The Possibilities by Howard Barker

Ryerson School of Performance 

September 2016

Abrams Theatre Studio

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Directed by Brendan Healy

Set Designed by Echo Zhou

Costume Designed by Bianca Laudadio

Lighting Designed by Jenny Hong

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This design won First Class Award of 25th Ukrainian and International Exhibition Competition of the Student Thesis Works in Architecture and Fine Art

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Design Statement: This show consists of ten short plays and each one is set in a very particular place and time. Although every story is different, it all revolves around the issues of violence, isolation, and inhumanity. The theatre is a 50-seats black box space arranged as proscenium stage. The major challenges of the space are its height limited to 10 feet and an unmovable metal pole in middle of acting space. Inspired by cubism and minimalism and the director’s commitment to abstraction, I designed the set that could serve for all different locations. The set resembles an open box surrounded by props and furniture and is slightly elevated to enhance isolation from the audience. Instead of hiding the pole, I decided to emphasize it by painting with bright red colour to support the tension of the play visually. The set featured four doors to accommodate the blocking; their irregular shapes reflected the bizarre situations of the plot and exaggeration of characters.

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Photo Credit: Pavlo Bosyy