University of Oklahoma School of Drama

Weitzenhoffer Theatre

April 4 – April 13, 2014

Directed by:  Susan Shaughnessy

Scenic Designer:  Adam Honoré

Costume Designer:  Paul Kim

 

 

One of Anton Chekhov’s most celebrated plays, The Cherry Orchard is a story of change.  During the time of the liberation of the serfs, the play tells the story of a Russian family and their estate and cherry orchard.  The return of the mistress of the house and her daughter is celebrated, even as she grapples to handle the debts of the estate.  A former serf, Lopakhin details how he has risen to wealth.  An evening spent in the woods discussing life and future is interrupted by a mysterious sound, a breaking string somewhere off in the distance.  At an auction, their estate is sold, and Lopakhin is revealed as the buyer.  In the final act, all the members of the household prepare to depart, their lives now changed. 

 

Adam Honoré designed a lovely, elegant, yet neutral world for this play.  A risen central playing area apportioned in beautiful wood tones gave the framework for this elegant estate.  My research focused around interiors of the time period, focusing on creating the idea of a beautiful home that has a touch of decay to it.  I also spent time researching the woods and cherry orchard imagery that would frame parts of this world.  The cherry blossoms were created by hanging bits and baubles underneath the grid, and I lit them with warm white light for the start of the play, and then a textured red/amber for the end of the play, signifying the change not only of time but of the life of the estate.  Adam created a back wall frame covered in printed scrim.  Using this, I was able to create a solid backdrop for interior scenes.  The birch tree drop behind this scrim allowed me to create textured outdoor worlds.

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I love designing worlds with multiple levels and textures, and doing both the lighting and sound for this production allowed me to do this on many levels.  Chekovian drama is always rich with ideas and moments, and I was able to enhance these in this production.