Blithe Spirit
Dixie State College of Utah - Fall 2010
Black Box Theater
Director - Varlo Davenport
Dixie State College of Utah - Fall 2010
Black Box Theater
Director - Varlo Davenport
Concept
If I had to give an name for the overall look for my design of Blithe Spirit, it would be Ethereal Eclecticism. What this means is a style achieved by combining a number of decorative elements to evoke a feeling of mystery and the supernatural. For this particular design, the main this concept was achieved by combining, the dark, rich, regal austerity of a traditional English Country Estate and filling it with the diverse, exotic, mysterious, and alluring Egyptian, Asian, and Indian Art Deco revival styles.
Design Goals
If I had to give an name for the overall look for my design of Blithe Spirit, it would be Ethereal Eclecticism. What this means is a style achieved by combining a number of decorative elements to evoke a feeling of mystery and the supernatural. For this particular design, the main this concept was achieved by combining, the dark, rich, regal austerity of a traditional English Country Estate and filling it with the diverse, exotic, mysterious, and alluring Egyptian, Asian, and Indian Art Deco revival styles.
Design Goals
· Reflect the vibrant and robust personalities of the characters
· Support and enhance the supernatural occurrences of production by providing a setting that feels dark, mysterious, ethereal and exciting!
· Create an immersive experience for the audience
Execution
Character Personalities
· Charles is a mystery writer therefore, there are things that reflect his career and interests in the mysterious, such as tribal and Egyptian artifacts. The room is also more masculine because of hard, clean lines and rich dark colors.
· Ruth's presence is shown by the feminine touches in the room such as flowers and lace on the tables. They show her attempts to tame Charles.
· Elvira is present in the space by the mysterious and exotic artifacts that I feel she would have liked and helped Charles pick out.
A supernatural Setting
· darker colored, older feeling room - support the supernatural themes and elements of the script
· potential for a haunting and support Ethereal Eclecticism by providing a rich historic undertone for the room
· All of the set dressing comes from cultures, such as Buddhist and Egyptian, that have strong beliefs in life after death and coming back from death.
Immersion
· Bent staple shape breaks down a typical room arrangement and gives the feeling that the space is different.
· The audience enters through a hallway in the set, just as if they were coming into an actual home.
· The audiences seating was made to feel as if it were part of the living room -the other couch to the arrangement
This door was my pet project for the production. All of the wood grain was hand painted and then layered with glazes and stains to create the effect of rich exotic wood.