Go here to see the full interview with Cory Steiger - Temple MFA 

We were so excited to sit down with Temple MFA grad student Cory Steiger and to talk about his work on the set and costumes for Temple Theater's recent production of Silent Sky.
He's thrilled to be bringing this wonderful play to life which tells an historic tale of women working in the field of Astronomy over 100 years ago.

Scenic design began last semester with specific props and tools from the era. Cory spent time his time connecting with the Ford's Theatre in DC to obtain certain props they had used in an early production. The collaboration with that famous theater meant Cory being educated on the materials used to bring the props to life. In particular, Cory was fascinated by historically used photo negative plates which may have been handled by the actual people that the characters in the play portray. The extensive research done brings the historical aspect of the production to lige and the set design is specifically catered toward showing the characters as spaces within the universe of the play as well as within the universe we see in the night sky.  Watercolors are used to make the audience feel as though they are one with the stars. 

Cory's hope was that the audience almost feels as if they are in a museum learning about the stars and the research these women pioneered.

Check out this video where Cory gives us a detailed explanation of the props including the notebooks, boxes, and plates and how they are used along with the character’s costumes to highlight day-to-day details that make this production come to life. He is so happy to a part of this show with its themes of humanity, womanhood, and astronomy.