Meeting with Director

I met with Doug Cockle who will be directing this production in December to throw around ideas and discuss technicalities. The play will be set in WW1 Britain - possibly the Welsh Guards to make it relevant to school audiences rather than its original Russian setting. There are to be only 3 actors; one of which will act as both the Narrator and Devil, a Soldier and the Princess. This brought up ideas on the Devils transformation -Doug was keen on using puppetry to demonstrate this. An idea I am really keen on as it's a type of performance I would love to know more about and has become quite popular in recent AUCB productions. This could be on a large scale and manipulated by additional cast members. This ties in with the idea that Doug would like the set to be quite minimalistic and suggestive- perhaps using people dressed in black to create and move along the set.
Having a minimalistic set also may be beneficial with the space the Orchestra require and we are hoping they also can be used to create and be involved in the locations as the play develops. There was also discussion into whether the set could possibly come out and spread into the audience space and visaversa.

Through this talk it was decided that the production could have a 'story' like feel to appeal to younger pupils but also our own aspirations and desires as children/ in naivity. As well as this possibily a naturalistic/ almost ogranic feel allowing the Devil to emerge from different parts of the earth and disappear again into an alternative part of the set. 

These thoughts have got my mind buzzing and I am ready to crack on researching and start to formulate designs.

Suggested research:
-Youtube performances - see space Orchestra needs
-Faust
-WW1 Britain
-Puppetry
-Visit Theatre Space
-Email Orchestra about space/ requirements

Reflection: This meeting was great and will give my initial research for designs direction. I look forward to the next meeting with Doug to discuss in more depth his visualisation of the production and how we can combine our ideas further. It is going to be a greater challange for I as a designer to accomodate his needs and my concept for an actual performance wthin a budget as opposed to previous design projects which have all been in theory. To make this easier for myself I plan to be very organised and prior to our next meeting have professionally prepared material and a set list of questions to maximise its outcome. When the time comes to pitch ideas I shall ensure I have practised the speech and present myself and designs in a professional manner. The challenge as a designer is something I relish and I can't wait to start working with others and transforming it into a collaborative project.