Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, 2005 Adaptations required: Power wheelchairs to move scenery Designer: Charles Dean Packard The opening scene for PHAMAlY's production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was set in a hospital ward depicting the hopelessness of the patients' situation. Out of that state of depression is born Joseph who, in spite of his misfortunes, has a vision for a better life. In an allegorical transformation from the hospital to a biblical landscape, an electric wheelchair was employed to drag a drab ground cloth off stage reveling a map of the Middle East painted as the floor covering. This affective a vista scene shift provided a smooth and dramatic transition. director, Steve Wilson: "We really wanted to add a large scenic element to our production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat so our terrific scenic designer built a sphinx on top of one of our wheelchair actors. It was a stunning effect and the actor (like an experienced puppeteer) really brought this scenic element to life." Another use of a power wheelchair was pulling the oversized chariot which was made to fit over the hospital bed used in the opening scene. Actors who regularly use these chairs are skilled in negotiating the intricate blocking choreographed for them. An actor driving a power wheelchair can readily react to any unforeseen problem or situation on stage that perhaps a remote controlled device might not. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; opening hospital scene. Joseph photographs by Pat Switzer. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; Joseph played by Jeremy Palmer. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; wheelchair pulling an oversized chariot built around a hospital bed. S P R I N G 2010 theatre design & technology 35