#gabriellester

By Esha Mahajan

Red velvet curtains lift to reveal the stage -- the only visible character in this theater without actors. Sound and light tell the story of a scientist and his fiancee, their newborn baby, and dog and cat. 

There's a short synopsis in the playbill that guides the experience, but ultimately the interpretation of this show is up to each individual. The sounds incorporated are those familiar to every person -- iPhone ringtone, subway train announcement, dog bark. Morning is the sound of birds chirping, an alarm going off, a yawn, humming in the shower, brushing teeth, and  a hair dryer. 

Gabriel Lester, who created the show, Super Sargasso Sea, says: "I tried to incorporate a broad palette of scenes that all of us have experienced to generate imagination." 

The set is created at an angle, and remains unchanged. It's the screen for different light projections through the play. A water effect complements the sound of a shower, a bright orange light signifies the morning sun. While the sound and light took several weeks to arrange, Lester says the set was completed in less than a week.

Lester, who has a background in filmmaking, created the first set design personally: "It wasn't as easy as I had hoped. With a film camera you just point to what you want to be seen. Here you're dealing with full space, complex in the elements involved."