dutchman and two sets of sliding wooden doors for The Owl Answers. Both sets had to open and close simultaneously for the metal doors to hide the wooden doors behind them. The upstairs upstage wall featured three sets of sliding doors. Those doors remained closed for The Dutchman. For The Owl Answers, the doors opened sumultaneously to reveal a painted scrim of three figures. During one moment, actors had to be seen through the scrim.

Subway car for The Dutchman. Subway car for The Owl Answers. View of the back of the subway car showing double sliding door mechanism. Wide view of set for The Owl Answers. Closer view of the upstairs upstage wall with doors closed. Closer view of the upstairs upstage wall with doors open under blacklight. Closer view of the upstairs upstage wall with doors open and see thru effect on scrim. Groundplan for set of The Dutchman and The Owl Answers. Construction Elevation for the subway platforms in The Dutchman and The Owl Answers. Construction Elevation for the subway car headers in The Dutchman and The Owl Answers. Construction Elevation of the stair unit for The Dutchman and The Owl Answers. Construction Elevation for the stair rails for The Dutchman and The Owl Answers.

Photo credit: Laura Lyon