I created this spine and wood crown for the monster in the production A Monster Calls, performed by the students at EHS theater. All photography in this section is courtesy of Owen Leavey and Lex Page.

For the spine, I repurposed the vertebrae from an old skeleton that had been abandoned in the closet of the science department. I intertwined the roots and berries between the bones and attached the finished spine to the back of a large coat. For the crown, I foraged twigs and small branches from our local woods, attached them to a frame, and added some plastic berries and greenery. Unfortunately, I did not take any process photos for these props like I did for some of the other pieces in my portfolio. However, I will say that I spent a lot of time thinking about the monster’s role within the overall narrative arc of the play and sketched out several ideas before committing to this final product.

A Monster Calls is about a boy whose mother is dying of cancer. The monster, a yew tree, is the boy’s vehicle for dealing with and healing from the trauma. One reason I incorporated the vines and berries into the spine was to show nature taking over the skeleton. Nature takes death and decay and gives it life again. It’s a form of rebirth. This monster has various dual meanings. It represents both hope and dread, life and death, healing and decay. The duality of the monster is reflected in the duality of the props I created.