The Effect of Gamma Rays

Okoboji Summer Theatre| 2010

Directed by: Beth Leonard

Scenic Design: Brandon PT Davis
Costume Design: Cami Huebert
Lighting Design: Joe Hodge
Sound Design: Michael Burke
​
Photography: Kyle Groff
Paul Zundel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Effect of Gamma-Ray centers on Beatrice Hunsdorfer, a resentful, frowzy widow. She is supporting herself and her two teenage daughters in a crumbling house. The eldest, Ruth, a victim of convulsions, is given rebellious acting out, which seems to destine her to become most like her mother. On the other hand, the youngest, Tillie, shares with the audience the first moments of her learning of the beauty of atoms in science class. Producing a successful experiment, Tillie proves that something of light, beauty and bright potential can turn up from even the most troubled soil.
​
After spending the prior season as a carpenter, this was my first scenic design at the Okoboji Summer Theatre. When working with the Director, she described the world as broken, and that was where I decided to go with broken scenery. I remember being focused on creating an entry bell in their front door because the script described the home as an old produce store with newspapers over the window, and after the show closed, we stating to use the bell in our scene shop to call breaks, and it is still ten years later.