Scenic Design Research in Italy
1. Proposal Narrative
A. Background/Statement of the Problem/Significance of the Project
What is my job as the Scenic Designer on a production? Imagined Spaces defines our job as
“to create the best possible setting/scenery for a production that will serve both the director and the
playwright’s interpretation of the work, and stay within the budget of the producing organization.”
(ArtsAlive.ca)We are responsible for other visual elements such as props, furniture, set dressing, etc.
involved in the production to help the story be told as best as possible; essentially we are creating the
“world of the play”. This means creating the atmosphere, tapping into all five senses, helping express the
emotions and ideas the play is supposed to present to it audience. As my senior capstone in the spring,
this is my responsibility as the Scenic Designer for the Department of Theatre Art's production of Big
Love.
The research process of designing a production, as it has to encompass all of these elements, is
the most important step. I start with the script. Charles L. Mee’s play Big Love is based on Aeschylus’s
The Suppliants and is about fifty brides who escape from Greece to a large villa in Italy to avoid having
to marry their fifty cousins against their will. The play follows the plot of the original Greek play but is
set in modern times. While the wedding day nears, there is discussion of gender politics, love, and
domestic violence. The play also calls for extreme action sequences and a highly sensual and symbolic
experience for the audience. The play was first performed in 2000 at the Actor Theatre in Louisville and
Mee has stated that he wanted to bring one of the oldest styles of theatre into modern day to see if the
issues are still relevant.
1
By reading the script multiple times, I analyze it for multiple purposes. I first note what genre the
script is, which will determine the type of research I need to do. For example, Big Love is post modern,
thus it draws from a mix of different styles and historical periods. Post modernism is a reaction to the
assumed certainty of scientific, or objective, efforts to explain reality. It relies on concrete experience
over abstract principles, and in Charles Mee’s case, depends heavily on irony, stereotypes, and
archetypes. I determine locations required in the script as well as the overall local. Although Big Love
draws on ancient Greek elements, it is set in a lavish sea side villa in Italy. It doesn’t ever deviate from
this central Villa, thus making it a “unit set”. I also determine the “when” that the script references for
accuracy in time period. My director, Beth Cherne, has chosen retro 1950s with strong references to
the classical age, and clearly “retro” not actual 50s, thus reflecting post modern style. This will allow me
to draw on contemporary elements as well as the many ancient architecture styles of Italy, thus,
requiring thorough visual research.
Next I analyze any special requirements for scenic and prop elements. In Big Love’s case, there
are some extreme effects called for including: people throwing themselves repeatedly to the floor, plates
being smashed and saw blades being hurled into walls as well as the wives killing their husbands
involving blood and extensive “fake” weapons. The set must also reflect the “who”. Piero, the owner of
the villa, is a successful man and the wealth is shown in his home. The director and the playwright want
this villa to essentially embody Italy. Last, I must help express the tone/emotional mood/theme of the
play. The playwright details many elements that describe the “essence” of Italy; it is an important theme
throughout the production because of the archetypal elements in the style. For example, they say “I just
think everything is shocking in Italy”, “I am alive. I love life. I take it in, Its tomatoes, its sunshine, its
2
olive oil, its paintings, its men”, “in Italy, to go out is to come home”. Also, there are stage directions like
“300 glasses of red wine”, “simple; more of an installation then a set”, “this is Italy: Rose and White”.
(CITE) These lines show how Mee wants the audience to really understand Italy it all its senses. These
elements are very important in embodying the “World of the Play” and help the audience understand
where we are, and also the postmodern style; that it is not assumed, but ironic; referred to but not real.
Research for these elements involve understanding the ambiance of the actual place, the light conditions
in Italy, the smell of an ocean side villa, the mood of that culture, etc. This is the most difficult part of the
research because it goes beyond photographic and historical research that one can find online or in
books.
