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Rosewhips and other happy things
This is a notebook of all my thoughts throughout whenever.I'm an idiot.Now that we've well established that you have can have no whining whatsoever about my Journal or Retardation.
Streetcar Named Desire
Because My Word is being a brat I'm gonna type here :3
Tell me what you think of My Set design XD

The set is primarily a small two story corner home set outside of town in the French Quarter of New Orleans.While working on the set I developed a very clear picture in my mind of how I wanted the set to feel and move.While trying to keep away from the dark undertones of Blanche's struggle as well as Stanley's rage,wanting them to be undertones in an almost to perfect area that was hanging onto reality by a thread. Thus creating a space that is always in motion and turmoil just like the characters themselves,a fluid motion that is subtle like the rocking of a ship. While I might have embellished more of an elegant flair to the design it helps to reflect Blanche's feeble attempts to hold onto herself and her lost wealth.

For starters, the platform of the rooms is elevated to allow for an area to be the street. Separating the action that happens outside the house and around it from the inner situations such as when Stanly and Blanche are fighting while the flower woman is outside. To accent the difference between the two, I also have placed a street sign as well as a lamp post reading "Rue Elysian Fields: Elysian Fields" similar to the gas lamps found in gaslight square and still found in New Orleans in the French historical quarter to add detail to the road.Inside the home,on the main floor, is a small kitchen and bedroom as well as a bathroom that goes off stage. The rooms are dimly light with only two small hanging bare bulbs,One of which is later covered by Blanche. The rooms are made of red brick though parts of it has been painted over to try and add to the comforts of home. Every three feet is a vertical trim bar that extends to the ceiling/ below the upper walkway. This sectioning creates panels that were used in French architecture to add designs and motives to the work to add a signature elegance and open feeling. I carried these Half circle into the windows as well as the front of the stage to give the impression of how the characters are not whole themselves but always return to themselves like a circle. The Circle is also replayed in other small parts of the set such as the mirror on the wardrobe in the bedroom and the circles in the crown molding above the doors.Curves are also placed in the Black cast iron that makes up the balcony to carry this theme through out even to the upper level.

Focusing on the kitchen it is tiled in a once bright daffodil yellow tile, but it is now slightly scuffed and peeling back from years of rough use. The walls are wallpapered but where originally brick. It spots it shows though as white washed and also chipped back to it's original red coloration due to Stella and Stanly not having a large income they just haven't had time to fix all of it so they have simply tried to cover up what they can. The wallpaper has the fleur-de-lys in green/teal decaled on it and each design is surrounded, again, with a curved green/teal line to tie in the 'circle' theme. Traditionally,the fleur-de-lys was used to represent French royalty, and in that sense it is said to signify perfection, light, and life so I found it fitting to be used in the play not only for the french New Orleans feel but also for the meaning of life behind it. The life that has been left behind for many of the characters.such as Blanche, and is now cracked and falling down like the wallpaper it's self. Inside the kitchen is a sink, counter top,Cot as well as a table,Two chairs and a small cabinet over the sink. All the furniture is wooden and a deep dark aged mahogany. The chairs are miss matched but not drastically so, simply enough to look like different styles on the headboards and such. Above the sink is a large rayed half moon window which allows the audience to both see into the area behind the set and witness both the cut scenes with the prostitute as well as carry on the circular theme.The rays serve as a reminder that all the actions are 'traped' inside the house, the rays on the window acting as bars to the outside.

Moving onto the Bedroom, it is a slightly larger room but not by much. The floors are boarded and next to the bed is a threadbare oriental rug. This is to help inply the different types of people that lived in the area,trading and moving goods. There is no wallpaper in the bedroom, just white washed bricks that are slightly cracked in places. A lone chair sits in the corner to hold various coats and clothing as the play goes on. It keeps the bed clear of clutter. The Wardrobe stands against the wall,the top has a curved mirror to make it slightly more like a dresser then a wardrobe. I felt the word wardrobe was for more of a clunky piece of furniture so I decided to make the piece smaller and more feminine with the mirror on top since Blanche and Stella tend to stay there more then anything. Also with Blanche saying she 'girlified' the room I thought it would be more balanced then just having a giant wardrobe and feminine touches here and there (Such as flowers on the stand and or dollies on the tops of surfaces later.). The Bed is simple and functional with slight frills such as a nice cover seat and a lace throw on top. It's made out of black metal and is the main focus of the rooms for the later scenes so it is up front and center in the placement of the items.

The upstairs is lined with black cast Iron 'S' shaped railings that run the length of the top platform. The staris that make their way up to the platform are painted aged white (Such as Denoted in the play text) to not draw attention away from the actors during the fight scene with Stella and Stanley.The stairs have two platforms before reaching the top to allow plenty of sight lines for the whole audience to see Stella descend and take her time to reach her husband or flee from him.The bottom of the upstairs makes up parts of the lower rooms. Hanging from the bottom of the platform are three things.One being a broken wall that works as a divider between the kitchen and bedroom and the other two being colums that hang down and slant off and stop about halfway down to break up the rooms and offer something structurally interesting to the plot. Also the front of the platform sports random brick decorations that appera to make the rooms look like they are 'fell into' like the walls are dissolving to show the drama unfolding inside closed doors. The finishing touches on the set at this point are pieces of moss hanging off the foyer as well as some latas work that frames in the stairs with Ivy and other floral life.

"Streetcar Named Desire" is a strong play that requires a slightly realistic set and small details that really bring acorss the area and time at which the play is set. Hopefully I have got these points across with my design and have captured the insanity as well as the flux stable-ness of the whole situation.With lighting and a few emotional actors this play would truly come alive.





 
 
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