DR. ATOMIC
Written: John Adams
Following Oppenheimer’s story and the first tests on the atomic bomb, the opera is made up of disjointed dialogue, where it seems that nobody talks to each other. That is why I chose individual scaffolding towers as locations for people to stand in- that way, everybody has their own ‘station’, which can be dressed to reflect their role. The tower at the front is Oppenheimer’s, with the area underneath being the bunker where they witness the explosion from. The large tower at the back is the detonation tower, where the atomic bomb is dropped from for its test. The orchestra would be underneath it.
Inspo Collage
It was important to keep the element of shadows and bright lights. I wanted the scene to look as though it could be both in America and in Japan, both before the bomb was dropped and after. The roles of the wives during the creation of the bomb, the objects left behind after the detonation, and the long lasting effects of this invention were what I wanted to focus on in the final design.
Brainstorm of Key Elements
Scene Sketches
Other productions
Photograph 51
Machinal
Children of the West
