My Unifying Artistic Vision: Ruined

The play Ruined is about the struggles of women displaced in society by a war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo. The plot follows the lives of four women who have been victim to the sexual brutality and battery brought by the hands of men on both sides of the power struggle. Mama Nadi accepts the burden placed upon her and rejects the world outside for allowing such things to have been done to her and her girls. Through design, we will explore Mama Nadi’s internal strength and her protection of not only herself, but Josephine, Sophie, and Salima as well, by using devices (such as sound, staging, et cetera) that are strong and sturdy. Also, colors will be used to contrast the protectiveness of Mama Nadi’s bar to the harshness of the outside world.

Location of Performance and Audience:

VBC Concert Hall

My production of Ruined will occur in my hometown of Huntsville, Alabama, at the Werner Von Braun Center in the Concert Hall. Growing up, I have attended, as well as participated in, many productions that have taken place in this concert hall. Though the space itself had a proscenium stage, I believe it will be perfect in that the distance between the audience and the action on stage reinforces the distance between Mama Nadi and the girls and the vicious society of the warring Congo. I have chosen to stage the play in my hometown, not only because of the familiarity of the space, but due also to the familiarity of the people. I know that if someone were to do a production of Ruined in Huntsville, it would be met with great acclaim and response. Contrary to popular belief, people in Huntsville are well-educated and keep current on social, political, and cultural happenings. They are much more liberal and open-minded than your typical Daytona-Area citizen. And also, not everyone who would be attending the performance would be as old as people who attend plays and whatnot in the Daytona Area. Back home, there is much more to do as a young adult than just go to the bars.

If you go here, you can get a 360 degree view of the Concert Hall at the Von Braun Center. 

Approach to Scenic Design:

Buildings made from limited resources

The play is set at Mama Nadi’s bar. The doors to the outside keep Mama and her girls sheltered from the ruin of the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo. Inside, not only are the girls able to find solace and shelter from a cruel, out casting world, but the soldiers come here to unwind with her worldly pleasures. Mama’s bar should be built so that the audience may see the inside of the bar as well as the area around the outside. Everything will be strong and sturdy with bold hard lines, to parallel Mama Nadi’s tough, surviving spirit, but at the same time I want the set to look as if the bar was built with an air of necessity and needing, not as if the project was lavish. I wish the bar to appear as if it, like Mama Nadi and the girls, has endured. I also wish the décor in the bar to be old and used, and very cluttered, as if the interior is trying its very best to hold everything inside, in another try to portray the burden and pain that these victimized women have been forced to carry inside them.
 
 Approach to Costume Design:

The perfect contrast

As the play is set in the Congo, I want all the players to be costumed as such. In the Congo, there is an unwritten rule that the nicer you look, the more respect you will receive. Women in the Congo do not ever wear pants! Similarly, all the women will be clothed in dresses or skirts that have bright colors or bold patterns. I especially want Mama Nadi in a long flowing skirt and an apron with a cloth tying her hair up. Josephine’s costumes should be more revealing than the costumes of the other girls, and I want Sophie clothed rather modestly compared to the other women. The soldiers will wear uniforms, but the government soldiers will have cleaner, newer uniforms than the rebel soldiers. Also, I wish Commander Osembenga and Jerome Kisembe to have the cleanest newest-looking clothing.
 
Approach to Lighting Design: 


The land around the bar should be plush and green, but reminiscent of the Congo’s rainy season. Lighting for the outside should be grey and hazy, as if there are still rainclouds hanging above constantly. Inside the bar, I wish for the lighting to be a contrast to that of the outside world. Though the bar should be somewhat dimly lit, the light should be warm and protecting. When music is played, and the action is occurring inside the bar, especially if it is upbeat, I would like the lights to have a rhythm similar to the pulse of the music. And as such, the lighting should convey the overall emotional feel of the action.

An example of lighting for Mama Nadi's bar

Approach to Sound Design:

There are many sounds to be paid attention to in the play. It is important that the sound design incorporate the natural sounds of a rainforest with both the pulsating and rhythmic music of Africa and the mechanized sounds of war. The sound of rain and birds calling should softly permeate the stage for a great portion of the play. The low hum of trucks transporting soldiers to war should also be a sound that we come back to throughout the action. Starting with the second act, there should be a constant sound of gunfire and artillery. I would like it to begin softly and crescendo through to the end of the sixth scene to symbolize not just the war coming closer and closer to Mama Nadi’s door, but also the impending action that occurs when Osembenga returns to Mama Nadi’s bar with word that she had been keeping knowledge of Kisembe from him. As far as the music composed for the play, it will be performed by live musicians on the stage with the actors.

Example of the feel that I want from the music accompanying my production.