(Above) “Where is your pain?” p. 14
Nurse speaking to Antigone.

for Jean Anouilh’s Antigone

Stage Design 1
with instructor Kevin Judge


The story of Antigone is ultimately a clash between the innocence of youth and the cynicism of age. Set in a Thebes, immediately succeeding a rough patch in history, the stage design is meant to reflect a home that was once grand and brimming with a powerful family that is now both dwindling and struggling to keep their heads above water.

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“Let us make sure that they hear me!” p.43
Antigone speaking to Creon

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Because Antigone is a Greek tragedy, the Chorus as narrator regularly refers to the other characters as actors simply playing out their parts. This self-awareness is reflected in the reveal of the set’s construction. This additionally emphasizes the idea that everything is not how Antigone sees it. Creon is trying to conceal certain realities, plastering over the family’s disturbing history.

The final plan, though similar to the sketch in the bottom right, ultimately scraps the curtains in favor of a moveable ceiling piece and cast iron window frames to differentiate moods.

As far as furniture and moveable pieces, the set is relatively bare. A few banquet chairs are the major props, nonchalantly thrown in the corner when not in use, evoking a bygone era when the palace was full of people and love and all the chairs would be needed.

The hanging stained glass window frames that fly in and out tell the story of Antigone - her fate is prescribed on the wall behind her, reflecting the way chorus describes the events the audience is about to witness.

Two versions of the set were painted to show the materials in shadow versus light.

The renderings were created through a combination of hand-painting and digital collage based on lighting studies done with a rough model that was built and rebuilt as part of the original form-finding process.

(Below) “How are they going to put me to death?” p.48
Antigone speaking to Guard

01 mo. fall 2020

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