2. “Dollhouse”
by Rebecca Gilman
Scene of play: the scene where Nora and
Kristine sit at the kitchen table discussing
Terry's addiction to pain pills and Nora
reveals her secret to Kristine of how she
really got the money for Terry's
rehabilitation program.
4. Sets are designed to fully aim to engage audience
to the production.
Visual environment in which play is performed
5. Objectives of Design
• Purpose is to suggest time and place and to create the proper
mood or atmosphere
• Helping set mood and style of production
• Helping distinguish realistic from nonrealistic theatre
• Establishing the locale and period in which play takes place
• Evolving a design concept in concert with the director and
other designers
• Providing a central image or visual metaphor for the
production
• Ensuring that the scenery is coordinated with other
production elements
• Solving practical design problems
6. Realistic Scenery
• Settings that look very much like their
counterparts in real life : Resembles of a real
room like kitchen, bedroom or park
7. Abstraction
• Does not depict any specific time or place
ex. Stairs, drapes, panels or ramps
• Emphasis in language and performer
8. Lighting Design
Lighting Designs Provides Visibility.
We must be able to see the performer's faces and onstage action .
Visibility
9. Reveal shapes and forms
Shapes & Form
Altering the perception of shapes onstage
Lighting Design
10. Provide a focus onstage and
create visual compositions
Focus & Composition
Lighting Design
11. Mood & Style
Lighting Design
Correct lighting can effectively manipulate the audience’s reaction
12. Rhythm of Visual Movement
Lighting Design
Simple lighting changes from scene to scene can draw the audience to the action.
13. Reinforcement of the Central Image
Lighting Design
Lighting must be consistent with the overall style of the play
14. Costume
Design
*The style of the
production of the
play “Dollhouse”, is
realism.
*The historical period
and locale of this
play is December
2004 in a condo in
West Lincoln
Park, Chicago.
15. Costume Design
● Nora: 32 year old housewife with 3 children who is stuck at a point in her life
where she is unsure if she wants to continue being a housewife or venture back
out into the world of working. She likes to spend her husband's money and feels
as though they are at a point in their lives where they can live this type of
lifestyle.
● Terry: 33 year old husband who just got a huge promotion as a Division Head
Manager at his company, Bank One. He is a stern man when it comes to Nora's
spending habits and treats his wife with less respect and dignity than she is
worth.
● Kristine: 34 year old best friend of Nora who has just moved to a new place and
is in need of a new job. She is concerned with Nora and her decision to keep the
secret from Terry as to how the money was received for his addiction
treatment program.
16. Nora Helmer
● For this scene selection Nora is dressed in a knee-length
black skirt with a bright red button down silk top. She has
on 6-inch black strap heels from Jimmy Choo. Nora wears
a matching gold diamond bracelet and earring set her
husband bought her for their wedding anniversary. A 14
karat diamond wedding ring sits perfectly on her left hand
and on her right hand, an engraved pearl ring that says “I
love you , thank you for always being there for me.” Her
long blonde straight her is tied up in a bun that is perfectly
in place on her head.
17. Nora Helmer
● Nora wears dark eyeshadow around her sparkling blue
eyes and has bright red lipstick around her plump lips. Her
Michael Kors black leather purse sits on the kitchen table
and the smell of her Gucci perfume surrounds the area.
She has her freshly painted nails and toes in view as she
has recently gotten a manicure and pedicure using Terry's
credit card.
18. Terry Helmer
● Terry is dressed in a newly bought black suit and tie.
His bright red silk tie with black stripes sits perfectly
on his built chest. His white handkerchief sits
perfectly folded in his jacket pocket. He has a gold
Rolex watch on his left arm with his gold wedding
band on his ring finger. His dark black hair is slicked
back and his tan face is clean shaven. He is wearing
shiny black dress shoes with his black Polo socks. He
carries a black briefcase with his brand new Apple
laptop that he just bought last week.
19. Kristine Linde
● Kristine enters the kitchen in an old pair of blue jeans and
a dark purple sweater that her grandmother gave her last
year for Christmas. She is wearing her Nike tennis shoes
and a simple pair of silver hoops in her ears. She has a little
smudge of eye shadow around her dark brown eyes and a
little black mascara on her long eyelashes. Her brown hair
sits in a messy ponytail on top of her head as she puts her
Target purchased purse around the chair of the kitchen
table.
22. Director Portion
Script
• Pages 15-29 from the play
• Description of Scenario:
– Two women chatting regarding one’s husband’s
addiction to prescription drug.
– Calm mood as normal conversation
– Lounge environment
23. Style
• The setting of the scene is in the kitchen while
two women are having a conversation
• Calm mood with one women dressed very
classy and the other dressed very casual
• Kitchen interior should be semi-classy with
modern appliances and fancy infrastructure
• Calm yet classy
25. Casting
• Cast required:
– Classy women, 32, able to dress fancy, slim, tall
• Must be able to play a role of rich women
• Including method of walking, speaking, dressing
– Casual women, 34, laid-back, relaxed personality
• Casual clothing, in jeans and t-shirt
• Average person personality
27. Directorial Concept
• The scene should be directed as two women are
chatting while sitting at the kitchen table about
how Nora’s husband was addicted to a
prescription drug and how Nora paid for a rehab
treatment. The mood of the scene is calm and
casual. Due to Nora’s financial status, she is
dressed classy while Kristine is wearing casual
jeans and t-shirt. The kitchen is semi-fancy with
modern appliances and a kitchen island. The
interior of the kitchen should be colors of warm
brown and gold.
