October 6, 2000

Contact: Charla Jenkins, University Theatre, (785) 864-2684.

KU actor flies high as winged angel

LAWRENCE - For Megan Schemmel, University of Kansas senior from Shawnee, her latest role for the University Theatre is an uplifting experience. At the end of "Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches," a story filled with death and misery, hope appears in the form of an angel, played by the theatre and voice major, who will be suspended high above the stage of the Crafton-Preyer Theatre.

However, contrary to stories of angels magically appearing, many hours of research and planning have gone into this angel's flight. The effect is a combined effort of several theatre specialists whose final product is expected to amaze audiences for the KU production, which runs Oct. 13 and 14 and 19 through 22 at the Crafton-Preyer Theatre in Murphy Hall.

The process began with creation of the angel costume by costume designer Casey Kearns, Chadron, Neb., graduate student. Both Kearns and University Theatre technical director Jim Peterson wanted the angel to have a simple yet elegant and modern look.

"We didn't want it to look like she was pulled off of a church or was a Christmas angel," Kearns said.

The costume features satin and beaded lace in light but brilliant colors and includes long, feathered wings controlled by Schemmel.

The next task was getting the costume to work with the flying harness worn by Schemmel, which fits under the costume and is attached at the waist to two steel cables suspended from the stage ceiling. The costume had to hide all of the devices that make the angel fly.

"It has to work well with the harness and can't fight it in any way, visually or technically," said Gail Trottier, the cutter/draper in the University Theatre costume shop, who was responsible for fitting the costume.

According to University Theatre stage manager Alex Weston, Schemmel will be lowered from a platform high above stage until she floats at about nine feet.

While planning for the descent of the angel, Weston researched a variety of harnesses to find a device that was safe and could give the angel the right position.

Even though so much planning went into Schemmel's appearance on stage, she performs only at the very end of the production.

As the city begins to fall apart, death fills the stage and the angel appears, accompanied by bright lights and sound effects.

"It's the greatest climax and happy ending," Schemmel said. "It gives people hope to go on in life. There is life after death, it's not just an ending."