Set Design

Mildred Dim

Environment

• Adding artificial trees with synthetic leaves to the set will give the

audience a better imagination of the play.

• It will definitely bring the play to life and give it a more realistic

look.

• Also, putting artificial green grass on the floor will give it an

illusion that you're in the forest where the play takes place.

• It's very important that these props are spaced evenly around the set

to make it visible for the audience.

Mood and Style

• The mood should be full of love and affection.

• For that, we're going to add some color to the set by adding flowers, a little

bit of orange leaves and more green to convey the mood of the play.

• The play is going to be performed in Athenian Style.

• This gives the audience a broader idea of what kind of play is taking place.

Realistic vs. Non Realistic Theatre

• Realistic Theatre is supposed to be natural looking when performing.

• You want the audience to be able to believe your acting and to be moved

and be engaged by your performance.

• You want the actor to get into character as best as he/she can.

• Non Realistic Theatre is more of an obvious acting. Which means that the

audience really is not that engaged by your performance.

• With this kind of theatre, it is easier to tell that you're faking you

performance.

Locale and Period

• The play takes place in Athens at a forest, throughout the whole day.

• This is very important so that the audience can know what they are

visualizing about.

Design Concept

• The design concept of the play is to make sure that the play relates to the

actual story as well as possible.

• Just like the Athenian costumes are used to tell the period of the play, the

whole colorful artificial forest set to convey the mood and environment,

and the proper amount of light to make it realistic.

Central Image

• The central image I'm trying to create for the production is a forest full of

vibrant colors with characters in it, interacting with each other in the play.

• I'm trying to get the audience to have a vivid imagination of what I'm

talking about.

Solving Design Problems

• Making sure that the props used for the production are spaced correctly,

that the costumes fit the actors properly, and that the light is good enough

for the audience to see the characters are a few ways to fix design

problems.

Visibility

Lightly Dim for Night Scene

Spotlights on specific characters

Actors Always Visible

Not Overly Lighted (forest setting)

For this play I would need visible lighting

At all times. For night scenes such as Act I Scene i, I would have a dim light

So the audience can indicate that it is night time. During loves scenes like Act1

Scene iii, when Titania falls in love with bottom I would use a spotlight on her.

Multi-Colored Fairy Cutouts

Stars along with the moon

Glitter/ Sparkle Effects

Have the shapes Dispersed throughout the Theater Like a disco

ball affect.

Use of fairies enhances the audience’s interaction. This gives an

idea of the vast number of fairies there are with Titania.

Glitter and Sparkles when someone Falls in Love to give a

magical affect. Also with have the spotlight on the The

person/persons in the act of love to block out any other

characters.

Shape and Form

Focus and

Composition

o Act II, Scene ii: Oberon makes himself

visible when he over hears Demetrius

and Helena arguing. He is in the

background in tree while listening to

them but the Focus is truly

emphasizing How Helena loves

Demetrius and Demetrius Dislikes her

and wishes bad on Lysander because

he wants Hermia.

o I would adjust the contrast in light

when Oberon transitions. Oberon

would be lightly dimmed in the back

but cear enough for the audience to

see. The Concentration would be on

Demetrius and Helena

Objective: The play is very complex

with multiple character being in love

with one person in one scene, and

later falling out of love by the next. In

order to make it easier on the

audience to follow with the play

Composition is Crucial.

Examples:

You can see here how the focus is on

One or two characters while the others

Are noticeable but also understood to not

be there

Mood and Style

Non Realistic

Dream like effect

Cloudy/MistyLow non-

vibrant lightLight Blending

Multi Colors

Reinforcing Style

Creating Mood

Time and Place

Place!

Time!

The play takes places in Athens,

Greece But the romance kicks off

in an enchanted Forest with lots

of magic.

I like how the

lighting looks forest

like in this picture

which could help

add effect to the set

The sparking

lights help

influence

The magic and

enchantment

This takes place in

Ancient Athens so

extremely bright/lazer

lights would not be

realistic but something

softer and less vibrant

Rhythm of Visual Movement

The play is extremely complex and jumps from

scenario to scenario. I would use quick fades

throughout the play to emphasize the change in

scenes so the audience could follow.

The whole stage would never be completely lit so the

characters can be in place for the next scene and the

cuts could be quick. This eliminates a sloppy

transition.

Central Visual

ImageThe main feeling and idea I want to enforce is love and enchantment

I believe certain shades of red and pink can indicate the love aspect

The mixing of hues will also reinforce the themes

I believe the figures of the lights as well as the sparkles would help the audience feel the love

I would use a green light to introduce conflict.

Costume

Designer

MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

BY: CHA’KEVA PEOPLES

Style of production&

Historical Period

The style of the

production is similar to

Renaissance theme with

the costumes and

staging. This production

is also a play-within-a-

play.

