SCENE 4.II //Case Studies //

Inspiring our final concept for this design were a number of other theatre productions and set designs that have been showcased in recent years

ROBERT WILSON
Set Designer and Theatre Producer

(Stills of Wilson’s theatre designs, from top left clockwise Figures 1-3)

Robert Wilson is a successful set designer who has worked on a number of productions in recent years.

His key design concepts use lighting, shadows and imagery to create atmosphere on stage that enhances the performances.

CHRISTOPHER BRUCE   ”SWANSONG”
Rambert Dance Company,
November 1997

Figure 4 – A still of the Swansong performance on stage

Theme: Human Rights

Consisted of overhead lighting, a diagonal shaft of lighting to suggest a more natural light.

Lighting, David Mohr, consisted of overhead lighting, a diagonal shaft of lighting to suggest a more natural light, coming from upstage left there is also footlights to create shadowing which created a more atmospheric performance.

Coming from upstage left there are also footlights to create shadowing which created a more atmospheric performance.

The lighting in this performance corresponds to the scene, which is where the prisoner is dying, the light relates to this idea of seeing the light after death experience.

SIOBHAN DAVIES   ‘TWO QUARTETS”
2007

Shots from the performance (From left, clockwise Figures 6-7)

The lighting here is cleverly manipulated to create tall screens of light that fill the stage height and add another dimension to the dance performances on stage.

Simple in design and minimal in colour the focus remains on the dancers, but the lighting still creates visual interest through definition and shadows.

REFERENCES

Figure 1: https://gracerobertstheatredesign.wordpress.com/tag/robert-wilson/
Figure 2: http://www.loureed.com/news/920/
Figure 3: https://prelectur.stanford.edu/lecturers/wilson/

Figure 4: https://www.gramilano.com/2017/12/ivan-putrovs-men-in-motion-at-the-london-coliseum-in-pictures/
Figure 5: A still from video footage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7N2B05hgnU)
Figure 6: A still from video footage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lq-XOH5DoE)

Group 4: Lydia Walton