One of the most striking features of our production of Arabian Nights is the set and costumes. Designer Hayley Grindle explains how it all came together…
The design process for a theatre production is a little like baking a cake – first you need the ingredients. Take the script, research meetings with the director, and images, plus anything else that you think will inspire you. Pop them in the oven – your head – and allow them to slowly cook. It could take any length of time to cook the cake, but eventually out the cake will pop!
Well it’s not that straightforward, but when you take time to mull the ideas over they will form and then it’s just a case of taking time to build on them. The developing ideas can then really take shape in the model of the set once you are playing with form and colour.
Amy Leach, the director, and I both brought our ideas to the table, with our main objective being to tell the story as clearly as possible being true to the script. Arabian Nights is an epic piece of storytelling, so we wanted to take the audience on a visual journey starting with simple storytelling and play, then as we go deeper into the story, we use bigger visuals and more transforming costumes.
The stories of Arabian Nights have been passed on for centuries, originating from West, Central, South Asia and North Africa. The tales themselves trace their roots back to ancient and medieval Arabic, Persian, Indian, Egyptian, and Mesopotamian folklore and literature, and Amy and I were inspired by the decorativeness and architecture of these cultures.
The central story is set in a palace so we wanted to bring across the idea in the set that these stories have been passed down generations. We did this by layering tiles on top of each other and using tile design from different regions and also bringing the design into the modern day, so what you are seeing on stage is a representation of an old world brought through to the modern day.
To stage Arabian Nights in the round was an exciting decision for us. Amy brought this to the table and I worked through the script to see if this was possible for us. Could we solve all the scenic demands of the play with essentially nowhere to hide?
The Lowry kindly set the Quays Theatre up in the round for a couple of hours during the summer to give us an idea of the space. It is always interesting working in the round as it forces you to look at the whole theatre with different eyes. My first reaction was ‘wow, it really is very pink/purple, and so red!’
It was really important for me that this set sat beautifully within the space and felt as if it belonged, rather than trying to fight against it. I wanted to create the feel that the audience really were sat around seeing and hearing these stories exactly as the King is during the play. The language between the set and the audience needed to feel as one.
Also now we were in the round, we had quite a big performance shape and it felt very open, but we wanted to create a more intimate setting. The set needed to pull your eye in and focus on the story, but also be simple so we did not obstruct anyone’s view.
By the suggestion of pillars and pulling in the proscenium, the space became more focused. We also turned our attention to how it would feel to sit on the top balcony, and by the introduction of levels and large props we aimed for them to also feel closer to the performance. The hanging lanterns remind us that it’s night time in the palace, and take us back to the king’s room between stories.
As for the costumes, there are so many characters in this production, almost 100 of them, so the initial challenge here was to give each character his/her own identity without getting bogged down with a whole costume change for each new character. We did this by adding to or taking away from each costume, with additional pieces and accessories to give life to a new character. We also needed to have the ability to have the actors change costume on stage!
It’s the storytelling that matters here again. We begin with the market traders, and here we explore the idea that these stories have been exchanged amongst traders whilst selling their wares and clothes to each other, thus the costume is a celebration of traditional dress across cultures woven together.
We hope that what you see on the stage captures the essence and atmosphere of how it all used to be, all those years ago…
Arabian Nights runs until Sat 12 Jan 2013. Tickets are available here or from The Lowry Box Office on 0843 208 6010.