W00t! W00t! We now have a set! Last night after rehearsal, Ellie Swann and I – together we are Dame Nellie – sat down and had a wee chat about what the set should be. I was adamant that it should be simple. Thus far, we have just been using some steps on a large box with a smaller box providing another step. Indeed, the set hasn't changed much. However, we felt we needed some tabs each side of the stage to make more defined exits. Instead of just putting up blacks, we decided to use calico to provide some contrast – and it looks fantastic. Since we have a lot of action on the steps – which themselves are going to be painted gold, black, and white – the calico makes the space much more intimate and defined. We also thought we would put large columns at the end of each tab. After all, we have said columns upstairs and it seems a shame not to use them!
We even came up with a new term: Pollocking. A lot of productions seem to take the theme of winter into the set by either painting frost or snowflakes onto the set. I wanted to do something similar, yet simpler, and Pollocking was the answer. What we will do is splatter the set in gold paint mimicking the paintings of Jackson Pollock. This adds visual interest yet keeps with the simplicity of the set.
The set not only mimics the minimalist nature of our production but, I think, also cites the way Shakespeare productions were originally staged. Since the tabs demarcate part of the stage, behind them becomes the tiring house. Which, I believe, used to have doors that opened to reveal another scene – I could be mixing it up with the scene of Greek theatre. We have blacks at the back of the space which effectively split the stage halfway. After intermission, these blacks will be drawn back to reveal a new set for the second-half. But I am not going to tell you what it is – otherwise there would be no surprise!
The next challenge is to design and rig the lights...
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