On Thursday night, we had a quick dinner at the Mambo Grill, then went to see the Merrimack Repertory production of Intimate Apparel. I particularly like going to the first Thursday previews because there's a Q&A session afterward with people involved in the show (in this case, the director, lighting designer, and set designer). Intimate Apparel tells the story of Esther, a skilled African-American seamstress who makes a life for herself in 1905 Manhattan.
The play takes place in five different locations. With something like 25 set changes, the director wanted to convey the change in setting without having to move any furniture, which is time-consuming and slows down the action. All of the changes in setting were accomplished solely through lighting and an "origami quilt." For example, during the scenes in Esther's room in the boarding house, the bed is covered by a crazy quilt. When the action changes to Ms. Van Buren's boudoir, the actors fold the quilt back, revealing a lilac satin cover. For scenes in Mr. Marks' shop, the quilt is folded back in the opposite direction, revealing a plain, almost muslin-like fabric. The lighting changes were incredible— I can't even describe the cool stuff that they did to have light coming from different "windows" for each scene.
(This CenterStage student study guide (PDF) has an interview with Ms. Nottage and some historical notes.)
Posted by rv at February 11, 2006 12:08 PM to theatre