It is an exciting time for the Bates College Department of Theater and Dance, as the production of “METAMORPHOSES,” written and originally directed by Mary Zimmerman, unfolds in the Schaeffer Theater stage this fall semester. 

In “METAMORPHOSES,” “Mary Zimmerman reanimates Ovid’s tales with stunning visual life. Set in and around a large pool of water onstage, this ensemble piece juxtaposes the ancient and the contemporary in both language and image to reflect the variety and persistence of narrative in the face of inevitable change,” said Liz Coyer, arts event manager at Bates. 

Directed by Sally Wood, this production poses a fun challenge for everyone involved given the intricacy of the set. 

Associate Professor of Design, Technology, and Management Courtney Smith and Technical Director Mike Quinn, are rising to tackle the challenge firsthand. Smith plays many roles in the theater department, teaching courses in theater as well as working on departmental productions as the production manager and lighting designer. Quinn is joining the Bates community this semester as our technical director, working primarily on building the set of “METAMORPHOSES.”

For the production of “METAMORPHOSES,” Schaeffer Theater is being transformed into an entirely new configuration with the pool taking center stage and the audience being placed on the sides rather than the front. 

“In building scenery there’s always another idea that’s kind of out of the box. And you develop a kind of way of thinking on breaking things down into digestible pieces, ” said Quinn.  

Building a pool is a unique part of this production, and they are facing the task with great consideration for the safety of the stage, the actors, and the audience as well. 

“We’re building a wooden structure that surrounds the pool. And then we bought a pond liner that protects it from water. It’s basically like a really thick trash bag,” Quinn said. “In doing research about how others have done ‘METAMORPHOSES’ before, that seems to be the standard solution.”

The pool and the water’s visibility demands another change: that being, from the audience’s perspective, the surface of the water needs to be visible. This is especially important for the design work, including Courtney’s light design in the show. 

“Visibility is the whole reason to have the audience on stage because then we can change the angle that they are watching the show from, and that is kind of what you’re doing with the lights as well,” said Smith. “In this kind of presentation, everything’s exposed. People are literally seeing backstage.” 

Smith continued that this has to do with the fact that there is no proscenium in this stage set up. 

“No proscenium, so they can just look up. The only time that they walk through the proscenium is to go to their seats, which is a very unique scenario,” he said. “The biggest change is the audience-actor relationship in that theater. So, we’re providing a more intimate experience rather than a traditional proscenium where there’s a lot of distance.” 

Building the scenery is a very exciting task that is all for the students as well, which Smith says is valuable to his work as a professor. 

“The mission in this whole production is pedagogy, meaning that every part of production is a learning opportunity. And so if it takes us longer to do something, that’s why we’re here and that’s really the point,” he said. 

The Theater and Dance Department here at Bates serves an entirely different purpose besides professional development, which is that it is simply designed for the enjoyment of every student.

“You can get involved in so many different ways from being a major, a minor, a theater-adjacent student, or if you are just interested. You can take any of our classes. Everyone’s welcome,” Smith said. “We just want students to be interested and engaged and explore. If you just need to turn your brain off a little bit from what you’re actually majoring in and do something completely different, I think theater and dance is kind of like that place because of how hands-on it can be. Just tap into your creative side.” 

For tickets and more information, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/metamorphoses-by-mary-zimmerman-tickets-1616667729699?aff=ebdsoporgprofile.