Three Acts of Borges
The Set Design final project consisted of taking a written narrative work and build a spatial setting for use in theater format. I chose three stories from argentinian author Jorge Luis Borges, best known for his use of fantastic and imaginative subject matter in his writings. Three stories (The Writings of God, The House of Asterion, and The Two Kings & The Two Labyrinths) were chosen for their thematic elements and a subtle shared imagery: light, dark, and the threshold between them.
Poster for the "3 stories" play.
Sketch for stage setup, story 1 & 2.
Sketch for stage setup, story 3.
Work was done using a 1"=1'-0" foam board model for the stage. Black cloth, wire and strings supported the hanging structures, with 6" scales to represent actor positions. Studio lighting was used to simulate how the scene would be lit, and still photography captured the various atmospheres we played around with.
Roleplay acting is not performed in this type of theater, Instead, actors orate, dramatize and improvise the events of the stories as they tell it. As each of the three stories progresses, the window of light passes from above the actors to a final collapse of the opening, where light bathes the actors and blinds the audience.
The end of the play prompted the revelation of a desert prison for one of the kings in the third act. The flood of light and heavy contrasts summed up the main aspects behind the look and feel of the project.
The prisoner in The Writings of God scene.
the minotaur in The House of Asterion scene.
The kings exchange challenges in Two Kings & The Two Labyrinths scene.
One king is placed inside the other's labyrinth in Two Kings & The Two Labyrinths
One king is left in the desert, a more effective labyrinth, in Two Kings & The Two Labyrinths ending scene.