Genre Development

Little Red Cap:

I am looking into developing idea for adapting “little Red Cap”, the passage I have chosen to focus on is the scene in the forest where the wolf encourages and lures Red Cap off the path and into the forest, so he can go ahead and attack her grandmother. I really liked the dynamic of this scene as it flows like a cat and mouse chase, the wolf sly and cunning manages to convince the naive little girl that the woods are so beautiful and alluring, she should go and explore them. I have been trying to find different ways of showing tree, both realistic and more abstract.

One genre I have explored is Ancient Greek Tragedy, drama based on human suffering and concluded with the principle characters being killed at the end. For the set I have looked into ancient Greek amphitheatres, staging and structure. The sets consisted of a Paraskenia, a long stone wall at the back of the stage with projecting sides used for entrances and exits. In front of the paraskenia was the proskenion which was made up of columns and similar to a modern day proscenium.           
Within my initial set design I have kept the paraskenia to give the impression that the action would be taking place on a real Greek stage. The rest of the set I have shown as ruins of old temple columns and buildings or even the crumbling theatre itself to represent trees overgrown with foliage and vegetation. As fluted columns are thought to be designed on the structure of trees I thought they would be ideal to build up a stone forest that the actors could move among getting lost and tempted away from the right path.

stage mood board

set sketches

possible set design

The costume designs I have kept simple with the character wearing traditional Greek robes made of white cloth. For Red Cap I have given her a red accent hooded cape. I have also looked into the use of masks which are considered an iconic convention of classical Greek theatre. I especially liked the use of a mask to represent the wolf as it is quite a challenging character to portray.

costume mood board

The second genre I have looked at is the War genre, mainly the two world wars. For the staging I have looked at a shattered landscape made up of trenches, bombed buildings and destroyed trees. I have been struggling with how to represent this on the stage without going overboard with too much set and props. I really like the war horse set which had no physical set but represented everything through lights, sound and projections. One idea I have explored is having a set made of strips of painted gauze that lighting could be shone through to create different moods and times of day. The gauze would be painted with a war landscape of trees and debris and again be like a maze of paths that the actors could move between.

set mood board

possible set design

The Costume I have designed for Red Cap is a 1930/40’s woollen coat in red worn as an outfit a young girl would have worn with white socks and school shoes. For the wolf I have tried to move away from the idea of him being an actual animal, but rather a person who embodies his character. I have designed a costume that shows the wolf as someone from the military opposition, a person who could divert Red Cap across a battle field or into danger. However, I am concerned that if he becomes too much like a Nazi it could be a little cliché and unimaginative.

For both the costumes and the set I have chosen a restricted could pallet of monotone black white and grey, with Red as the main accent colour. I would like to use colour in a similar way to Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List” as I have always been captivated the imagery in this film.

costume mood board

The third genre I have researched is costume drama. For the forest set I have played with the idea of making it a ball room scene as these are synonymous with costume dramas. I would like to use a concept that has been developed in Brighton Pavilion where the columns holding up the kitchen roof have been made to look like trees; also the light fittings and decor in the dining room have been made to look like plant and foliage. The forest setting along with the people at the ball would give an idea of being surrounded with different routes that are difficult to pass through.

set mood board

The costumes are both typical regency clothing typical to like style of production. Red Cap has an elegant empire line gown with red accents, whereas the wolf I have designed as a rogue gentleman similar to the character of Mr Wickham in Pride and Prejudice, whose only aim is to steal the virtues of young ladies.   

costume mood board

Any thoughts on which genre I should take forward would be appreciated.