In The Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)
by Sarah Ruhl
Directed by Lisa Gaye Dixon


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​Illinois Theatre
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts - Studio Theatre
October 26th, 2017 - November 4th, 2017

Scenic Design: Yue "Amber" Shi
Costume Design: Nicole Zausmer
Lighting Design: Michael Cummings
Sound Design: Brandon Reed
Props Design: Kira Lyon
 ​Photos taken courtesy of Darrell Hoemann Photography

About The Play

In The Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) is a provocative, funny, touching, and marvelously entertaining story about a young doctor and his wife. Dr. Givings is obsessed with the marvels of technology and what they can do for his patients. His wife, Catherine, is only a bystander in her husband's world - listening at the door from the next room as he treats his female patients. Dr. Givings is not sure exactly how the vibrators help the women he treats - but they do keep coming back. The only woman whose problem is not helped by the doctor is his own wife who longs to connect with him - but not electrically.

The sound design for the show was used to create soundscapes and let us know whether we were inside or outside the Giving's home. I did a lot of research of the scenery and wildlife of Yonkers, NY, which is where our story took place. I made sure to use the exact birds and sounds of the environment to really feel authentic. In addition, there were several practical sound effects in the show such as an offstage door slam, telephone, and most importantly, the many different vibrators used in the show. I hid a practical speaker inside of a desk near the operating table that sourced all the vibrator sounds (see below for how I created the sounds). I made sure to use the sound of pitch shifting to really get us the sound of the machine turning off and on, as well as speeding up and slowing down. This was all carefully choreographed with the actors to make the complicated looking cueing to be simplistic. Lastly, we made the decision to use period specific music to help the audience connect with the time period as well as provide emotional context going into the next scene. We went with impressionism classical music as it best fit the emotional context of the story as well as the time period.

The Sound Design


​​Ending Sequence

In the final scene of the show, Mrs. Givings brings Dr. Givings out into the garden in the middle of a cold winter night. This is part of her plan to ignite passion into her husband who neglects her with this clinical practice. Wanting this final moment to be tender and magical, I brought the audience into the garden with them, as well as used the famous, "Gymnopedia" by Erik Satie to underscore the tender-ness of the scene. As they begin to create their snow-angels and open up to each other the music swells into blackout, ending the play.


​​Opening Sequence

In the opening of our production, I wanted to establish right away the emotional tone of the play, but also allude to the magical realism aspect we are taking. As lights dim we hear the distant storm roll in as lights come up on musical trill of "Arabesques L66" by Claude Debussy. We see small glows of light throughout the home of the Givings family as they start their day.

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​Tableau Transition - Act 1, Scene 2

By the end of the first scene, we are in the midst of a rainstorm as the audience begins to see the neglect and loneliness of Catherine Givings. To help convey the melancholic tone of her thoughts, I used, "Six Gnossiennes, No 2," by Erik Satie as a couple thunder claps take us into our first tableau transition.

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​Tableau Transition - Act 2, Scene 2

As the tension between Catherine and Dr. Givings escalates in the latter half of the play, Catherine in frustration storms out of the room leaving us in a somber mood. Offstage we hear the door slam, as "Gnossiennes, No.4," by Erik Satie fills the air while Dr. Givings locks himself into his office. The music shifts to a brighter tone with, "Fantaisie-Valse" and birds singing as it's next morning and everyone enters the room for a new day.


​​The Vibrators

The interesting part about the design process of this production was the vibrators themselves. I discovered the Good Vibrations Antique Vibrators Museum, where I learned the original sound of Victorian vibrators would be too obnoxious for our show. Instead, I took inspiration from the 2011 film, Hysteria, in which they used various electrical motor sounds to replicate them. The first one is a jigsaw motor, the second a sewing machine, and the third an electric toothbrush. You will hear them being turned on as well as when they are applied to the patient.