In staging this production, I leaned into the associations this story has with classic films by setting it in an old art deco movie theater. The look of the show and the particularly the projection design played up the film Noir tones and Art-Deco illustration style associated with travel posters from the era (the 1930's). As the show approached it's climax, the visuals shifted subtly to a more shadowy, greyscale, German-Expressionist style.
I used three projection surfaces on this production: one at the back of the stage which served to show scenery moving past as the train was on it's journey; a 'main curtain' which when flown in closed off the opening in the false a proscenium, and two track walls which slid in and filled the proscenium arch to form the train's corridor.
As Poirot reveals that the murderer was (spoiler alert) all of them, this video plays, framed by the false proscenium arch.
The projected background as the train passed through the Carpathian mountains at night. Inspired by art deco motifs.
