"Of Mice and Men"
Project
Scenography and Lighting for Theatre Play and Poster Design - Μaster's assignment
Concept
Scenography and light design for two scenes of the play Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, and poster design.
The emotional journey of the chosen scenes is expressed mainly through lighting and atmosphere.
The play
The play takes place in California, USA, in the 1930s, after the collapse of the stock market. We follow a couple of workers, George and Lennie, who unlike most workers at the time, travel together and dream of owning their own farm. They both start work on a new farm and through George's stories we learn that they had to leave the previous one after some misunderstanding, and it becomes clear that Lenny is facing some mental problems that often lead him to difficult situations, despite his kindness. The image is created that he depends on George for his survival, but in the process we see that their relationship is not so one-sided. At the new farm, Lennie creates trouble again when he accidentally kills his boss's son's wife. He leaves the farm, and a manhunt is organized against him. George sees that if caught, the situation will not be good for Lennie, and feeling that there is no other way out, he kills him before the others find him.
Scene selection
The scenes were chosen based on their conceptual connection, and their emotional weight. The first scene that is analyzed is in a way a miniature of the whole play, and prepares us for what is coming in the end.
Scene One
This is the third scene of the play taking place in the dormitory of the farm workers. The interior of the dormitory contains the basic furniture that the workers need, without additional decorations, forming an image of the lifestyle of the average worker then - the workers come and go according to the needs of the farm, without developing ties. Three workers are around the table (Slim, George, Whit), and two in one bed: Candy is sitting on the bed with his elderly dog by his side, and Carlson is standing next to him. The theme of the scene is Candy and his dog, as according to Carlson the dog must be killed since he is very old with many problems. Candy tries to avoid the conversation, but Carlson insists, and in the end leaves the scene with the dog in order to kill him. There is silence and embarrassment in the room with various distraction attempts by Slim and George without success and all attention is focused on Candy. At the sound of the shot everyone turns to Candy, who lies on the bed, turning his back on them. After one last silence, the workers at the table start a new topic of discussion.
Lighting
The scene unfolds in the afternoon, which is expressed by the corresponding two-tone lighting of the cyclorama as seen through the windows (yellow down and light blue up). It is noticeably darker inside the dormitory than outside (general lighting of medium intensity), and the actors are illuminated in groups: two high-intensity warm white spotlights illuminate from right and left, in front and above those sitting at the table, and two respectively Carlson and Candy on the bed. At the same time, the orange sunlight coming in through the windows falls on Candy's bed, creating long shadows on the floor.
After Carlson's exit and during the silence, the light outside the windows gradually becomes more blue (the cyclorama is illuminated with bright blue up and almost orange down, which then decreases in intensity), and the dormitory becomes noticeably darker and colder (general lighting low-intensity blue light), while high-intensity spotlights remain on the table, and a corresponding spotlight on Candy. The viewer's attention shifts from Candy, to the table and back again, as the anxiety increases. At the same time the sunlight becomes warmer and brighter, and moves to the right of the stage.
By that time the shooting is heard, the sunlight has turned bright orange and has moved further to the right, separating Candy, while the long shadows create a dramatic effect. The interior of the dormitory has become even darker and has a distinct blue hue (general lighting of low intensity and blue color). The use of blue hue in the shady parts of the dormitory and orange hue for sunlight emphasizes the contrast between Candy and the others, as well as the melancholy of the scene.
As the workers at the table continue with a new topic of discussion, the spotlight illuminating Candy lowers in intensity, and we turn our attention to the table for the rest of the scene.
Scene Two
This is the last scene of the play, after Lennie has killed the girl and, like George had told him to do in case of trouble, has taken refuge in the bushes where they camped the night before they arrived at the farm. Lennie sits down talking to himself, imagining what George will say to him when he finds him there. George appears through the bushes, calm, contrary to what would be expected. He sits next to Lennie, reassures him, and we observe a detachment in his ways. Lennie asks him to narrate their story, and George asks him to look afar and imagine their future farm. As Lennie turns his back on him, George pulls a gun out of his pocket. At the end of the story, and as the others are heard approaching, George shoots and kills Lennie.
The setting is simple, with only a few bushes on the left of the stage, and the scenography is mainly based on lighting.
Lighting
The scene unfolds after sunset, the cyclorama is backlit and the stage is illuminated using gobo filters in order to abstractly give the sense of nature. The cyclorama is blue, the gobo spotlights light green, and Lennie is illuminated by a single neutral white spotlight of narrow beam of moderate intensity, coming from above and front. The blue lighting, reflects Lennie's sadness, the scattering of the light caused by the filters represents his feeling of stress, while the spotlight above him increases the dramatic atmosphere of the scene.
As George enters, the general illumination increases a bit, as a sign of the security that Lennie feels, but the general lighting remains blue. The spotlights that illuminate them are of neutral white colour, expressing the coldness in George's way.
As George narrates, the general lighting of the stage gradually decreases, increasing the drama from the spotlights that illuminate the protagonists. The cyclorama gradually turns to a deep blue, expressing the separation of the two men, the mental isolation that George experiences in order to complete what he started, and the tragedy of Lennie's ignorance.
As George shoots Lennie, he is illuminated by a neutral white and high-intensity spotlight while the voices of the others grow louder and the scene is coming to an end.
Poster design
The design of the poster is not based on either of the two scenes that were analyzed, but on the main theme of the project: friendship and the "American Dream". The two figures represent the two protagonists and their common course, while the hay seen through them has multiple meanings. Aside from the fact that the two work on a similar farm, and the murder that Lenny commits takes place in a barn, they are used to also symbolize their dream to have their own farm.
The lighting of the poster outside the theater is proposed to be done from above with two spots, in agreement with the the poster's design.
Thank you!
