I was assigned the role of ATD on this devised production of “War of the Worlds” by Orson Welles for my first semester of my graduate program. The storytelling leaned heavily on puppetry, including hand puppets and shadow plays as performance devices. One of the primary challenges of producing devised theatre is the creation of a multi-purpose space that can be modulated to fit the action of each moment, that also serves the general purpose of a scenic design – literally – to set the scene and convey a location to the audiences.
The scenic design required us to use a couple uncommon materials, such as visqueen plastic and vinyl that myself and the TD spent much time experimenting with before creating the final versions. Each version enabled us to identify the “possibles” – how the material behaved, how to structure it, what can be attached to it, and what kind of weight it can support. We also had the chance to identify challenge areas that enabled us to find preventative solutions to incorporate into the construction of the final product.
Each iteration gave us opportunity for feedback with the scenic designer and director. We found a commonality of the particular design, along with the devised nature of the production, that some drafted elements had to be revised during the rehearsal process. We took feedback from performers and the design team throughout the construction process to ensure the elements were fully supporting the devised action as it was developed.
