Strange Cargo: The Doom of the Demeter by Timothy Griffin
with City Lit Theatre/Black Button Eyes Productions at City Lit, October 2025
Director: Ed Rutherford
Scenic Design: Ruby Lowe
Technical Director: Matt Klingler
Scenic Painter: Bruce Bennett
Lighting Design: Liz Cooper
Sound Design: Joe Griffin
Properties and Puppets Design: Jeremiah Barr
Projection Designer: DJ Douglass
Nomination for Best Scenic Design
awarded by Non-Equity Jeff Association
REVIEWS
“The multipurpose set design of a ship’s interior is great, thanks to Ruby Lowe, together with props and puppets by Jeremiah Barr. I liked the prime focus being on the steering wheel (which, theoretically, some crew member is supposed to man at all times). It was also fun to watch the actors on the climbing ropes, which they use to adjust the sails (that exist in our imagination). Then too, there’s the ship’s railing, from which people might be thrown overboard or might hurl themselves overboard. Finally, there is the ship’s bell with its multipurpose uses, ranging from the length of a crew member’s watch and keeping time to warning the captain and crew of the likelihood of fog.”
Julia R. Rath, Around The Town Chicago
“In front of a fine set, a grizzled captain warns us of things to come; for the main action, scenic designer Ruby Lowe has crafted a portion of a ship; the helm holding court at the center with a portion of the deck below. The sails are cleverly positioned to conceal entrances and exits—crucial to the narrative—and are also used imaginatively as canvases for the projection.”
