Theatrical Approach Project

Theatrical Approach Paper: No Exit

NO EXIT 1

No Exit

Theatrical Approach Paper

Alexander Norris

TA 260

Professor Damgen

June 10, 2020

Hello, I’m the set designer of the play "No Exit". I was overwhelmed with excitement when my director informed me of this play choice. “No Exit” is one of my favorite plays because of its suspense and the themes that run through it. To summarize, "No Exit" is a one-act play about three individuals who get sent to hell. Hell is not the fiery place that many people assume, hell is other people. The three characters are escorted to a room by a valet and they are to torture each other, not with weapons, but their problems and dialogue without any escape for eternity. The playwright, Jean-Paul Sartre, portrayed the existential belief that humans can be as free as they want as long as they take responsibility for their actions and face the consequences through this play because the consequences for the characters are one another. My production team and I are thrilled to collaborate on such an interesting play and to bring our director’s vision to life!

As the set designer, I was permitted to choose the proper stage for the play. I have decided this play would benefit from being performed in a black box theatre. This stage is the most intimate form and I want the audience to feel immersed in the play. The play emphasizes that the torture of other people without any escape is the harshest punishment, I want the audience to feel they have no escape. With the audience sitting at the same level as the actors and looking directly at them, I’m hoping to accomplish this. Especially during the moments of the play where the characters have “visions” and see their loved ones who are alive back on earth and speak into the audience. This type of stage was also chosen because it was the least expensive option between a proscenium, thrust, and an arena stage.

Although “No Exit” is set in hell, the hell of this play is different and is portrayed in real-world like settings. My director is a big fan of the American filmmaker Wes Anderson and has directed our production crew to take inspiration from Anderson’s film The Grand Budapest Hotel. This film is set in a fancy hotel, similar to how I will be setting “No Exit” in a hotel room in the year 2020. The colors are soft on the eye but make up an elaborate and realistic set. Since the black box theatre is an open floor, I will buy curtains for a backdrop. Thankfully, I saved a lot of money by choosing a black box theatre and can splurge on items for the set.

My biggest challenge was finding curtains for the wall backdrop. I had to think about how my choice of color for a wall would set the tone for the rest of the furniture items. After discussing with the costume designer which colors would best complement the costumes of the actors, I chose a dark beige curtain that is almost brown. With a neutral curtain, the colors of the set and costumes will pop. My next challenge was finding a rug. I wanted an elegant looking rug that was vibrant in color with elaborate designs that would be suitable for a top tier hotel. I tapped into my roots and was able to get a deal on a handmade red Persian rug with orchid colored designs. This rug will be on the floor by the three couches and will cover the three steps leading up to the elevator door at the back center of the set which is where the actors will enter and the valet will exit from. I strive for the illusion of fancy and comfortable because when the first character, Joseph Garcin is escorted to the room by the valet, Garcin expected to enter into a fiery hell, instead, he is met with what appears to be an inviting environment. This "inviting" environment is an illusion because the real torture is not a location but people. With this inviting setting, I hope to trick the audience into thinking the experience of the characters will be pleasant.

The second character who is escorted into the room with Garcin by the valet is Inez. Inez mentions the absence of mirrors in the room. Later, the third character, Estelle enters. It is revealed that Estelle is high maintenance and obsessed with her looks. Estelle ponders which couch to sit on because she wants a seat that will best complement her dress. Taking these points into consideration, I chose the couch colors to be a light blue armchair, an orchid sofa, and a light orange armchair. The orchid couch is at the center complementing the orchid parts of the rug, with the two armchairs at the side. When Estelle picks the couch that complements her dress the best, it is the armchair that Garcin is sitting on. After working with the costume designer, we decided that a light blue armchair would complement Estelle's light pink dress. Next, to emphasize the absence of mirrors, I want to place two empty frames on the curtain walls where the mirrors would be.

Another huge part of this play is that the characters are dead and cut off from the outside world. They are stuck together forever. If they were alive, they would have the ability to harm each other, a method of escape, or the ability to reach out to other people. There is a phone that barely works and a realistic plastic knife that cannot harm anyone. These items are used to taunt the characters. I will be placing two brown nightstands with art deco lamps on top of the nightstands at the side of the orchid couch. Although I’m not the lighting designer, these lamps are key to my set. With their yellow tones that will shine through the stained glass shades, they will highlight the iPhone sitting at one nightstand and the other with an open drawer with the knife inside at the other table. Despite my director choosing this play to be set in 2020, I chose a more vintage take on the art deco lamps. I believe they are sophisticated and will fit right in with the rest of the set. These lamps not only add lighting but they frame the characters and tell the audience where to look. The filmmaker I have been instructed to draw inspiration from utilizes lighting in films to frame a scene and tell the audience where to look. I’m aiming to bring this element on the stage. One of the last set pieces I had to work with was the door for the entry. Since my lampshades were stained glass, I wanted the door to complement the glass. I decided to buy brown narrow double doors with clear stained glass windows in the center of them. This was the final and most expensive piece of the set. I believe narrow doors look absurd and can match the situation of how odd the situations of this play are.

With my set, I hope to bring an even more eerie feel to “No Exit”. In the beginning, my director pointed out how the plot of this play is simple but telling. The structure is simple but is packed in with feelings and offers moments of observation. The characters must confront the mistakes that got them to hell, see visions of their living, and are subject to the torture of the presence of each other forever. This is why our director drew inspiration from filmmaker Anderson who writes simple stories that tell a lot through design. I’m hoping my set is visually symmetrical and frames the characters. As I focused on a specific color palette, I had to keep in mind to make the set appeal comfortable to elude the characters and the audience. I’m confident that I along with the other production members have put in the work to bring this fictional version of hell to life. With a set that is so similar to real-life yet so different, my aim is for the audience to feel at odd in this black box theatre space. They will not know what to expect, similar to the characters. My fellow production members and I have been on the same page, it is almost like we are one person. It has been a pleasure and I look forward to seeing how this show will turn out!