written by Jennifer Haley
directed by Matt M. Morrow
media design Jared Mezzocchi
set design Sibyl Wickersheimer
game design Derek Christiansen music Nathan Leigh
FROGGY Media Designer Jared Mezzocchi (NYTimes Best of 2020, "Standing up for Theater") reconcieves FROGGY for an online audience. The play is written in the style of a noir graphic novel, and this innovative approach combines live acting with media design on a digital platform to forge a new form of art media.
Team FROGGY explores the "architecture" needed to present its digital production. The designers explore how may the performers' respective physical spaces may be converted to mini-studios, and their live streams combined with graphics and UNITY video game to create the world of the play.
Set Designer Sibyl Wickersheimer and Game Designer Derek Christiansen experiment with how FROGGY lives in space.
The creative team travels to Wilton, New Hampshire to workshop the full show with teens at Andy's Summer Playhouse, where Media Designer Jared Mezzocchi is Artistic Director.
The creative team establishes broad design choices and functionality for the four game environments in FROGGY.
Jen and Matt work with media artists to develop a visual language for FROGGY as part of The Banff Centre's I.D.E.A. Project (Interaction, Design, Experience, and Audience).
One year after his disappearance, Froggy is still obsessed with her actor boyfriend. Discovering he's the star of a violent, underground video game (it's 2007, the birth of motion capture), she plays the game to uncover his fate.
Jennifer Haley (playwright)
writes tales from the border of technology and humanity. She won the 2012 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for The Nether.
Matt M. Morrow (director)
is the Executive Artistic Director of Diversionary Theatre in San Diego, recipient of the 2016 Don Braunagel Award for Outstanding Work. Matt's focus is developing plays that are highly theatrical and push conventional boundaries.
Jared Mezzochi (media design)
is an OBIE Award-winning resident artist at Woolly Mammoth Theater in DC. His work has appeared internationally with Big Art Group; he's also designed for shows at Manhattan Theater Club, South Coast Rep, and Arena Stage.
Sibyl Wickersheimer (set design)
has designed sets for theaters across the country, including Steppenwolf, Woolly Mammoth, and Center Theatre Group, as well as art installations at Los Angeles art galleries. She is also an Associate Professor at USC in the School of Dramatic Arts.
Derek Christiansen (game design)
is a practitioner of interactive entertainment based out of Los Angeles. Using art and technology as a lens to share narrative, they bring a toolset of lighting, projection, and video game design to shows, games, and other experiences.
Nathan Leigh (music/sound design)
is a prolific composer, songwriter, and producer. Mixing folk, punk, classical, electronica, and world elements, Nathan draws from a wide array of influences to create unique musical atmospheres and soundscapes.
Melissa Hardy (producer)
is a New York City based dramaturg and creative producer. She worked at The Play Company for sixteen years, first as a literary manager, then as Associate Producer and finally as the Director of Producing and Artistic Planning.
Tori Schuchmann (production mgr)
is the Senior Project Manager for ViDCo (Virtual Design Collective) and the Production Manager for Andy's Summer Playhouse and the Digital Renaissance Project.