Artist Statement

          While it is not easy to talk about death, playwright Branden Jacobs Jenkins does so with humor and heart. This notion of embracing the one experience every single human being is going to encounter sets the tone for the world of our play.

          Pulling inspiration from Saint Louis public parks, the design team aimed to create our own garden of Eden. Lighting supported Everybody's journey by creating soft, naturalistic scenes as they search for someone to go with them. In between scenes of searching, our cast is in a liminal space; not quite alive but not quite dead as they ponder the meaning of their lives. Death is waiting for them all, depicted by the light at the end of a tunnel that is said to be seen by people's near death experiences. This idea is fully realized as Everybody jumps into a light filled grave at the end of their journey.