The Triangle Factory Fire Project is a documentary play that retells the true story of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire that occurred in The Asch Building on March 25, 1911. The fire lasted for only 30 minutes and killed 146 people. The destruction and fatalities were devastating, but most people truly found the fact that no one was held accountable to be the worst part of it all.
The play takes place in two Acts. The first Act is all about the fire and the people trapped in it, those who died and those who survived. Act Two is the trial and the court case against the two owners of The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, Isaac Harris and Max Blanck.
At the first production meeting, my director gave the the directorial concept of skeletal. From there I ran with the idea of placing the entire story within the remains of the Asch Building. Along with the word skeletal, one quote I found during my research really influenced my design, "The building was fire proof, but not death proof." The Asch Building's base material was metal, meaning the fire could kill people and burn the things inside, but the structure could withstand the tragedy.
To further the idea of working in the remains of the building I decided to use electronic solenoids to have parts of the set fall during the scenes of the fire.
I wrote my honours capstone thesis on this scenic design and my process from research to closing night. I entitled it, "The Skeletal Remains of an Unjust World: Designing the Scenery for The Triangle Factory Fire Project.
The play takes place in two Acts. The first Act is all about the fire and the people trapped in it, those who died and those who survived. Act Two is the trial and the court case against the two owners of The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, Isaac Harris and Max Blanck.
At the first production meeting, my director gave the the directorial concept of skeletal. From there I ran with the idea of placing the entire story within the remains of the Asch Building. Along with the word skeletal, one quote I found during my research really influenced my design, "The building was fire proof, but not death proof." The Asch Building's base material was metal, meaning the fire could kill people and burn the things inside, but the structure could withstand the tragedy.
To further the idea of working in the remains of the building I decided to use electronic solenoids to have parts of the set fall during the scenes of the fire.
I wrote my honours capstone thesis on this scenic design and my process from research to closing night. I entitled it, "The Skeletal Remains of an Unjust World: Designing the Scenery for The Triangle Factory Fire Project.