Theatre · 2015

The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst

Video Design and Technology

Ghost River Theatre’s account of Donald Crowhurst’s ill-fated solo sailing voyage uses live video and constructed images to explore deception and the unstable stories people tell about themselves.

The production received the 2015 Betty Mitchell Award for Outstanding Projection or Video Design, shared by Wladimiro A. Woyno R., Matthew Waddell and Laura Anzola.

  • Ghost River Theatre
  • 2015
The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, production photograph 1

Images

The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, production photograph 2
The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, production photograph 3
The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, production photograph 4
The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, production photograph 5
The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, production photograph 6
The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, production photograph 7
The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, production photograph 7
The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, production photograph 8
The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, production photograph 9
The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, production photograph 10
The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, production photograph 11
The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, production photograph 12
The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, production photograph 13
The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, production photograph 14
The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, production photograph 15
The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, production photograph 16
The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, production photograph 17
The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, production photograph 18
The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, production photograph 19

Process

The production needed a performer’s face magnified on screen in sync with their voice, from four live cameras to several outputs. No affordable tool of the time could do it: Watchout, Isadora, QLab and Millumin were all tried. Wladimiro A. Woyno R. and Matthew Waddell built a media server in TouchDesigner instead, on a PC with HD-SDI capture, to route, cue and edit the compositions.

It meant learning to code in Python, and about a year and a half of trial and error. Several versions of the system were built and used in the three one-month residencies that led to the production, and what happened in rehearsal shaped both the system and the show.

Video

The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst video documentation

Credits

  • TextDavid van Belle and Eric Rose
  • DirectionEric Rose
  • DramaturgyVicki Stroich
  • Set and Costume DesignPatrick Du Wors
  • Lighting DesignKerem Çetinel
  • Sound Design and Video TechnologyMatthew Waddell
  • Video Design and TechnologyWladimiro A. Woyno R.
  • Stage ManagementJennifer Swan
  • Production Stage ManagerBeth Grieves
  • Assistant DirectionAndraea Sartison
  • Assistant Stage ManagerPatti Neice
  • Apprentice Stage ManagerGriffin Cork
  • Video ApprenticeLaura Anzola
  • Sound Design AssistantAidan Lytton
  • Managing Director, Ghost River TheatreMandy Clarke Dale
  • PhotographyBenjamin Laird Photography

Awards and nominations

  • Nomination - 2016 Alberta Literary Awards’ Gwen Pharis Ringwood Prize for Drama.
  • Outstanding New Play, 2015 Betty Mitchell Awards
  • Outstanding Production Of A Play, 2015 Betty Mitchell Awards
  • Outstanding Direction (Eric Rose), 2015 Betty Mitchell Awards
  • Outstanding Lighting Design (Kerem Çetinel), 2015 Betty Mitchell Awards
  • Outstanding Projection Or Video Design (Wladimiro A. Woyno R., Matthew Waddell and Laura Anzola), 2015 Betty Mitchell Awards
  • Outstanding PerformanceAn Actor In A Drama (Braden Griffiths), 2015 Betty Mitchell Awards
  • Nomination - Outstanding Actress In A Supporting Role (Vanessa Sabourin), 2015 Betty Mitchell Awards
  • Nomination - Best Technical Design - 2015 Calgary Critics' Awards
  • Nomination - Best Creative Concept - 2015 Calgary Critics' Awards