Amateur scholar Victor Frange presents an original adaptation of Georg Kaiser’s 1918 expressionist play Gas 1, using the energy created from a treadmill and stationary bicycle to provide power to the stage. Part documentary-style theater, part adaptation, and largely ridiculous, Victor Frange Presents Gas is a quest to find a productive artistic response to humanity’s voracious and unsustainable appetite for all things energy related.
The design team devised a visual and aural palette inspired by human-powered rhythms and repurposed materials. The scenic and costume designs were created by sourcing and artfully arranging recycled products and environmentally conscious equipment. Additionally, the lighting and media designs used contemporary fixtures augmented by found-objects and discarded electronic devices.
The sound design and musical score explores the circular exchange of energy, and exposes the sharp contrast between antiquated pollution-producing methods and modern efficient processes. The score is composed from cyclical generators, malfunctioning mechanical devices, sine waves, marimbas, and vibrating objects processed by abstraction systems promoting rhythmic energy exchange.
Production Information
The Incubator Arts Project. New York City. August 2012
Director: Sarah Krohn
Playwright: Dan O’Neil
Choreography: Katie Rose McLaughlin
Sound Design & Original Music: Erik T. Lawson
Scenic Design: Patrick Rizzotti and Bryce Cutler
Costume Design: Mel Kier
Lighting Design: Ken Wills
Media Design: Bart Cortright