Designing the set and costumes for The Love I Feel Is Red, is 2015 Linbury Prize Finalist, Designer Rebecca Wood. In her blog, she tells how she approaches a design for a play with a number of challenges; not only is The Love I Feel Is Red about a deeply sensitive subject, but as the play is part of our a Play, a Pie and a Pint series (co-produced with Glasgow’s Òran Mór), the design also has to fit into a suitcase for the Glasgow transfer!
“I’m used to the restriction on a set that it needs to fit in a car, but the fact this set has to fit in a suitcase for a flight to Scotland straight after the Bristol run, is a new challenge! So the scale of any design has to be considered from the outset as well as developing an aesthetic that suits the piece.
The Love I Feel Is Red is a phenomenal script – with themes of fertility, womanhood and childbearing. The work is thoughtful and balanced, so some incredible discussions can be had around it. Having an female cast, director, writer, producer and designer means there have been some intense discussions in our breaks! Sabrina, the writer, is a poet and so her text has a beautiful rhythm and feels removed from a purely naturalistic settings. To reflect that,it has a lot of space in it and it’s a bit removed from normality. I hope that clean, white, modern lines with simple furniture will sit well in front the green wall of foliage as the back drop; evoking the themes of life and fertility.
I’m working closely with the Lighting Designer, Joe Price, to transform the white space using saturated lighting and to try to create an intimate performance space within the very open venue in Bristol, the Zion Community Centre and keep some space for the more compressed stage of the Òran Mór in Glasgow.
I try to wait for rehearsals to start before finalising any costumes, it’s important for me to experience how each actor brings out their character, before I decide how to dress them. Its great to have that conversation with your actors to help develop the character for both parties and hopefully results in a better costume. Its important to think about the small things; shoes, jewellery and fabric make a big difference on the characters overall ‘look’.
It will be great to enjoy the fully realised show next week with a pie and a pint; it has been a pleasure working with such a brilliant team on this incredible script!”
The Love I Feel Is Red is our latest in-house production for a Play, a Pie and a Pint (created in association with Òran Mór); a series which celebrates new writing. And pies. Its also the final show in our sell-out Tobacco Factory Theatres BEYOND season of epic theatre across Bristol.
Posted on 29 April 2016