The historical period of

the play was the 1600s

during the festival of

Athens.

CharactersCharacter

List:Puck: Is also known as Robin Goodfellow; Oberon’s jester; Protagonist

Oberon: King of the fairies

Titania: Queen of the fairies; Oberon wife

Hippolyta: Queen of the Amazons;Bethrothed to Theseus

Theseus: Duke of Athens

Lysander: In love with Hermia; but takes love juice and was in love with Helena

Demetrius: initially in love with Hermia; but ultimately in Helena

Egeus: Father to Hermia

Bottom: A weaver; arranges Theseus wedding

Hermia: Daughter of Egeus; in love with Lysander

Helena: in love with Demetrius

Major/ Minor

Major Characters

Puck is a major

character because he is

the reason why the love

juice is mixed up and

the play is dysfunctional.

Theseus and Hippolyta

are major characters

because the play is

arranged around their

wedding.

Minor Characters

Lysander, Hermia,

Demetrius, and Helena

are minor characters

because if it wasn’t for

Puck making a mistake

with the love juice they

would have been

another regular

character in the play.

Connection between

Characters

and Clothing Each character in the play match the piece of

clothing they are wearing. They all have freely

clothes to move around in and are formal. For

example Puck is mainly in the forest in the play and his clothes are dark green and slim which

make him blend in the forest. Many characters

match their surroundings and where they are

raised from.

Connection Between the

time of the play and the

Costumes In the play the characters were formal and up to

part. Each character had their own personality

and was loved by some character. Costumes of

the play was formal in Renaissance time with long gowns for women and tight pants and loose shirts

for males.

Production

Through out the

play the main

setting was

interaction through

the forest. This is were the main

problem of the

play begins.

Theme/ Visual element

The theme and visual

element is love . The

pursuit of love has the

capacity to make us

irrational and foolish

Director Objectives

Midsummer Night’s Dream

Director Definition

The director works very closely with performers in the theatre in guiding

them in becoming great actors and actresses. The director is responsible

for the work of the scene, costumes, lighting, and sound designers. The

director basically is like the heartbeat of the production of a play. He or

she gives the shape to a play. There are many different aspects that a

director has to go through in order to produce a successful play. A script

has to be chosen, casting has to happen, a “spine” and style has to be

produced from the play, and a directional concept of the play has to be

maintained throughout the play in order for it to work.

Choosing a Script

Choosing a script is a very important aspect to a director. Most usually

choose a play that they are attached to or if asked to direct a play they will

do so. The script that the director chose to produce is William

Shakespeare’s original play Midsummer Night’s Dream which is a classic

tale of four Athenian lovers who end up having an interesting adventure

in the forest in which their lives are manipulated by the fairies that live

there. The play is one of William Shakespeare’s most popular plays and is

full of difficult love and magic

CastingFor the casting of a Midsummer Night’s Dream the director would need to

choose actors and actresses that would intrigue an audience and make them

want to be interested to see the play. As a director it would be best to choose

people that have had experience in Shakespearian plays and that have actually

performed before. At the same time one should also cast a diverse cast so it

could be relatable to everybody in the audience.

Egeus Hermia Lysander Demetrius Helena

The “Spine” of the Play

The spine of the play is also referred to the main action and it is

determined by the goal or the primary objective of the scene in the play

collectively and individually. The main action of this play in my opinion is

love whether it be forbidden love or complicated love, it is something that

connects the main characters together and at the same time it kind of

pulls them apart especially when the four lovers are in the forest and the

fairies has manipulated Lysander into love Hermia. Love is something

that is symbolized all throughout the play.

The Theme of the ProductionA major theme of this production is love and how difficult it is especially

in that time period. Being in love with Lysander and knowing her father

does not want her to be with him, Hermia has a hard decision to make.

Helena is in love with Demetrius but he does not feel the same way about

her but instead he is chosen by Hermia’s father to marry her. Love is the

major aspect and shown throughout the production

The Style of the Play

The style of the play is mainly set in the Renaissance Era due to their style

of speech and the way the actors and actresses’ clothing was presented

during the play. Not only is the play full of complicated love but it also has

a lot of magic dealing with it. The director of this play would have to pay

close attention to the clothing style and scenery. For the scenery it would

have to look very realistic and magical to engage the audience so they

could fully understand what is going on in the play

Directional Concept

A directional concept is basically a way for a director to embody the spine

in the production. How a director does this is by having a certain idea,

vision or point of view that they feel is appropriate for the production.

For the concept and period of the play it takes place in a mythological

time period. The central image would have to be magic and love because

their was a lot of magic that happened in the forest when Hermia and

Lysander were trying to escape so they can be married outside of the

Athens. The purpose of the production would be to engage the audience

and make sure the message is brought to their attention in a language they

can understand and comprehend.