Use of colour, atmosphere, and symbolism in my concept

Initial ideas

The inclusion of colour and symbolism in set design can affect the overall production greatly; design exsists to bring life to the narrative. My aim throughout this project is to ensure my design's symbolism is aligned with the themes of the play.  ''Set design exists in conduction with the text'' (On Design: Ian MacNeil, n.d.), therefore my themes are directly inspired by Electra.


As aforementioned in my previous blog post, my concept for Electra is to create a 'timeless effect'' giving the audience ambiguity to exactly what time period  the production is taking place in; I would hope my design portrays the following message, ‘’The tale of Electra could take place within in any era, as the play’s portrayal of war and emotion of is what’s crucial, and that is what determines the environment, not the time period.’’  Additionally, my portrayal of the house of Mycenae as a war zone is due to the chaotic way Sophocles conducts the dialogue, the pacing of the actors line, to me, feels very military style.  


I intend to use mostly dark and grey colour schemes as they enforce a desolate, timeless surrounding.   I want for the audience to feel entrapped by the set design,  to feel like they are lost in it. 

The only use of vivid colour within the set I would use would be for a water gully down stage right of the stage, which would be filled with lily flowers and run a bright, bold blue colour. Such incorporation of water into my set design  is due to  . The reason for choosing lilies to be running through the water gully is because they are infact symbols of death, representing a key message in the play, in particular, foreshadowing the upcoming death of Clytemnestra. The contrast between the blue water and the mostly grey set at the beginning of the play will, I believe, portray to the audience that tranquillity can still exist for the family, however, throughout the duration of the play,  I would love for the water should become a more murkier colour – and when the murder is taking place inside the palace – the water should run a deep crimson, showing the ultimate decay of the family, and how in fact there is little tranquillity left. Other notable features in the set design is the use of gauzes, which I would use to project numerous imagery throughout, such as the image of Agamemnon. Furthermore, in terms of projections,  I would also incorporate  the palace doors as the back-drop of  my design – The doors will have to be flats, in order allow projections onto them.  The over-all atmosphere which I would emphasise is how restrictive the family’s place of living is.


Bibliography:

On Design: Ian MacNeil. (n.d.). [DVD].

Initial Concept - Electra, Sophocles

Overall concept

Electra, written in approximately 420BC by Sophocles, follows the tale of the House of Atreus - A family embedded in corruption, lies and murder - and the daughter Electra's journey in dealing with the grief and loss after her father, Agamemnon’s death.  My overall design will be minimalistic, and I have decided to alter the location of the script to be the interior of the palace, rather then the exterior, which is the original design concept. The features I will include are the palace doors, steps leading towards the doors, and for my backdrop I would like to use cyclorama cloth.

There are many aspects which need to be considered as a designer when staging Electra, for example, the themes that will be emulated in the production's set to emphasis the play's overall meaning; In my interpretation, the theme which strikes me the most is the 'decay' of the family structure and the ways in which power can obscure a person's mindset. Therefore, in my design, taking inspiration from the John Engle's design in the 1997 Donmar Warehouse' production of Electra; I think it would be extremely interesting to make the palace look broken – include imagery of cracked rostrums,  decaying rubble on the floor,  and a mostly monochrome colour scheme throughout the entire set, additionally  then juxtapose the decaying aesthetic with symbols of power - one of my ideas is to include a grand oak tree towards Upper Stage Right, the tree would symbolise the family of Atreus, and how the history of their family is a 'constant' in comparison to the palace, which is fading vapidly.

Secondly, what also is an imperative factor  to consider is the play’s use of time – The play follows a two act structure, and all the drama takes place over one day. I intend to convey the play's duration though use of a cyclorama,  which will be positioned as the back cloth for my design. Throughout the production, I would intend to use different lighting to represent the sky changing from day light to evening - use rich buses of yellow, blues, and purples, until the play's climatic scene, the death of Clytemnestra, where the  lighting would remain monochrome. 

In terms of the staging, in keeping with the traditional Greek setting, I intend on building my design to be suitable for a proscenium arch,  end on theatre. As my design is fairly abstract and strays from the original intended design for the production - I also view it important to incorporate tradition, as the traditional Greek theatre design elements are there to enhance the level of tragedy.