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Hey, how's it going? I'm Casey Ford Alexander. I'm a member of the Class of 2010 and I'm
in "THR 317: Theatrical Design" with a focus on set design.
Well, we had two projects this year, and it was clear even from the first class that this
really wasn't a class about set design, quote-unquote. It was more about production design and imagining
the entire aesthetic; a look and a feel that was informed by the text. The first project
we worked on was Oedipus, and I designed for a specific space: the Delacorte Theater in
Central Park. And I was thinking a lot about textures and landscapes that were informed
by the totally lifeless, dead and post-apocalyptic setting that was Thebes.
I think it's interesting to set this in his world, because then you get to see Nina break
out of it. And so she's the kind of rock chick rebel I saw her as. I think she goes from
being this really all-out colorful teenage rebel into -- she grows up -- she becomes
a woman. And I think the visual process of that is seeing her become a lot more monochromatic
and ***, as opposed to childish ... a real world that he never envisaged and I think
that's where ... there are things that happen with the chalk markings throughout the play.
But I think the most significant moment is at the end when Nina erases the things of
her speech that he had written for her to say.
In my production of The Seagull, actors are immersed in a white world reminiscent of a
rehearsal room or a sound stage.
During Acts I and II, Konstantin projects images onto a white brick wall to create facsimiles
of the locales in the play. The brick wall is removed for Acts III and IV. Then, the
projected surround becomes the world of the play.
Overall, it was a fantastic class. We talked so much more about art and what it means to
tell a story on stage and how to put that in visuals than we did about how to simply
building sets, building specific pieces for the stage. It was a class about exploring
art, what it means to tell a story through theater, what it means to make use of the
pinnacle of human creativity that is theater: the collaborative art form. So, it was a fantastic
class, and I enjoyed my time with Riccardo and with all the classmates who just brought
such cool energy and cool ideas to the class. It was a really great experience.