Antigone; music,projections and lighting.

MUSIC

Lauren has chosen the music to be used for our Antigone performance. It is a mixture of recorded music that serves a backing purpose and live vocal singing that the on stage performers do throughoput the piece.

Backing music

The main atmosphere of the chosen tracks is dark industrial. There is music playing under most of the scenes when we are performing which then gets more pronounced and louder between the scenes are we are moving. The speakers are able to get the sound level pretty high which makes it very strong. During the rehearsal process we have been trying out different tracks to see which fitted the best and as we are now nearing the performance choices are being made.

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These are some examples of the backing music we are using.

Vocal work

The fates are on stage all of the time. They are 3 ‘witches’ who observe, predict and analyse the action. They are not part of the chorus. The fates speak but their singing is a repetitive theme which brings a recurring song to the play. It is haunting and atmospheric.

The chorus sing as a large group and usually do this to enhance and support when the fates are singing. The lead characters do not join in the singing as we need to stand aside from the ‘commenting on the action’. We are inside the action, not standing outside of the action.

Here are some examples of the songs that the Fates and the Chorus sing throughout our performance. The chorus take up the whole space and often frame the action whilst singing which is really powerful.

Lucy, Eve and Mia play the Fates;

PROJECTIONS

The tech students spent time during rehearsals taking members of the cast – Creon and the 3 Fates- and filmed them up close with head shots. They were not speaking but they were asked to move in a way that suggests looking or observing.

This picture shows us in rehearsal in the studio, not on the real set, but the tech students were testing the projections on the wall.

The filmed footage has been compiled to become the large projections that appear during the show. The screens on the real set are positioned high up above the set at one end. The projections work well as they add another layer to the show. They are a device to give more presence and power to Creon and also the Fates. The projected images have effects on them so that they look intimidating. The Fates are always projected as the 3 of them which gives them a God like presence of over seeing the world below.

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  Creon seen in projected form.

The projections work really well I think for our production because they emphasise the post industrial feel that the show has.

As a performer I like having the projections as part of the show because we can refer to them. For example in the first scene Antigone says to Ismene,” What a great King our Creon is” and she gestures up to the large scale head above.

LIGHTING

This shows the tech students rigging the lights.

This image shows the projections alongside the coloured lighting effects being used.

The set and the costumes are monotone so the only colour in the performance come from the lighting which as you can see gives strong washes of red, blues, oranges and pinks. The lighting is set both high level and low down so there are many shadows cast which creates atmosphere.

We saw the lighting for the first time in the tech run. It will be good to rehearse a bit more with it to get used to the levels and sometimes the glare.

Creon on his throne.

Here you can see that there are small spot lights attached directly to his thrown which gives a bright light to his face from underneath. This emphasises his status.