We provided a scenic and easy-to-use automation package for this production. The set cleverly recreates the closed-in environment of an institutional rehab clinic, bringing the audience up close to the performance and even on to the stage.
Originally based in the Dorfman, the smallest of the National Theatre’s auditoria, the transfer to the larger, proscenium-arched Wyndham’s Theatre in the West End required a set that retained the sense of intimacy. Forming the appearance of a continuous loop of tiled floor, walls and ceiling, the set is open not just at the front but also at the rear, where rows of seating were created very close to the action on stage. We manufactured the main structure from timber, using our CNC facilities to scribe out the rows of ‘crumbling’ institutional tiles from MDF and ply for the floor. Concealed openings allowed two Qmotion automated side trucks to emerge from the set walls, controlled by a bespoke unit, specifically designed for ease of use. We also constructed a forestage extension and off-stage flooring to enable the audience to access the seating to the rear of the set.
CREDITS & ROLES
Producers
National Theatre & Headlong
Set Design
Bunny Christie