Bedlam Theatre, Written & Directed by Maddie Haynes, 2014
The Design
With Laurel I devised a delicate pulley system for drapes hung in the round. The material, hung central from the rigging, were pulled up, or let down from the balconies, according to the tone and action in each scene. This allowed for the transitions simulate the organic and “natural” movements of the forest. The nymphs, whose costumes were of the same material, played with the drapes, using them to illustrate their stories. As the theatre had not been converted to the round and had not accommodated hanging drapes for a long time, it was necessary for me to really convince the lighting and management team of my designs. Their questions and scepticism pushed me to develop even more detailed diagrams and then demonstrations of how I wanted to proceed. I also collaborated with the lighting designer so that the drapes did not get in the way, but worked in tandem with the forest-style lighting. As well as this I worked closely with the writer/director Maddie Haynes in order to develop designs that were true to her text. The costumes were made to measure bodices that had unique features according to each nymph's characteristics.
Sketches and designs available on request.
Poster and Leaflet Design, using pencil, black Biro on paper and edited/finalised on Adobe Photoshop, A3, September 2014.
