Molang Hotel
Molang Hotel takes place in a mysterious European hotel at midnight. A bumbling thief sneaks in, hoping to steal a rumored 10-carat diamond, only to find himself sharing the space with the suave but secretive hotel manager, a pompous businessman and his mistress, and a struggling mystery writer. As the night unfolds, hidden secrets surface: the businessman’s affair, the mistress’s demands, and the writer’s desperation. When the rumor of the diamond spreads, they launch a frantic search of the hotel. The play blends comedy, mystery, and surrealism as the hotel itself seems to come alive, with shifting walls, moving furniture, and flickering lights. Amid the chaos, the manager stays calm and in control. In the end, he quietly retrieves the diamond from the central chandelier, revealing he had it all along, and departs with the jewel while the others flee. The audience is left wondering whether the hotel itself was manipulating events from the beginning.
Working on Molang Hotel meant staging a production that blended farce, mystery, and surreal stage automation. The hotel was constantly shifting: walls opened into hidden compartments, furniture moved on its own, and the lighting changed the mood of the room. To keep the illusion of a “living” hotel, the set, props, sound, lighting, and automation all had to land on precise cues.
The actors relied on comedic timing and suspense, so I worked closely with them. I made sure effects like the thief falling from the vent and the sudden blackout and alarm were safe, seamless, and supportive of the story. Every scene brought new variables, which tested my adaptability and problem-solving.
I learned about Spikemark 6 and theater automation. Though Professor Eo I also learned tips on how to improve my drafting and how to steer set towards angles that could be accurately not guessed.
This is me and the other techies connecting all of the winches to the stagehand
Aligning the deck track with the winches
Knife and pins for the deck trackKnife in the dog running on the track
Loading a 1 ton truck with our equipmentPlacing tile to hide the deck track slots
The holes for the coach was in a corner so I had to combine all the bits I have to reach it
Molang Hotel blended farce, mystery, and surreal stage automation, and I worked on staging its constantly shifting environment. Walls opened into hidden compartments, furniture moved on its own, and the lighting changed the mood of the hotel. Making that work took precise set design, coordination with props, and careful timing with sound and lighting cues to sustain the illusion of a “living” hotel.
The show also depended on close collaboration with the actors, whose performances relied on comedic timing and suspense. I made sure that technical elements like the thief falling from the vent and the sudden blackout and alarm were safe, seamless, and supportive of the story.
This production introduced me to Spikemark 6 and theater automation. Working with Professor Eo, I learned new drafting techniques, including how to steer the set toward angles that could be measured accurately instead of guessed. Precise drafting cut uncertainty out of the construction process.
Nearly every scene brought new technical problems, and solving them let the audience feel both the humor and the unsettling mystery of the hotel itself.