Neil Warmington answered questions how ideas from the play were realised in
his design.
From your original discussions with the director Vicky Featherstone, how did
your concept for the design come about? What were your starting points?
I think originally we discovered that the play moved from the dark of the prison at the
start, through to the light of the court and then the park scene, then slowly back to the
dark of Mary's prison and her death. I think we held this as a structure to try and work
to, as much for the choice of costume colours etc as for the set. But that idea also
filtered through to the lighting designer and the overall journey of the story.
As for the set, we wanted a contemporary take on a castle or fortress that could be
both oppressive for the prison scenes and illuminated like a jewellery box for the
court scenes with Elizabeth. The idea of Mary's prison cell being at the top of the
tower suggested the trap door entrance, with steps leading up from the castle below. It
was an attempt to create a different feel to the two spaces the Queens operated in (it
being one space in actuality). We looked at lots of books on castles, at the arrow slits
in the castle walls, at chinks of light and glimpses of the outside world (for Mary) and
also lots of stained glass windows which seemed to fit Elizabeth as well as also the
religious elements of the play. In the end, these ideas found their way into a more
modern space that hopefully suggested both Elizabeth's court and Mary's tomb.
Were there specific images that came to mind that struck you as really
connecting to the overall vision for the play?
As I already mentioned, castle arrow slits, narrow gothic cross shaped holes . . . the
crucifix shape seemed very appropriate for both Mary and the play in general. But I
think we moved away from that as there was a danger it would look too old fashioned,
too medieval and a bit Robin Hood! So we kept the idea of the chinks of light to both
reflect Mary being locked up in her tower for 19 years, and to glorify the splendour of
Elizabeth's court.
The set is very simple and provides a constant environment. Can you give
examples of how you communicated the themes in the play through your design?
I was trying to create a space that would be both closed and prison-like for the scenes
with Mary, and then a more open airy feel for the court scenes with Elizabeth, then an
icy coldness for the park. Also the trap in the floor that had steps descending down
into it, and a metal grill that was drawn over it when not in use, helped tell the
geography of the castle I think. That people came and went via these stairs to visit
Mary hopefully suggested she was up high, with no escape, whereas Elizabeth and her
court entered from the side, with the walls pulled back to suggest her freedom.
copyright © 2006 National Theatre of Scotland
What did you do in terms of research? Did you discover any gems, any new ideas
or potentials that you hadn't considered before?
I spent many hours in Borders looking at books on castles and Scottish history and
pictures of Mary and Elizabeth for costume ideas. Plus I used the internet a fair bit,
which has some great costume reference sites that weren't available a few years ago. I
spent a day trawling the streets of Glasgow looking at the different surfaces of
buildings: the marble of banks, or inside the City Chambers just to get a feel for how
marble was put together: slab, veneer, or polished.
Apart from that, there was the technical side of working to the plans of the theatre
stage, and making the proportions fit both the space and number of actors and
different requirements of the play. The production staff at the Citizens Theatre
worked very hard gathering different samples of marble, from lino to plastics. We
ended up having the whole lot scanned by a computer onto projection screen as this
gave the best finish and also allowed the lighting designer to make the back wall
change appearance and solidity for the park scene. Something she wouldn't have been
able to achieve if we had made it from something solid like lino.
Could you comment on the creative collaboration of all the designers? Can you
identify a moment in the play where you feel all the production elements come
together in a powerful way?
I think a designer's role is very collaborative. At least for me it is. I think you'd be
silly not to listen to all the various departments like wardrobe and carpenters and stage
management and actors, who are all specialists in their field, with many years of
collective experience. For example, in wardrobe there are cutters who draw out the
patterns for the costumes from your designs, and they are highly skilled in their own
right. It makes sense to listen to them when they say things like, 'Could we do it this
way instead as I think it would be better?', or, 'I think a heavier fabric would suit this
dress.'
In a way, a designer's job is to keep hold of the bigger picture, of what colours are on
stage at the same time, or whether the colours slowly change, etc. If you allow people
to advise and contribute, it not only makes for a more enjoyable time, but also a better
end result as they bring details and expertise that you have only skimmed the surface
of.
I think of my job as being responsible for everything on stage, from a pen to a certain
glass, chair, or costume. Then the lighting brings something more, plus the sound
designer will bring another layer. I think theatre is at its best when you are not aware
of any one element but of the whole. I think Mary Stuart achieved that very well.
Lighting, set, sound and direction were all pulling in the same direction.
copyright © 2006 National Theatre of Scotland
Would you be able to briefly describe your ideas for the costumes? Were they
clear in your mind before rehearsals or was there input from the actors also?
I think we knew that it would be interesting to put Elizabeth in period costume so that
she stood apart. It is such a beautiful image, that farthingale skirt and her ruff and
tinkerbell wings, that it would be a shame not to use it to portray her power. I think if
we'd updated her to more modern dress it would have diluted her status a lot. I think
the men in suits seemed a nice play on the court. It was a very political play, of people
meeting in corridors, of watching their backs. The modern Royal family – court life,
parliament, MPs – seemed a very logical reference point for all the debate and jostling
for position that went on. I also think it made it more real. Women's costume in
Elizabethan times was truly beautiful; men's costume was baggy shorts and tights and
funny slippers. I think to a modern day audience that image of a man with a stuffed
codpiece and tights would have been quite distracting for what were very serious
scenes debating the history of England and Scotland's future.
What were the particular challenges that this play presented and how did you
overcome them?
I think every play is a challenge. I can't quite believe I come up with ideas at all.
Often you can't remember how you did it after it's all over. Theatre is so collaborative
that it's not really who comes up with the idea that is important, more that the idea has
come up at all. The challenges were it touring to the Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh
after its run at the Citizen's Theatre in Glasgow. To make the set work technically in
both spaces involves a lot of planning that isn't needed if the play is only being
performed at one theatre. Things like the position of the trapdoor were determined by
both theatres’ facilities. Luckily the positions for the having a hole in the floor were
fairly close, but you still need to overlay plans and do a lot of maths to make sure it
fits in both spaces. The fact that it is a co-production means you have to treat both
spaces as equally important. It has to look as good in both venues, otherwise it stops
being an equal partnership.
Neil Warmington was talking to Naomi Ludlam.
copyright © 2006 National Theatre of Scotland