Rough Magic’s “Travesties”

Rough Magic’s “Travesties” at the Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire

Last night (Saturday 16^th June) I saw Rough Magic’s http://www.roughmagic.ie/  production of Tom Stoppard’s “Travesties” at the Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire http://www.paviliontheatre.ie/

Directed and Designed by Lynne Parker, http://dublintheatrefestival.com/artists/display.asp?m=&artistID=205 

Costume Design by Bláithín Sheeran

http://www.irishplayography.com/person.aspx?personid=528  and  

Lighting Design by Sinéad McKenna. http://www.sineadmckenna.com/

 

The realisation of Lynne Parker’s concept for the set is a multifaceted well thought out piece of scenography and examples the potential of possibility that can manifest from the close collaborative engagement between Director and Designer(s); in this case Director and Set Designer being one and the same person.  

While the whole performance space is ensconced in a dressed black limbo, it is subdivided into a number of smaller dressed and lit acting spaces by a large island set piece consisting of a large diagonally positioned rectangular, raked rostrum rising from +500mm on the downstage/onstage edge to +1000mm on the upstage/stage left edge. The rostrum accommodates a vertical double door entrance/exit positioned on a smaller, level rostrum inset upstage on the raked rostrum. The frame of the double doors is surmounted by a large circular rose pattern fanlight, which apart from its symbolism, when it is lit from above it acts as a gobo casting a central hub and spoked pattern onto the rostrum top and stage floor. The upstage +1000mm edge of the rostrum acts as a writing/counter top, the onstage edge as a sideboard and the downstage edge as a step/seat. It affords interesting patterns of movement and positioning for the performers.

The downstage left corner is symbolically dressed with some large scientific instruments (and a baseball bat) appropriate to the period. Whereas the down stage right side, while also symbolically dressed, also has an (narrators) armchair, side table (draped with a Union Jack) reading lights and a rocking (Hobby) horse. Up stage right accommodates layers of written words on transparent plastic curtains which form a chicane or maze of words through which characters can hide from each other, miss each other and/or enter/exit upstage right through a backlit door. Up stage, centre back is a high chrominance back lit projection screen which, on occasion has shadows of down stage items projected onto it.

The real magic of the set is the double doors through which characters appear and disappear in the “Harry Potter” mode of travel. It forms a portal, a magic wardrobe portal to and from another place, not only for the appearance/disappearance of the characters but also for the physic of the audience to follow and join the characters in different places.  The illusion is well supported by a nifty piece of theatrical stage craft.

Lighting Designer Sinéad McKenna, as can be expected, enhanced the ambience and atmosphere of the presentation and augmented the dramatic moments with her deft lighting. To me, the low angled up light effect of the “Foot Lights” on the floor at the apron edge added to the period and theatrical presentation of the work.

Bláithín Sheeran’s Costume Designs lend credibility to the characters portrayed and enhances their assessment of self, their social standing, occupation and sets them in a time and place. The collaboration between Bláithín Sheeran, Costume Designer and Hair and Make-Up Designers Catherine Argue and Val Sherlock gave good supportive visual impact and expression to the characters.

A lot for students of Design for Stage, Screen and Performance to see and ponder in this production

Showing from: June 7^th to 23^rd at 8pm.

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Patrick Molloy for http://www.stagebrace.com