Ready, Set...

I forgot to mention our special guest last night: John Henoch, our set designer, with a scale maquette in tow. I wasn't thinking ahead, or I would have brought along my digital camera. Next time I see him (and I think there's a production meeting in a week or so), I'll get a photo for the blog.

It looks good. There's a spiral design on the stage floor, leading into a gentle curve which rises up along the rear right wall, interrupted only by a narrow gap for entrances. In the upstage corner, the curving wall flattens out, and then plateaus across the rear left wall, forming a--well, a cliff face. John also envisions a white sheer backdrop with trees painted or projected on.

I'm not describing it very well (it's not my forte). But I like where it's headed; I think the curling floor designs, combined with the sheer face of the rear walls, will create a delightfully unsettling mixture of claustrophobia and vertigo.

Of course, as the design comes closer and closer to reality, it means making adjustments. I have been blocking with a wide open circle in mind, but now I realize it's going to end up being more like an oval, as the walls will intrude upon the x-axis quite a bit. I'm also concerned about the width of the entrances. Not only do I have a lot of actors coming and going, but I've also got broad props, like Lear's throne, being shuffled on and off the stage. Can we achieve a sense of enclosure, but still give actors and props room to make their practical "escapes"?