SET DESIGN PORTFOLIO
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EDINBURGH NAPIER UNIVERSITY
RUTH BALAGUER SCHMIDT
LIFE’S A DRAG: Set Design for The Fringe 2025
Life’s a Drag is a Comedy/Drama play written by Conor O’Rouke, and directed by Jake Sleet. During this project, I worked side-by-side for over three months with the director to work through all the ideas and challenges that this wonderful project presented us. This project is a collaboration with the Acting and Directing Departments at Edinburgh Napier University, and the end goal was to design and source/produce a set design for The Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2025, which would be first tested through the pre-view on the 9th of May on campus.
Given the nature of the Fringe Venue: theSpace on the Mile - Space 3; storage is the biggest challenge, alongside with the extensive list of set elements needed in this play. Furthermore, everything had to be done with a very tight budget. This meant considering second hand folding, light weight, stackable set elements.
Edinburgh Napier University Campus, 10 Colinton Rd, Edinburgh EH10 5DT
Poster by Jake Sleet - Director B56, Edinburgh Napier University, Merchiston Campus
Initial mood board
Concept Development: Vanity Station, and Partial Mirrors
Mocking up with the first sourced set elements
MA Acting Students (from left to right): Oli, Ross & Holly Walker
MA Acting Students (from left to right): Oli, Ross & Holly Walker, Alistair on Screen
MA Acting Students (from left to right): Oli, Holly Walker, Ross and Alistair
A-A’ Short Section B56 (Pre-View Venue)
A-A’ Short Section Fringe Venue
MA Acting Students (from left to right): Ross, Holly Walker and Alistair