Wet_Play

The play WET uses a wide assortment of production elements. With the use of specific set and costume designs along with lighting, sound and smoke effects, a certain atmosphere and attitude are presented for the actors to use to share their tales with the audience. The story is set in a time period long ago, in the midst of the ocean after a severe storm. The ships the characters have sailed on have been damaged, or in the case of Isabella and her pirate crew, completely destroyed and sunk. We meet the sailors of the large ship after this storm, barely hanging onto life, with a bleak outlook of their uncertain futures. They are tired, worn out, hungry and thirsty. Add a group of rowdy female pirates overrunning his ship, total despair sets in for their captain. All of the characters desperately want to find land. For the ship’s crew, it is to replenish and repair their ship so that they can sail again for the great war they were involved in before the storm. For the pirates, it is to find a mythical land so that they can start life anew. Among all of this, there is a strong presence of confused sexuality between the pirates themselves, the sailors themselves, and even between the pirates and the sailors. The set of the ship is designed to portray the aftermath of the storm. The sail, tattered, torn and stained, barely hanging from the mast sits upstage, acting as a backdrop for the rest of the set. A worn wheel and wheelhouse, creaking and wobbling stands in the middle of the main deck, which is painted and laid out with veneer to portray an old, worn and weathered ship. The bow of the ship sits upstage, the closest set piece to the audience. With the use of larger pieces of lumber, paint and veneer, it provides a detailed, up-close view of the condition of the ship for the audience. Finally, ahead of the bow of the ship there is a flat with gears on it, some painted like the sky, some like the sun and moon. These gears turn and grind to represent the passage of time, and to help tell the story and portray night versus day. The gears add not only a visual element to the play, but an auditory one as well. As they turn, they make an almost creaking, or groaning noise that one might expect on an old rickety ship, which helps to add to the atmosphere that the audience, as well as the characters, are all out in the middle of the ocean on a ship that is barely limping along. Subtle lighting elements are used throughout the play to help convey the atmosphere. A deep blue hue is cast on the deck of the ship, as if the moon itself is the only source of light on the set during the night scenes. Bright halogen flood lighting represents the sun shining brightly on the deck during the clear, cloudless days, along with the warm orange glow of a setting sun along the upstage walls as the scenes transition from day to night. Along with these subtle elements are more dramatic lighting elements that help to carry the audience away from the theater, and into the world of the actors. Lightening, along with clouds moving swiftly along the upstage wall and sail at the beginning of the play shows the audience that the pirates are in the midst of a fierce storm, while a bright moon and stars projected along the upstage walls further into the play show that there is no longer a storm, but rather clear, calm weather. Shimmering blue and green lights help the audience feel as though they are drifting along on the rolling tides of the ocean, while at the same time projecting an eerie, otherworldly effect when the characters deliver their solo speeches. In addition to the design of the set and the lighting, there are subtle fog and smoke effects that help the audience feel that, during the second act, the atmosphere has changed from a calm, clear ocean to a dreary, unrelenting sea that may prove to be the watery grave of all on board the ship. With a very subtle haze floating through the theater, lighting effects are accentuated, while a few blasts of thick smoke from the downstage gear flat help to create an aura of wonder of the unknown that is ahead of the actors as the play comes to a close. There is a small, subtle auditory element to the play. A passing bird, the creaking and groaning of the ship, claps of thunder and gusts of wind help to carry the audience further into the world of the actors. These elements are subtle, and possible under-utilized for this particular play, as they are just a fleeting part of the atmosphere of the play. Although the set itself is very important, and plays a very large role in portraying the atmosphere of the ship, the characters and their costumes are what truly create the attitude that is being portrayed. The sailors of the large ship wear costumes that are somewhat simple and utilitarian. With simple white, brown and black colors dominating their well worn costumes, they show the audience that the sailors are hard working, average sailors of the time period. On the opposite end of the spectrum we have Isabella and her rowdy pirate crew, wearing brighter, more revealing costumes which help to add to the sexual theming of the play. Combining brighter colors such as red, yellow and purple, the girls have an almost punk rock pirate appearance. Their hairstyles help to add to this appearance, with Jenny and her purple Mohawk, and Sally with her large, rainbow colored hairstyle. Marlene, dressed in drag with her gaudy makeup, bright white hair, and flashy dress truly represent the whore-ish attitude being portrayed by the female pirate crew. The themes, attitudes and atmosphere of the play are portrayed very well through the integrated use of different set elements. The design and colors of the physical set, along with the combination of subtle and bright, strong lighting, smoke effects and costume design come together to create a remarkably immersive atmosphere for the actors to interact within to tell their story to the audience. Although the use of auditory elements appear to not be fully realized, the rest of the elements come together well to form a unique experience for the audience, taking them to a different world, of a different time, and complimenting the actors and their portrayal of their adventures.