“I never use that word about myself,” he said. “It’s just I try to get to that element that I think is essential. So if you want to call me an ‘essentialist,’ I don’t mind that, really.”
Monday, November 13, 2017
Less is more in director John Doyle's vision for 'The Color Purple'
“I never use that word about myself,” he said. “It’s just I try to get to that element that I think is essential. So if you want to call me an ‘essentialist,’ I don’t mind that, really.”
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I really liked the new perspective on what many of us would see as minimalism from "The Color Purple" director John Doyle. In this article, Mr. Doyle brings up that he sees "minimalistic" design as designing only for the "essentials". Instead of deliberately not filling up space with a bunch of stuff or action, this perspective is that you only fill space with the things and the action that is actually necessary for the production's message to get across. To me, this is a much more positive and productive view on the idea of minimalism. As someone who is often drawn to more simple or minimalistic design, I think that looking at minimalism as "essentialism" instead is a quality that could be very helpful to my own work as a designer some day. I hope to get to see Doyle's version of "The Color Purple" and see this perspective put into reality!
I love the way John Doyle talks about “minimalism.” What I appreciate about the quotes used in the article is the idea that everything on stage is essential and placed there with intention. Like Edgar Wright - everything has a purpose. The power of a play or a musical is not always about filling a space up to the brim with set piece. I think the power in Doyle’s essentialistic perspective gives the actors and the audience to absorb the story without feeling overwhelmed by metaphors or over detailed set pieces that can sometimes be too much. I am really excited to see The Color Purple when it comes to the Benedum Center. I am interested to see an essentialist set design on a large stage. I am beyond excited to look for the descriptions that are in this article in the set, acting, and lighting of this amazing musical.
Post a Comment