Describe the technical elements used to create realism in a production of 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'?
by
jamesclyburn (student)
Outline the ways in which technical elements were used to create realism on stage at particular moments in one live production that you have seen and assess the effectiveness of these moments for the audience?
On ___ October I saw a production of Tennessee Williams’ ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ at the West Yorkshire Play House in Leeds. This production was wholly naturalistic and the director included a vast number of technical elements that were added to conjure realism for the audience.
As I entered the auditorium, I saw the play’s pre-set which looked like a single room with a small additions such as a balcony and a number of doors which presumably led to elsewhere in the ‘house’. The pre-set was lit brightly with a wash of soft yellow light. This created a sense of warmth and humidity, and made the audience believed that the room must be in a house located in a country with a warm climate. The source of the light in the auditorium was lanterns that were situated above the stage and to the sides, which, from the audience’s point of view, made out that this was sunlight coming in from the windows. This not only suggests a place, but also a time- either morning or evening due to the colour of the light. The source of the light helped to contribute to the realism created because in a real life environment, sunlight does indeed enter and light up the room from the windows.
