In September 2011 I took on the role of design assistant to Nettie Scriven as she designed the set, costume and props for Big Window's production of 'DreamPlay' for very young children and their families.
Big Window endeavor to create inspirational and immersive theatre which will appeal to and stimulate the minds of children, in an intimate and comforting setting. In order to achieve this they are also active in supporting and nurturing local talent.
'DreamPlay', scripted by Peter Rumney, was devised with the intention that small children would know not to be scared of dreaming, and that they would always wake up when they went to sleep.
My role in the production of the play was mainly to create the backdrop of the set; an oriental inspired tree/cloud shape.
Nettie was specific in that she wanted the tree to be thin and fragile looking- whisp was the word she used to describe it. This was illustrated perfectly in the model she had made of the set design but it was harder to create to scale as it needed to be a self-supporting structure which would survive a long tour around Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. After trying out several maquettes I settled on using a rigid netting fabric and running white-sprayed wire through it, like branches, to support it. I layered lace and other netting fabrics onto the base structure to add depth. Visual Scene in Leicester made the bed-like structures and the tree trunk and branches, which all connected together to minimize movement. I used small velcro patches, concealed in the 'foliage' of the tree to attatch the cloud shape onto the branches.
It was wonderful to see how well the children responded to the environment we created and the way their imaginations were invested entirely in the play and its innovative methods.