B. Objectives
My research question is: How can I capture both the sensual experience of being in Italy and the
lyrically beautiful styles of Italian architecture to express an ironic, and multi­period post modern world
for the play Big Love. My goals are to gather extensive detailed knowledge of Italian architecture and
explore the ambiance, and “essence” of Italy itself in person. I will have access to much more detailed
knowledge then I would otherwise have been able to obtained for the production of Big Love. On site
research will give me a portfolio of deep information from which to draw the specific scenic elements,
properties, colors, textures, spacial relations, etc. to create the world for Mee’s play. Being in Italy will
enhance my design beyond what I would have otherwise had access to and strengthen the production as
a whole. Being on an “on site visit” is a invaluable element in art and design. Seeing these architectural
elements, the “contemporary public life”, being immersed in a culture you are trying to draw inspiration
from and or replicate is an important aspect when creating art and design.
3
C. Research Methods
The first step is script analysis, as described above. Then I intend to help enhance my research
by traveling to Verona, Vecenza, Venice, Italy to study Italian architecture and the locality of Italy itself.
I have researched multiple private tours with experts in Italian architecture in order to gather
photographic research, insight by experts into the specific architectural styles of Italy and the types of
locations that are expected of the production; this includes villas, public squares, ocean front (Venice)
and much more. I plan on taking a three hour tour of the famous Palladian Villa Rotunda designed by
Andrea Palladio in Vecenza with a local expert licensed guide. This Villa Rotanda is the same type of
extravagant Villa that Big Love is set in and is a perfect reference for the production’s design.
I will also be booking a private three hour walking tour of Verona, Italy. This “traces the
timeline of history, the Verona Opera, Medieval and Roman architecture, and on ever changing
architecture styles, piazza’s and architectural gems of all ages.” At and after this tour I will take
extensive research photos and draw sketches of the different styles of architecture as well as tape
record the tour to look back to specific details. Seeing these styles of architecture in person gives me
invaluable angles and detail that I am able to sketch that I would not be able to get from a simple photo.
Although I will be staying in Verona and touring Vicenza, I plan on visiting Venice while in the
country. In Venice I will be investigating sea side villas and the canals in order to capture some of the
famous “Light of Italy” with video and photographs. I will be taking photos and sketches of the
architecture along the Langua Veneta that surrounds Venice.This will be very beneficial to my design to
gather the scents and the ambiance of the ocean front.
4
Lastly, an aspect of this trip that I think will give me insight is staying with a host family that we
have contacted in Verona through homestaybooking.com. This will expose me to the feel of Italy and
details of living immersed in the culture. I can gather the details, prop ideas, design elements that I
wouldn’t otherwise get if I were simply staying as a tourist. Having the experience of being able to
absorb these styles of architecture in person results in a different and deeper knowledge than simply
researching photos. Also, gathering extensive details on these styles from experts in the field is invaluable
information I would not otherwise be able to obtain. I will have the props list with me as well as any set
dressing that is mentioned in the stage directions of the script. I will develop a notebook and portfolio in
order to have details to look back on as well as photos to reference..
D. Final Products and Dissemination
The end result of all my research from Italy will be my scenic design for the Department of
Theatre Art’s production of Big Love. I will use the photos, sketches, and history to inspire and create
the scenic design with the director as well as use photographic research to inspire the selection of
props, colors for the design, and historical accuracy in elements I create on the stage. I will be making
a 3 dimensional scenic model, a rendering (drawing), elevations and detailed sketches of the set I
design, as well as creating the actual design for the stage. Since the production is my senior capstone
project, I will have a detailed portfolio of all my research and keep track of they influenced the design.
Then I will present my design/research at the UWL celebration of Undergraduate research and submit
my research to the NCUR, which is at our campus in the spring.
