Brief
the model box
Implementation
Our idea was to use primarily tall structures. These wouldn't block the floor space and the performers would be able to use them as anchor points - they could lean on them like walls, hide behind them, hang their clothes on them, swing around them etc. After trying out coloured poles within the model box and deciding they were too urban looking, we changed tack and went for what we termed 'unnatural trees'. Made from long branches, their lack of root and canopy structure made it clear they were not real trees. To add to this confused sense of space, 'shadows' were painted onto the floors and up the walls of the studio. Unlike real shadows, these ran in straight lines and confused the real shadows of the tree branches. Like the vertical structures, they could be perceived as barriers by the performers if necessary without actually enclosing the space.
In addition to the 'trees' a set of table and chairs was required. We covered these in collages of garden imagery - all in green until we saw in rehearsal that one of the chairs was kicked over during the course of the action, at which point the base of the chair was re-covered in bright pink and red flowers which looked fantastic in the excitement of the performance. Like the 'trees', the table and chairs were a strange sight with this juxtaposition of interior function and exterior imagery.
Our idea was to use primarily tall structures. These wouldn't block the floor space and the performers would be able to use them as anchor points - they could lean on them like walls, hide behind them, hang their clothes on them, swing around them etc. After trying out coloured poles within the model box and deciding they were too urban looking, we changed tack and went for what we termed 'unnatural trees'. Made from long branches, their lack of root and canopy structure made it clear they were not real trees. To add to this confused sense of space, 'shadows' were painted onto the floors and up the walls of the studio. Unlike real shadows, these ran in straight lines and confused the real shadows of the tree branches. Like the vertical structures, they could be perceived as barriers by the performers if necessary without actually enclosing the space.
In addition to the 'trees' a set of table and chairs was required. We covered these in collages of garden imagery - all in green until we saw in rehearsal that one of the chairs was kicked over during the course of the action, at which point the base of the chair was re-covered in bright pink and red flowers which looked fantastic in the excitement of the performance. Like the 'trees', the table and chairs were a strange sight with this juxtaposition of interior function and exterior imagery.
Pillow Talk in Europe and Other Places
Direction and Adaptation — Lily Susan Todd
Set and Costume Design — Kate Nuttall and Emma Phelps
Lighting Design — Alex Stone
Production Protography — Michaela Kemp
