THE METAPHORIC APPROACH TO STAGE DESIGN FOR COUNTRY WIFE BYWILLIAM WYCHERLEY BASED ON THE XVIII – EARLY XIX s. NEO-CLASSICAL ARCHITECTURAL MOTIFS OF “THE GARDEN ROOM”

The article is centered on utilizing of the architectural motifs of the XVIII–XIX s. “Garden Rooms” for the stage design of the production of Country Wife, University of San Diego, 2010.

Creating the set design for the production of The Country Wife by William Wycherley (1675) for the Old Globe and the University of San Diego MFA acting program in 2010 was marked by interesting artistic challenge. The stage space organization was determined by the thrust stage type where the audience was placed on three sides of the acting area. Thus, the stage asked for large visually unobstructed space; my scenic elements downstage were limited to chairs and benches. Professor Ray Chambers, the director of the show, insisted of a few practical doors that could be aggressively lammed; the wall needed to remain stable without any trace of shaking. The script featured a large number of locations; however, the budgetary and spatial restrictions forced to find a creative way of scenic changes and indication of locations. I felt that the complicated heavy scenery would not fit neither the spirit nor the needs of this dynamic comedy. 

The plot is based on the comic premise of trying to convince a young wife to commit adultery for the sake of being fashionable. The play’s major conflict lays between a naïve and faithful young woman from the provinces and the aristocrats spoiled by the “city” life style. I believed that a visual representation of the quintessential conflict of “the nature” and “the culture” would help storytelling  and blocking of the show.