Theatrical Designs
white model project
the purpose of this project was to understand how to perceive and interpret different emotions and moods. For this specific design, this is my own personal interpretation of loneliness & elegance. So now the question is how do you interpret certain emotions and moods? Can you feel the loneliness and elegance too?
A sense of DEPTH was created by the tree which created mass in the black box. The moon was intentionally scaled larger to represent the loneliness of the woman. The negative space further highlights this feeling of loneliness of the woman. One of the most important elements in my design is the circle of rocks surrounding the tree. Although a circle oftentimes represents more soft features such as friendliness in design, this use of this element was intentional in my model in order to accentuate the loneliness of the woman who is standing in front of the tree. The round nature of the circle and the stars, represented by glitter, also provides elegance to the aspect of nature.
Romeo & Juliet
a tragedy.
the story of two star-crossed lovers.
a story that shows the stately wealth, fragile balance, and conflict among the characters.
(Scenic Design)
Stately wealth was represented through the pillars and marble floors. The two statues are Nike and Aries, Gods of Discord and Justice, playing on the idea of fragile balance between conflict and justice. Furthermore, the tilted platforms of the stage further highlights the idea of fragility and balance.
Romeo & Juliet
Lighting.
A key element of enhancing the mood and atmosphere of the scene. For this project, I tried to represent the contrast between
a hopeful night and a fractured day;
dream-like, then dream-crushed.
(Lighting Design)
Prologue
“Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.”
a hall in capulet's home
ROMEO [To JULIET]
If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.
JULIET
Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,
Which mannerly devotion shows in this;
For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,
And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.
ROMEO
Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?
JULIET
Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.
ROMEO
O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do;
They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.
JULIET
Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake.
ROMEO
Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take.
Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged.
JULIET
Then have my lips the sin that they have took.
ROMEO
Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!
Give me my sin again.
JULIET
You kiss by the book.
Ball, Act I Scene V
Balcony, Act II Scene ii
capulet's orchard/Juliet's balcony
JULIET
O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.
ROMEO
[Aside] Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?
JULIET
'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.
Fight (Act III, Scene I)
a public place
MERCUTIO
O calm, dishonourable, vile submission!
Alla stoccata carries it away.
(Draws)
Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you walk?
TYBALT
What wouldst thou have with me?
MERCUTIO
Good king of cats, nothing but one of your nine
lives; that I mean to make bold withal, and as you
shall use me hereafter, drybeat the rest of the
eight. Will you pluck your sword out of his pitcher
by the ears? make haste, lest mine be about your
ears ere it be out.
TYBALT
I am for you.
(Drawing)
ROMEO
Gentle Mercutio, put thy rapier up.
MERCUTIO
Come, sir, your passado.
(They fight)
Tomb, (Act V, Scene iii)
inside a tomb
JULIET
What's here? a cup, closed in my true love's hand?
Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end:
O churl! drunk all, and left no friendly drop
To help me after? I will kiss thy lips;
Haply some poison yet doth hang on them,
To make die with a restorative.
(Kisses him)
Thy lips are warm.
First Watchman
[Within] Lead, boy: which way?
JULIET
Yea, noise? then I'll be brief. O happy dagger!
Snatching ROMEO's dagger
This is thy sheath;
Stabs herself
there rust, and let me die.
Falls on ROMEO's body, and dies
Lighting design by Hannah Youm, Grace Cutler, Abigail Wickman Model by Grace Cutler Photography by Hannah Youm
Romeo & Juliet
The set designer created the world of Romeo & Juliet to take place in the Underground Ball Culture of New York City (mid-late 1980s). The setting of this specific production led to research of the LGBTQ+ community in the 1980s and the on-going HIV/AIDS epidemic.
(Sound Design)
Above, is my emotional response for the tomb scene (Act 5, Scene III). Prior to the sound design for this specific scene, I revisited the target words:
Teenage/adolescent anxiety
Toxic
Blossoming change
Initial research included looking for sounds that represented New York City.
NYC subway sounds (screeching train sounds, train bell sounds) were used to build the idea that the audience is in the underground of NYC.
Further research of the time period lead to the use of heartbeats in the emotional response. Not only do the heartbeats represent the love and tragic ending of Romeo & Juliet, it also represent all of the people who may have died due to the on-going HIV/AIDS epidemic during the mid-late 1980s.
The song “Train Wreck” by James Arthur was chosen intentionally to emphasize the hopeless and desperate emotions both people of the LGBTQ+ community during this time period and Romeo & Juliet faced within the context of the play. Additional effects were used on the sounds to create an echo feeling, building the idea that the play is undergrounds.
Finally, the heartbeats in the background were placed to beat faster to build the intensity and contrast to end the heart ended at the end, signifying the lives lost through the HIV/AIDS epidemic, but also the tragic fate of Romeo & Juliet.
