Thursday, September 01, 2016
Going Epic for the Mythic
Stage Directions: Purdue Theatre’s 2015-2016 season closed with Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice. Set in the ancient Greek underworld, one of the essential metaphorical elements of the world is the way in which one journeys from the world above to the world below after you die. Ruhl’s script calls for this to be represented as an elevator in which it rains
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3 comments:
I've done this show, on a much smaller scale and budget, and loved being able to play with the water and see how it behaved under the lights. Having two sizes of pipe was a good idea making the elevator rainfall more natural. I love that the scenic designer in this article expanded the elevator idea and added other doorways around the set instead of having a solitary elevator. The raining elevator is such an interesting part of the show it would've been nice if it were more downstage (at least based on the article's photos).The inspiration of ancient Grecian architecture was evident with the arches, stairs, and stone. I'm conflicted about all the shoes downstage and if they would be too distracting or symbolic. The final line of the article, "the effects came together beautifully, even as the mythical lovers were parted forever" made me think if the set design should have been beautiful or if it should have mimicked the plays ending, lonely and frightening.
I really like the idea of trying to make something that fits both the story of the show and the scale of the myth its based on. The elevator and the rain look amazing in the pictures and add to the world of the show making things that much more believable. Making more than one elevator was also added to the world as it made the rain elevator look like it belonged instead of like something the designer threw in because the script called for it. To me that’s what feels like the biggest problem with designing for things based on myths and legends. On one had you have a world that’s already been established (like the underworld in Greek mythology) and on the other you have what the script and director call for. Figuring out how to balance those two forces along with the desirers of the designer themselves can all to easily lead to sets where some elements feel like they don’t belong and where added just to check something off on a list. That’s the part of this set that I was drawn to, elevators felt like they belonged there.
Having had to do multiple types of water effect on stage in the past, I feel that the means by which they executed the rain effect was a clever way to solve what could have been a problem. By looking at the problem of the rain effect thoroughly, they were able to find a solution that was simple, efficient, and did not require complex plumbing on stage. The idea of laying the two pipes inside of each other also helps break up what could have been an artificial feel to the rain. The end result of the rain effect with the light when placed in the ruin atmosphere of the rest of the set gives the elevator a surreal effect that really sets the mood of the Greek Underworld. In all I find that this article demonstrates the need for proper planning when executing effects on stage so that the effect can come together in a smooth manner.
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