The initial work chosen was The Enchanted
Forest
- thematically appropriate for this environment. The audience walks
a trail through the woods and around the lake stopping at a different
location for each of the twelve scenes that comprise the work. The
design challenge was to choose locations that were suitable to the
scene, within a distance from the previous scene that would allow
for continuity and focus, and that would provide adequate sightlines.
The final scene shown above had the audience placed on floating docks
curving around the end of the bay. Candles were placed along the dock
and floating candles completed the circle. Musicians and singers were
placed beside and behind the audience. The soloist (Eleanor James)
was on a raft with her voluminous skirt floating on the water. On
two occasions, the final aria was accompanied by Northern Lights playing
over the singer's head.