In many ways, Zhvan’s approach to theatre is inevitably minimalist. To some extent, this is a production choice; in Snakes and ladders we are not only telling a story, we are making that act of storytelling overt, part of the show. But it is also the case that, having very little resources, and hav9bg to carry our pro0duction from venue to venue, we do0 not have a lot of choice. In this production, although we are pleased with the set – fgfour ladders, four snakes, an oversized dice – it is both simple and portable. Costume and props are even more basic, not so far from what the actors would wear (though this too fits in with the storytelling idea.) And lighting will inevitably be basic, whatever the host venue can provide.
Sound is therefore the only design element that we have grater control over, with time to create a soundtrack. It is an important way of creating atmosphere, so we are relying on it a great deal.
Last year, we managed with a combination of pieces of music cobbled together from various sources, plus some sound effects that Matilda’s son put together for us. But this year, WeRESTART have suggested a musician that they know, Gianlucca, who has offered to create the whole soundtrack for us. Fortunately, we also have Chiara, one of the WeRESTART team, who has a background in stage management, and who is operating it for us, at least during rehearsals.
This week was our opportunity to try to blend sound and action, and though this is by no means a completed process, we have made a start, and in general, I am pleased with what we have.
We have a very limited time left, just three weeks, so it is a daunting prospect, all the more swo since this is, for the first time for Zhvan, a full-length play, which we struggle to complete within the rehearsal time. But in the end, all we can do is our best.
