Our Country's Good — set design key terms

Question 1

Proscenium Arch

Answer 1

The proscenium arch offers a larger canvas for scenic designers to create detailed and elaborate sets

Question 2

Proscenium Arch - symbolic

Answer 2

The proscenium arch has a long theatrical tradition and is often associated with classical and traditional productions

This architectural element can serve as a symbolic representation of the power structures and social hierarchies explored in the play

This can be particularly effective in conveying the historical context of the play - thereby facilitating a temporal transportation of the audience

Question 3

What will the stage be made of?

Answer 3

Removable wooden panels to elucidate that the colony is still in the outset of its development and lacks skilled workers - thus structurally unable to advance as much as London

Question 4

Projection

Answer 4

I will incorporate projections of scene titles - resembling the script - as part of the “Verfremdungseffekt” (alienating the audience)

Question 5

Cyclorama and projection

Answer 5

I will employ a cyclorama depicting a coastal desert - meticulously designed to replicate the island landscape of Botany Bay.

This cyclorama will be utilised as a powerful tool to immerse the audience within the historical context of the play

The centerpiece of the cyclorama will feature a projection of the British Emblem - symbolically veiled in an evocative representation of bloodstains

The prominence of this projection will intensify as the play unfolds - effectively exemplifying the profound and deleterious impact inflicted upon the Aboriginal population and their ancestral homeland by the actions of the British

Question 6

Bertolt Brecht

Answer 6

Wertenbaker follows Brecht in suggesting we can gain insight into our own society through dramatising struggles and clashes from history

Question 7

Epic Theatre

Answer 7

The style of “Our Country’s Good” immediately suggests epic theatre but it utilises mostly naturalistic characterisation

I will consequently have a set design that serves both

Question 8

Didgeridoo

Answer 8

A didgeridoo is a wind instrument originating from Indigenous Australian culture - consisting of a long and hollow tube

Question 9

The significance of the removable wooden panels

Answer 9

The removable nature of the panels expedites the scene change process

This suits the episodic structure of the play because many different locations can be created in one versatile space

Question 10

Didgeridoo stage

Answer 10

The didgeridoo (symbolising the enduring legacy of the British incursion upon Aboriginal territory) would be strategically positioned encompassing the periphery of the stage - serving as an omnipresent motif throughout the performance thereby providing a profound and unceasing reminder of historical events