Taking a Play from Page to Stage

Analysis for the Imagination and Intellect

When considering on what it takes to take a play from “page to stage” one may consider many logical necessities due to the text and setting of the piece: location, time period, character vocations, how many doors are needed? But as designers, you must possess a responsive and well-exercised imagination. It is a vital too your work and your ability to read and think logically.  Without the use of an active imagination, the use of logic alone can lead to misguided and sometimes shallow characterization.

On first mention of "Ghost" one may imagine a phantom like character covered in a white sheet; yet the script describes Hamlet's ghost as "A figure like your father armed at point exactly."  Painting by Fuseli.

1. Where are They?

When first analyzing a play, we must decipher the exact geographical location making sure we make note of textural references and description.  If producing Anton Chekhov's Cherry Orchard then the play must be set in turn of the century Russia.  Yet some plays have nondescript locations that allow the imagination to wander when designing costumes and set design.

Likewise, a setting can be as simple or as elaborate as the set designer desires.  In As You Like It,  the "Forest of Arden" was described as a fanciful destination wherein the travelers find all they need to survive and even find love and happiness.

2. When are They?

Some stories dictate set and costume design per the day, month and year mentioned in the text.  But the designer must go one step further and note special significance of that date or season.

The Lions of Trondheim, by Jim R. Potter, was set in Norway, 1939 where it was necessary to have a representation of German soldiers. Although not historically correct costumes (the guns are a black cut-out made of wood), under dramatic lighting the effect was moving.

3. Who are They?

“The moral stance in a play is particularly important to designers. Study the script to discover the prevailing attitudes about ethical conduct, sex, marriage, and family.” As the natural narrator, Jo March's opinion in Little Women can not be ignored as it has a major input on her costuming, which as she ages may not be quite as elaborate as Amy's. The designer should also consider:  relationships and socio-economics between characters, under what government and in what religious environment do they live, what do they believe about ethical conduct, marriage, family?

4. What Happens Before the Play Begins?

In KMAS Radio, Christmas on the Homefront, designers had to design a set and costumes that looked well worn, period and remain in a budget.

Students acting as their own costume designers with direction from the director were able to pull together a well defined look that captured the spirit of the era even if not historically correct.

5. What do the Major Characters think About their World?

Contrast character attitudes at the beginning of the play with attitudes at its end. Most major characters move from some form of ignorance to some form of knowledge in the course of the play. Designers must demand visual support in choice of costumes!

Beatrice and Benedict from Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing begin the play with strong attitudes about marriage and that neither one in interested in the other.  Costumed here in rough and rugged clothing, these characters appear as tough as they act.

Later in the play these two characters move from apathy to passion.  Here they are cleaned up and softened, Beatrice in a lacy gown and Benedict now sporting a flower in his vest.

6. What is the Function of each Character?

A character is what the playwright makes, characterization is what the actor makes; good design elements will support both.

The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Baroness Orczy

• Protagonist: the leading character the mover, the one who wants, the one who incites action.  In The Scarlet Pimpernel, Sir Percy (aka the Scarlet Pimpernel) and his desire to save innocents from the French Revolution moved the action throughout the story.
• Antagonist: the character that stands in the way of what the protagonist wants. Chauvelin was the antagonist in the above play, he hunted the Scarlet Pimpernel causing great turmoil for the protagonist.
• Lead Characters: A lead character in play script analysis is differentiated from a support character NOT by the number of lines spoken or time spent on the stage, but by the function each performs in the play. Lead characters advance from ignorance to knowledge, they go somewhere, they learn, they come to understand, they rise and fall, and, by doing what they do, they move the dramatic action forward.  Marguerite Blakeney wanted to find out the identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel yet did not understand the aloofness of her husband, Sir Percy.
• Supporting Roles: Support characters do one thing, exert one force, or express one unchanging point of view.  The Duchess (seen above curtsying to Marguerite) begins the story with a low opinion of Lady Blakeney and never changes throughout the story.
• Stereotypical Characters: Playwrights depend on stereotypes and bring them on when they need to show the audience an immediately identifiable character type, usually using few words of dialogue as possible. Sometimes these characters may dictate even more elaborate costumes than a lead role. The Prince of Whales is an example of this type of character.  His costume was one of the most expensive and most necessary in the play.
• Crowds: Usually a functioning group – “the mob,” “wedding party,” etc.  The angry mob at the foot of the guillotine in Paris was identified by their rough clothing a Phrygian hats.

7. What is the Dialogue Mode?

Dialogue in real life may include arguments, seductions, or daily transactions. It is the act of two or more people participating in spontaneous verbal communication with each other. Dialogue in drama is a finely crafted stream of conversation containing elements of plot, character, and emotional tension which give the impression of being spontaneous verbal communication.  A play may consist of one or more forms of dialogue.

• Naturalistic Dialogue: dialogue written in a style to mimic real life conversation, including natural rhythms and phrases that give the audience the impression the dialogue is realistic.  The Spotlights upcoming production of "The Apple" has some examples of Naturalistic Dialogue.

• Literary Dialogue: dialogue that also advances the plot but has a heightened form of communication.  Pride and Prejudice is a good example of Literary Dialogue.

• Poetic Dialogue: dialogue that advances the plot with expressive, beautiful, and even sometimes fanciful language.  There are many examples of Poetic Dialogue in Shakespeare. Above, Duke Senior in As You Like It describes the Forest of Arden in poetic dialogue: 

                             Are not these woods  

More free from peril than the envious court?

Here feel we not the penalty of Adam,

The seasons’ difference, as the icy fang

And churlish chiding of the winter’s wind,

Which when it bites and blows upon my body

Even till I shrink with cold, I smile and say,

“This is no flattery: these are counsellors

That feelingly persuade me what I am.”  

• Ambiguous Dialogue:  Ambiguity of information, in words, pictures, or other media, is the ability to express more than one interpretation. It is generally contrasted with vagueness, in that specific and distinct interpretations are permitted (although some may not be immediately apparent), whereas with information that is vague it is difficult to form any interpretation at the desired level of specificity.  In The Scarlet Pimpernel, Sir Percy is ambiguous when describing the rules of the English game of Bowls.  He tells his antagonist, Chauvelin that "one must keep his eye on the mark."

8. What is the Play's Action?

When reading the play, it is necessary for the designer to discover the movement of action throughout the play.  When do the actors enter and exit?  How many scenes are they in and how many are on stage at one time?  For this purpose, it is necessary for the designer to make an Action Chart.  An Action Chart is a visual that allows a quick overview of the play while answering the above questions.  The Spotlight's will be creating their own action charts in class as we read through the play over the next few weeks.  Download your own version of A Midsummer Night's Dream Action Chart here online.

9.  What is the Play's Theme?

Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. A work of literature may have more than one theme. Hamlet, for instance, deals with the themes of death, revenge, and action, to name a few. King Lear's themes include justice, reconciliation, madness, and betrayal. Recognizing a play's theme them will help determine what to cut from the lengthy text of A Midsummer Night's Dream and what must be kept.  Of the many themes noted in A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Spotlight Performers will be highlighting the themes of Dreams vs. Reality, the Natural vs. Supernatural and Relationships.

Francis Danby, Scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream (1832)

10. Putting it All Together!

For the next five weeks, the Spotlights will be reading through the text of A Midsummer Night's Dream using the above criteria to analyse the play, design costumes, hair and makeup, sets, compile music, sound and light effects.  All this with the final goal of using these ideas and designs in their production of A Midsummer Night's Dream second semester on the stage right here at SELAH!