I decided that I wanted to use video projection very early on in creating UNPRONOUNCEABLE SYMBOL, for several reasons. It allows you to very easily incorporate outside material in a way you otherwise couldn’t. In this show in specific, we were able to incorporate a lot of footage, both still photos and video clips, that I had taken in Minneapolis and to have the sort of cold “outside”, urban imagery to contrast with the opulence of the “inside” world that we made onstage with heavy curtains, flowers, purple light and haze. Not to mention the easy ability to incorporate Minneapolis itself into the show, which I was interested in. I’ve also always enjoyed the aesthetic of projected video as I often favor very basic, i.e. transparent stagecraft so having slides appear behind the action appeals to me. Generally, the ephemeral nature of projected imagery, lights and shadows and such is something I really enjoy and think added a lot to our show.

Neal Medlyn