The Emperor

Associate Video & Projection Design for Theatre

The Emperor is a theatrical adaptation of Ryszard Kapuściński‘s celebrated and controversial 1978 book of the same title, and is a parable about the downfall of Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie. Renowned actress Kathryn Hunter embodied ten male servants of Haile Selassie, among them his pillow-bearer, purse-bearer and dog-urine wiper, creating complex human portraits in this production which originated at the Young Vic in London.

Louis Price’s video design featured archival images and film footage of people, places, and news stories from Saelassie’s life. I adapted the design to the Polonsky Shakespeare Center for the successful run of the New York City leg of the production’s tour.