The scenographic interpretation and
staged presentation is very straight forward in presenting a set that is an
appropriate environment, addressing the needs of the script and the Director.
It is an efficient and effective design
solution reflecting collaboration between the Director and Designer in
supporting the light relief/sit com style of the play.
The play takes place at night and is
set in an out-dated, 1980s middleclass two storied house in a mature estate.
The tired interior is open plan, with an out of date sitting-dining
room/kitchen space furnished with broken appliances, kitchen cupboards, drawer
fronts, faulty refrigerator door, etc.
The inside of the front door and
stairs can be seen upstage right through an arch and access to the back of the
house can be seen upstage left through a door off the kitchen. Some shrubbery
and front garden outside the front door can be seen up stage right. The
lighting of this shrubbery and front door area is used very effectively to
indicate the arrival and departure of cars.
There is also a backdoor (stage left)
from the kitchen to the exterior.
The psychological
separation of the kitchen from the sitting room space is supported visually by
a double-clad return coming a little distance downstage centre, under and
alongside the bulkhead for the return on the staircase which protrudes through
the stylised ceiling piece.
The Costume Design
works well and looks the part in supporting the cast in playing their parts and
giving presence and credibility to the author’s characters in time, place and
social standing.
The Lighting Design
made effective use of the vertical planes, ceiling pieces, depth of the set and
the exterior outside the front door.
The Hair and Make-up Artist/Designer
ably and convincingly supported the performers in their character with styled
hair dos, kempt and unkempt hair as appropriate to the specific character at
that time.
The special effects
worked on que, looked convincing and appeared to stand up the robust action of
the cast.
The one element
that I have reservations about is the moodily lit night sky with moon and
distant lights that spreads from wing to wing above the set. While this
panoramic swipe of sky and lit dots gave the feeling of overlooking Dublin Bay
it also subliminally dwarfed the action by representing the cosmos in which
this miniscule, pitiful snip of human interaction takes place. Areas above the
set and the action need careful consideration; if the area is distracting to
the eye through being lighter in tone or of contrasting/different chrominance,
it may intrude on the psychic of the audience member and adversely affect their
theatrical experience.
The visual
presentation of a brisk, humorous, wordy play as Shush with its crisp one-liner
quips needs the visual support of the designers to encourage and settle the
focus of the audience’s attention on the delivery of the characters dialogue and
the performance of the cast.
The programme at €6 is
good value, in that it includes short biographies on author, cast and crew and the
script with stage directions. Some production companies provide useful content
such as the Director’s view on the play, Author’s comments, and/or sketches by
the designer(s) giving their insight into some of the thought process behind
the concept development. Such input from the Designers is of immense value to
students of Performance, of Design for Performance and of Design for Stage and
Screen. Such content is to be encouraged and when provided, welcomed.
Director
http://ie.linkedin.com/pub/jim-culleton/17/b43/443
Set Designer
http://www.bravo22company.com/creative/katherine-heath/
Costume
Designer
http://www.irishplayography.com/person.aspx?personid=5246
Lighting
Designer
Hair &
Make-up
Special
Effects
Students or
those under 26 can join the Abbey Access All Areas for ten euro (€10)
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