Equus Design

Question 1

Sound Anagram

Answer 1

V-PP-RR-DD-GTS
(Volume, pitch, placement, rhythm, resonance, diagetic, dominance, genre, stopping)

Question 2

Lighting Anagram

Answer 2

SPIC-FSD
(Source, placement, intensity, colour, focus, special effects, direction)

Question 3

Sound - Dysart’s Office

Answer 3

Low buzz of lights
Footsteps along the corridor
Crying
All diagetic, naturalistic (apart from distortion on pen tap)
Stereo speakers
Underscoring, low volume
Snap out when scene transitions

Question 4

Sound - Alan’s Home

Answer 4

Ticking of clock
Cars driving past
Radio in kitchen
All diagetic, naturalistic
Stereo speakers
Underscoring, low volume
Snap out when scene transitions

Question 5

Sound - Beach

Answer 5

Waves, seagulls, wind, playing children
Expressionistic - in a dream
Echo sound effect - show dreamlike/nostalgic nature
Stereo speakers, medium volume
THEN ON HORSE
Horses on benches @ back of stage make Equus noise
Hum, crescendo on a major chord. Then open mouths to make it resplendent.
High resonance, non-diagetic, dominating.
Worshipful!
WHEN HE FALLS
Immediate snap to soundscape

Question 6

Sound - Stables

Answer 6

Natual horse sounds - huff, breath, whinny, stamp
Pre-recorded, played on stereo speakers SL + SR
Equus noise - actors playing horses on stage
Hum, crescendo in a major chord.
High resonsance, non-diagetic, underscoring.

Question 7

Sound - Electrical Shop

Answer 7

Crowd soundscape
Hoovers sounds as well as beeping, whirring, dinging, buzzing
Stereo speakers
Dominating - loud volume. Barely hear Alan, lost in crowd
WHEN HE SPEAKS TO JILL
Sound volume reduces - frequency and volume of beeps and whirs becomes more normal.

Question 8

Sound - Field of Ha-Ha

Answer 8

Silence for the first time in the play
Breaths and heartbeats only - natural sounds contrast artificial sounds
Heartbeats = pre-recorded
Breaths = produced by Alan on microphone. Then pre-recorded when he delivers lines.
Stereo speakers.
Crescendo in volume and frequency.
Equus noise joins in, resplendent open mouthed singing in major chord, choral.

Question 9

Sound - Cinema

Answer 9

Simulate sound of a pornographic film - sex noises and background music.
Whirring of a projector - all of it is naturalistic
Dominating sound, speakers SL + SR etc.
THEN WHEN ALAN SEES HIS DAD
Volume drops so the focus is on him

Question 10

Costume - Alan

Answer 10

Blue denim jeans
Grey cotton hoodie - too small
White trainers - old, dirty (specs of mud)

Question 11

Costume - Dysart

Answer 11

Brown corduroy jacket
White cotton shirt
Dark green tie
Beige cotton chinos
Brown leather brogues - worn out
Spectacles
Pen and notebook

Question 12

Costume - Frank

Answer 12

Yellow cotton shirt
Beige suade jacket
Dark blue silk tie
Brown cotton chinos
Green tweed hat
Brogue shoes

Question 13

Costume - Dora

Answer 13

Light blue pleated A Line Skirt
Light green 50s style (Bardot) blouse
Beige tights
(Shoes?)
Small silver watch with leather strap
Little silver cross necklace

Question 14

Costume - Hesther

Answer 14

Brown plaid blazer with shoulder pads
Matching brown plaid pencil skirt
Copper cotton blend turtleneck
Beige tights
2 inch black heeled shoes

Question 15

Costume - Nurse

Answer 15

Dulled white pencil skirt
Dulled white button up nurse style top
Dark grey suede flat slip-on shoes
Buttons and fob watch attached

Question 16

Costume - Horseman

Answer 16

Black felt bowler hat
Cream lycra jodhpurs
White cotton dress shirt
Black riding boots

Question 17

Costume - Horses

Answer 17

Bare chested
Brown leather trousers - skin tight to emphasise muscles
Black leather belt

Question 18

Costume - Dalton

Answer 18

Brown tweed flatcap
Green tweed jacket
Brown corduroy trousers
Cream cotton collared shirt
Brown leather walking boots - dirty

Question 19

Costume - Jill

Answer 19

Purple and velvet striped thin T-Shirt
Blue wool cardigan
Denim blue flared jeans
Brown ankle height Chelsea boots

Question 20

Lighting - Dysart’s Office

Answer 20

3 fresnels on overhead circular truss at 45%
High intensity - 75%
Cold white light
Sharp edges, barn doors shut - create a white square.
2 practicals - flourescent lamp beams
THEN BENCHES/REST OF STAGE
6 fresnels on overhead circular truss etc. create a general wash

Question 21

Lighting - Beach

Answer 21

4 fresnels on overhead truss
Warm white/straw
Lots of spill, little focus
Oriented to create a wash throughout all the stage except the bottom of downstage.
2 fresnels on overhead truss
Blue light (gel)
Lots of spill
Oriented to put spots of blue DS to convey the audience = the sea

Question 22

Lighting - Stables

Answer 22

6 fresnels on overhead circular truss
60% intensity
Slightly warm white
Not focussed - some spill
Gobo - window. Show that it’s inside a stable.
2 practicals fly down - filament lightbulbs with no shade.
Convey location

Question 23

Lighting - Electrical shop

Answer 23

4 flood lights fly down, facing downstage (USR, USL, CSR, CSL)
Rows of light on flood lights alternate - shows movmement.
4 fresnels on circular overhead truss
Oscillating in intensity - 50-80% - create a sense of movement
Blue, purple, red.
Expressionism - create a sense of business, electrical, manufactured, overwhelming.

Question 24

Lighting - Field of Ha-Ha

Answer 24

3 fresnels, upstage overhead circular truss
Low angle
Oscilating in intensity
Red light
Sharp focus - barn doors closed
ON ‘AMEN’
Lights go 100% intensity
2 profile spots on overhead truss, DSL + DSR
Pointing directly down
Red light
Snap 100% intensity
Sharp focus

Question 25

Lighting - Cinema

Answer 25

3 fresnels, overhead circular truss
Faint general wash - 10% intensity
4 fresnels, downstage overhead truss
Low angle, oscillating intensity - conveys movement.
Each of different colour - two warm white, one red, one brown

Question 26

Lighting Setup - in introduction

Answer 26

Fresnels on an overhead circular truss above.
Fresnels on booms on SL + SR

Question 27

Lighting - Alan’s Home

Answer 27

1 practical filament bulb with a flowery lampshade descend
6 fresnels on circular overhead truss create a general wash
40% intensity
Warm white light
No focus - lots of spill
1 fresnel on bar on SR
100% intensity
Warmer white light
Window gobo
Pointing to centre stage

Question 28

SET

Answer 28

End on staging
Painted floor
Backdrop: wooden planks, large, long pieces of silver wire tangled up
Floor: black with flickers of white, brown and green. Square = wooden planks painted in faded white paint.