Last Wednesday I attended a performance that was based on Strindberg’s Dream Play.
The scenic design of the piece was minimal and symmetrical and was very visually pleasing. There was a single red door at the back of the stage which was surrounded by large hanging jigsaw pieces, upon which a projection was cast. The door remained lit throughout the performance, but was never opened.
In retrospect, I find this emphasis on the door to be a little confusing, and I wonder now whether or not this lighting element was a wise design choice. For a great deal of the performance the actors were only partially lit, so the audience’s attention was repeatedly drawn to the door. Not being familiar with the original play, the symbolism of the door was unclear to me. I think this ambiguity was further compounded by the structure of the script, were all the characters of the original play were divided among two actors.
Perhaps the projections could have been a little more descriptive in order to aid the audience in understanding the performance as a whole. Having said this, for me the most successful element of the performance was the projections, and I would have liked them to cover more of the jigsaw pieces (since I know that this was the original design plan). I also liked the costumes in general, although I felt that Agnes’ boots were a little clunky.
Overall, the piece provided some very visually interesting moments; however, I left the theatre somewhat confused, and the meaning of the performance evades me still... perhaps I should go to the library and read the play...
The scenic design of the piece was minimal and symmetrical and was very visually pleasing. There was a single red door at the back of the stage which was surrounded by large hanging jigsaw pieces, upon which a projection was cast. The door remained lit throughout the performance, but was never opened.
In retrospect, I find this emphasis on the door to be a little confusing, and I wonder now whether or not this lighting element was a wise design choice. For a great deal of the performance the actors were only partially lit, so the audience’s attention was repeatedly drawn to the door. Not being familiar with the original play, the symbolism of the door was unclear to me. I think this ambiguity was further compounded by the structure of the script, were all the characters of the original play were divided among two actors.
Perhaps the projections could have been a little more descriptive in order to aid the audience in understanding the performance as a whole. Having said this, for me the most successful element of the performance was the projections, and I would have liked them to cover more of the jigsaw pieces (since I know that this was the original design plan). I also liked the costumes in general, although I felt that Agnes’ boots were a little clunky.
Overall, the piece provided some very visually interesting moments; however, I left the theatre somewhat confused, and the meaning of the performance evades me still... perhaps I should go to the library and read the play...
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