ENHANCING THE STORYTELLING

BY EMMA BAILEY, DESIGNER

HOW DID YOU GET INTO YOUR JOB AS A PERFORMANCE DESIGNER?

A lot of trial and error! I studied Architecture at university and always loved spaces but needed a more experimental outlet. After university, my background experience has been pretty broad: working in the costume department on films, assisting more established designers in modelmaking and doing Computer-Aided Design as an interior designer. Weaving all these skills eventually turned me into a performance designer but I definitely didn’t start out with that aim.

HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT DESIGNING THE PRODUCTION? DOES THE CASTING IMPACT YOUR DESIGN?

I am a magpie, picking up images and research from a wide range of mediums whilst also digging into the text. With Anna, the period became an important player, so I spent a lot of time reading and researching. I love sketching and drawing, so I develop the process with a visual storyboard, mapping the moments through space. Then there’s trialling out forms and scale in the modelbox, be that out of card or on the computer. Each strand hones and informs the others. Of course, none of this is done in isolation, I’m constantly talking to the director in the beginning and then the other creatives as they join the team. I love integrating sound and lighting into the design, which makes it this unique creative tapestry.

Casting is a later addition so I don’t usually have any actors cast at the time I do my costume designs. They pivot around imaginary people at that point. Putting real bodies in clothes always throws up new ideas and directions. You have to adapt the designs to the cast to make things comfortable, flattering and to retain specific narratives. It requires lots of thinking on your feet whilst keeping hold of what makes up that character.

HAVE THERE BEEN ANY CHALLENGES IN DESIGNING THE PRODUCTION?

There are always one or two on a production. This one has been capturing the epic scale of Russia whilst also having multiple interior locations...

HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT ADAPTING YOUR DESIGN AS A SHOW DEVELOPS IN THE REHEARSAL ROOM?

With a show this scale and the set designed months prior to the rehearsals there sometimes isn’t a huge amount of change possible to the design. However, there’s always room for some flex and I love being in the rehearsal room to collaborate on changes. It’s important to navigate and question why a change is needed to the design before implementing it. It invariably affects someone’s workload or budget if there are lots of changes and it’s necessary to be concise with those adaptations.

WHAT DO YOU THINK GOOD DESIGN ADDS TO THE ART OF STORYTELLING?

I could talk about this at length, but essentially good theatre design is that extra layer, enhancing the storytelling. Used properly it creates immersive scenes, it supports the narrative, develops characters, and evokes emotions. Guiding an audience’s focus and enabling seamless transitions through visuals, makes a more memorable experience, and strengthens the audience-story connection. Hopefully, the audience go home unpicking and thinking about those other layers...

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB?

I love being experimental and playful, trying new and challenging things, and performance design allows that on a daily basis. I also love collaborating and being in a room of dedicated talented people. It’s such synergy!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT ANNA KARENINA?

As a mother myself, it’s that dichotomy of our prescribed role in society versus our emotions or desires. They are not mutually exclusive and Anna challenged this, choosing the pain of honesty over the disassociating blanket of deceit.

13 – 30 Sep

Tickets from £12 (plus concessions)

#KathyandStella bristololdvic.org.uk