Claire Cummings, prospective set designer, worked hard over the summer to bring Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest to life. The show went up at Veterans park in Shelton, CT from July 13th through July 16th then had to move location up to Oxford, CT the following week.
“It was a lot of manual labor,” said Cummings. “But, [the set] was designed to be transferable to a new location, so with everyone working and learning the ropes quickly, within a day we were able to set up and get ready.”
In order to make sure the set was able to sustain the move, Cummings needed to consider durability, stability, and professionalism when designing the set.
The process included three major steps: drawing the initial sketches, meeting with the director, and reworking the final design by taking into account suggestions of color, patterns and set pieces.
“My favorite part is that I can portray and enhance a story creatively and visually in a way that assists the audience and helps the actors feel welcome and present on stage,” said Cummings.
Oscar Wilde’s production focuses on the escape of social obligations through marriage, conscience and double lives. This “trivial comedy for serious people” follows Jack Worthington as he escapes the city under the faux representation of “Ernest.” He seeks to marry Gwendolen, but the main antagonist, Lady Bracknell, refuses his hand for her. After discovering his deception, Algernon, Gwendolen’s cousin, travels to Jack’s country estate with a second identity. Through Algernon and Jack’s disagreements and their social portrayal, Wilde is able to show the satire in the Victorian ages and the pettiness of certain relations.
Wilde, much like Shakespeare, usually writes his plays with a direct vision in mind. Analyzing the script and studying the show’s time period were important aspects to respecting his vision.
Along with this research, Cummings also used critical thinking when configuring measurement and ways to portray different scenes and locations with only two flats.
“I communicated with the directors, the cast, and the crew about designs and build hours,” said Cummings. “I collaborated with the directors and the crew to perfect the design plans and I problem solved rehearsal schedules and measurements, bringing the drawn designs to life in life-scale 3D.”
Since Cummings fulfilled all of her portrait of a graduate pillars over the summer, she was able to present her senior project early on in the school year.
“It went very well as I showed my model and clips of the show.”
Cummings plans to study theater design and tech in college, following through to be a professional set designer.
“I like that I can bring the same emotions to the audience that I feel when I see the set at a show.”
