Learned Ladies- an education through design.

• Main Author: Schwartz, Stephanie
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2009
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/11584

Learned Ladies opened on February 7, 2008 and ran until February 16th, 2008 at the Frederic Wood Theatre. It was directed by Patrick Gauthier, with scenery by Stephanie Schwartz, costumes by Carmen Alatorre, Lighting by Kristen Robinson, and sound by Craig Alfredson, Patrick Caracas, and James Chen. Designing the production of “Learned Ladies” for the Frederic Wood Theater was a true education in design. Not only did the production provide the artistic challenge of bringing an antiquated play to modern audiences, it also provided the technical challenge of designing a set that worked harmoniously with over-the-top costumes and video technology. The designers of the show were asked to create a look that married the lines of the historic period and the palette of today’s. Furthermore, due to the static nature of the scenes, the director, Patrick Gauthier, gave me the task of creating a playground for the actors to physically express themselves beyond the confines of the text. He was also keen to use my initial suggestion of having the actors use projected slides in a gilded frame as a “television” of sorts, with changing ”channels” reflecting the mood. This frame would also aid in the opening “dumb show” as a bearer of text and titles, and continue to announce the different acts throughout the show. The set itself needed to appear large and as expansive as a real Salon would have at the time; this was accomplished by opening up the stage to almost its full depth. A sense of height was conveyed by hanging long sheer curtain panels. Furniture was modified to give a period line with modern fabrics that complimented the curtains and floor. The final touch entailed creating large stacks of loose and fixed books that the actors could run around, sit on, and throw. The excess of books littering the stage was meant to be a visual statement of play’s theme about the abuse and misuse of education. Overall, the set succeeded in being a battleground for the sexes as the story unfolded.