Ia Ensterä scenographer for theatre and film
Project: The Wiz
Production: Austin Community College
Location: Rio Grande Campus, Austin, TX
Direction: David Yeakle
Book: William F. Brown
Lyrics: Charlie Smalls
Music Direction: Marc Lionetti
Set: Ia Ensterä
Lighting: Megan Reilly
Costumes: Stephanie Dunbar
Choreography: Sade M. Jones
Photography: Anne Wharton / Shelley Neuman
"The brilliant color palette of Oz comes courtesy of design trio Ia Ensterä, Megan Reilly, and Stephanie Dunbar, whose set, lighting, and costumes, respectively, create a Technicolor world harkening back to the particularly bold chroma-scape of the Seventies, when William F. Brown and Charlie Smalls' musical adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz premiered. Ensterä's set is especially impressive, thanks not only to its abstract, geometric creativity, but also to its sheer expansiveness. When the main curtain opens to reveal Oz, you can feel the collective gasp from the audience as it takes in the scene."