TheatreSquared audiences first saw projection designer C.J. Barnwell’s incredible work in “The Mountaintop”, a moving show produced at T2 earlier this year that imagines Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s last night on earth. His projections soared above the actors’ heads at the climax of the show, serving as the backdrop to actor Aneisa Hicks’ powerful monologue summarizing the Black American history timeline from King’s death forward. Barnwell’s work in that show is heart-rending, devastating, and poignant—yet also, at points, jubilant and buoyant. It was a careful, striking balance that Barnwell and director vickie washington worked hard to achieve.

“That part of the show was essentially about the history from 1968 to the present day, and I had to find a visual language that tied in with what the director was looking for, and for what I thought was relevant,” notes Barnwell. “There was also a thread of hope that the director, vicki washington, was really interested in incorporating, but with history—particularly this last couple of years—being the way it’s been, it was really hard to end it on a hopeful note. That was one of the things we struggled with for ‘Mountaintop’. But I think we found the right balance of being real, being respectful, tying everything in, and ending on a hopeful note.”

The projection design for “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity”, on the other hand, is pure fun and pure spectacle—and Barnwell is enjoying every minute of it.

“This show is completely different in that it's about fun, it's about extravagance,” he says. “My imagination is just soaring with this one. I get to play, and I'm freed up to have fun, to be over the top, and getting to play with the other designers in crafting this world is great.”

In “Chad”, Barnwell’s projections are seen on two massive screens bookending the wrestling ring, serving as the outrageous and excessive prelude to the entrances of Chad Deity, yes, but for other wrestlers, as well—including the Bad Guy, Billy Heartland and Old Glory. Barnwell’s projections are just as hilarious and fantastic as the names of the wrestlers themselves.

“It's funny— the first entrance that we see of Chad Deity, the narrator in the show literally calls it an ‘elaborate entrance’,” he says. “But every one after that is bigger and bigger and bigger as we build toward the pay per view at the end of the show. So the projections are telling that story and why that's important to the main character and threading all that and a lot more storytelling throughout the show. [The projections] are making sure the audience knows what the importance of the story is, throughout each moment.”

Barnwell says collaboration between designers has been crucial for this show.

“It's a great production team—it’s really fun creating these brief moments with John [Alexander], the lighting designer, and the sound designer, Beth [Lake]. I think we’re more connected in this show than with almost any other show. The sound of what’s happening in the entrance and the visual energy in the room that John is providing—we have to work in concert. I can’t go crazier than them, and I can’t go under them. It’s really a balancing act.”

Barnwell seemed destined to end up in theater: From the age of five, he showed a predilection for it.

“I've kind of always been involved in performing,” he says. “In my church programs, I would do the speeches, and I was the designated welcome person for a couple of years in elementary school.” Barnwell was a senior in high school when his school moved into a new building, and when his drama teacher was too busy to learn how to use the new technical equipment, Barnwell did it for him. When he was tapped to do technical work for an elementary school play, Barnwell’s fate as a theatrical technician was sealed. He started out designing lights but segued into projection designs about halfway through the pandemic.

“Lighting and projections are the culmination of all of my skills already—they’re tools to tell a story. I’ve always considered myself a storyteller first. With lighting, with projection design, whatever I’m doing is focused on, ‘How do we tell the story? How do we get the audience member ready to receive the story?’ Video is not much different than lighting in my head. It’s just one big lighting instrument versus a lot of different lighting instruments. Using visual media is the most efficient way for me to get the ideas I’m always thinking about across.”

Projection Designer C.J. Barnwell talks "Chad Deity"