MIRJAM AIMLA

ORPHEUS DESCENDING

Author: Tennesee Williams

Tutor: Inga Vares

Stage design model of "Vaba Lava" (Open Space)

Model in the scale of 1:50

2015

​

          The play “Orpheus Descending” is written based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydike. The story takes place in a small town in a southern state of the USA, where the inhabitants are characterized by frustration, peskiness, bigotry and racism. Val, an open-minded young man, arrives in town as Orpheus with his guitar and snakeskin jacket. He starts working in the local convenience store kept  by a middle-aged woman Lady, whose aged husband, the store owner Jabe, is sick and dying. The woman falls in love with Val, who seems to offer an interesting escape from her loveless marriage and boring small-town life. As the story develops, the tragic past of Lady and her grudge towards her husband emerge. The play tells a colourful story about emerging passion, love and lust for life and the consequences of the relationship of Val and Lady unaccepted by the society.

​

            The design I created emphasizes the small shop with a café section influenced by the style of 1950s, with living quarters above it. I used concrete and stone imitation as room materials, which add dim and bleakness and support the plot of the play. The furnishing of the shop is scarce, leaving room for coldness and bleakness and is composed only of a massive metal shelf and similar counter. In the middle of the room towers a narrow metal winding staircase, not letting us forget the presence of Jabe for a single moment. In the maquette, I also depict the café which can be seen through an opening, which Lady has decorated at the end of the story according to her own taste, turning the Jabe-era modest grey room into a warm, cosy and colourful one. I designed the costumes in contemporary style, adding details and silhouettes from the 1950s, stressing the essence of each character with the choice of tones and clothing.