Concept decided! Let the designing begin!

Today we had the meeting with Ken and the added bonus of Liam from digital media! This was a great opportunity to talk about what was wanted from each department.

Digital media will now be doing the ensemble fairies with the exception of four (ten if the Mechanicals are doubling as dancers) dancers for the Indian dance. The Ass head for Bottom is now also going to be enhanced by digital media! In the last meeting Oliver had a brilliant idea for the ass head that played on the love and death concept that as Titania saw the head as beautiful it would appear beautiful - but when she woke up and saw it was an ass head it would be made to look like a dead ass head by digital media enhancement. This has been approved and before the transformation moment (to dead ass head) the ass head will be translucent - in the terms that Bottoms head will be visable occasionally.

 

We also finally established the number of cast members! I was confused about the number or characters and costumes needed due to the dancers and the named fairies  - as I had been told the names of all the actors but those - but now that has been resolved! Mechanicals are going to double as the named fairies. The final cast number is 24 characters overall - with four being the dancers for the Indian Dance which includes the actors playing Theseus and Hippolyta doubling as dancers, and the Mechanicals as the named fairies.

 

The concept decided on was...Concept A! Looking at the conflicts - the right and left, the visual separation between the Athenian's and the fairie's - and extremes of love and death carried throughout the play. The sexual suggestiveness of concept b will still be there but in a more subtle way, as will the Indian influence in the fairies.

 

I think we all came away knowing that this was the stronger concept in terms of the fit with the directors vision and in fitting the play.

 

...and so, the designing can now start! This is going to be a whirlwind of character analysis, research and initial doodles - it always starts at the doodle stage! - that will rapidly progress and grow. I will keep you updated as we go along!