5
E. Budget justification
Exchange Rate (fluctuating from 10/8) 1 EUR = $1.3­1.29
Airfare (approximate)
$1,059
(Cost at 10/7 will raise; due to when we receive the
grant we will be buying tickets within a month of our trip)
Travel
$63.87 (49.65 EUR)
City Bus (Average 2 EUR 2x a day)
$41.16 (32 EUR)
Train (between the cities using Trenitalia.com)
$25.71 (20 EUR)
Homestay (18 EUR per night)
$185.24 (144 EUR)
Meals ($101 x 8 days)
$808 (628 EUR)
Tour costs ($286.86 and $228.32)
$515.18 (396.88 EUR)
Supplies (sketchbook/voice recorder)
$55 (42.76 EUR)
Stipend (45 hours of research)
$600
Total
$3,286.29
Refrences
“ArtsAlive.ca”­Imagined Spaces: Scenic Design and National Arts Center. National Arts Center,
2012. Web 10 Oct. 2012
<http://www.artsalive.ca/en/>
Mee, Charles L. Big Love. N.p. The (re)making Project 2000 Print
<http://www.charlesmee.org/html/big love.html>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Love_%28play%29>
6
2. Letter of Support
To: Undergraduate Research Committee
From: Dr. Beth Cherne, Department of Theatre Arts
Re: Grant proposal from Laura Tracy, Design Research in Italy
Dear Committee Members:
It is my great pleasure to write in complete, unreserved, enthusiastic support of Laura Tracy’s grant
proposal, Design Research in Italy. Laura has been working with me on this proposal, and I will also
co­advise its execution and completion. (Our department’s Scenic Designer, Amanda Hart, is her
senior project advisor.)
Laura is Scenic Designer for our department’s spring production of Charles Mee’s play Big Love,
which I will direct. It is her Senior Capstone project. As Scenic Designer, she is responsible for
designing the set, the properties (furniture, objects the actors handle, and set decoration) for this
production.
The process of scenic design is based in research. The designer researches architecture, period style,
color, light quality, textures of surfaces, ambiance, and multiple other elements, as the designer is
charged with creating a ‘world’ in which the performance takes place. When done well, this ‘world’ is
multi­faceted, including all the five senses, the intellectual ideas, and the emotions in the play. It is a
very complex process in any production.
As in visual art, on­site research is the most effective type of research for scenic design, since the
scenic designer creates a multi­dimensional ‘world’ on the stage. For this production in particular,
on­site research will be extremely informative to the designer and to development of an effective
‘world.’ As she notes in her proposal, the play’s style is post­modern, which in this case means that
Mee calls for multiple historical periods embodied on the stage simultaneously. As her director, I have
complicated that task by determining that the staging should also reflect a ‘retro­1950s’ feel.
Irony is a strong component of post­modern theatre, and in order to develop irony one must
understand the object of the ironic attitude. I asked Laura to become familiar with styles of Italian
architecture from ancient to ultra­modern, and to think about how they might fit onstage, juxtaposed
against one another.
She came up with the idea of traveling to Italy to see, on­site and for herself, how it looks and feels to
be in a setting in which those multiple styles are side by side. In addition, she could experience the
ambiance of Italy, another aspect of this play that is emphasized in the stage directions in Mee’s script.
Observation of contemporary public life, and the ways in which architecture meets and overlaps with
outdoor space is crucial to this production’s development.
7
As she points out Mee calls for stereotype and archetype: two elements that can go hand in hand with
an ironic point of view. As a young designer, Laura will best be able to approach archetype and
stereotype by experiencing the actual locale herself. She can help us stage the play correctly by
knowing something about the real thing. For example, Mee’s stage directions suggest that 300 glasses
of red wine onstage could evoke the essence of Italy; that sort of evocative comment can best make
sense to someone who has been there and experienced the qualities of that place in person.
Her proposal is sound. She has selected sites that will give her experience of the kinds of architecture
and design, and also key historic theatre spaces, to enable a sophisticated design for this play. It is a
challenging play, with a strong intellectual underpinning and Laura, as a designer with first hand
experience of Italy, will be much better fitted to complete the design appropriately after having traveled
and researched there.
She has found architectural experts for guides to visit structures that resemble those called for in the
play. She has done the background script analysis that allows her to know what will be needed, and
has discussed with her director the needs of the play and the vision that will guide the production.
My role in her project is to advise her writing of the proposal – she has worked diligently at this, as
writing is not her strongest suit – and to advise her execution of research and design in the role of
director. I will also advise her presentations at the Undergraduate Celebration and NCUR, if selected.
I have every confidence that she will undertake and complete the research in a high quality way that
contributes deeply to the artistic ‘experiment’ that is called ‘staging a play.’ Her research will help the
production evolve into a ‘world’ in which Mee’s play’s actions can be fully realized.
I completely and without reservation support her proposal and hope that the committee will fund her
project.
8
3. Transcripts
9
10
4. Previously Funded Research Information (if applicable)
Not Applicable
11