Empire Travel Agency

As members of Woodshed Collective, William & Gabriel participated in the development and creation of Empire Travel Agency. For the production they served as the Production Management and Production Design team responsible for creating and implementing the physical landscape of the immersive piece.

The challenge on the Production Management for Empire Travel Agency was not only to adapt a historically landmarked Customs House in lower Manhattan into a multi-floor series of fully functional and designed installations for performance, in a building whose infrastructure had been destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, but also to extend the visual design and systems of communication and show control to various locations throughout lower Manhattan. We built and installed sets and scenic elements for payphones, cars, subways and art galleries, created installations in abandoned buildings, storage units, and parks, and designed and implemented a system of show control to communicate with actors, technicians and audience though the adventure in all these various locales throughout the city. We managed and led an install and build covering the spectrum from dividing space, building rooms and walls, to fully sculptural installations including the design and creation of a multi floor tree sculpture with working mechanical lungs that breathed out fog.