DIRECTING PORTFOLIO:
Radium Girls Concept
DISCLAIMER
I planned to direct this in the Fall of my Junior Year (2020). Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic put an end to those aspirations.
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However. I decided to include these materials here, both to illustrate the way I conceptualize a show, and to serve as a work sample.
Concept
Click the image above to learn more about what I see when I picture my concept for the show.
While reading the script for Radium Girls initially, I found myself incredibly drawn to the story. The themes of the show jumped off the page screaming "21st century" to me. Mass media narratives. High profile court cases. Wealth at the expense of health. All of these factors drew me to the story. I knew I wanted to do the show. I just wasn't sure how. The script changes from location to location at lightening speed, and so it's difficult to have anything other than a simple set. It reminded me of a favorite show of mine, The Laramie Project, but it lacked the "interviews" which were crucial to Laramie. My usual creative process also failed me for the longest time.
Usually, I read a script once to see if I connect with it, then I read it a second time and try to see the story in my head. However, the opening narration gave me quite some trouble. In it, the main character Grace seems to be in the middle of an interview with her lawyer, an interview we never return to. This inciting incident puzzled me immensely. Privately, I also wondered how I could "bring the show" to an audience where they were-- how I could show them the contemporary relevance I had seen in the script. However, after re-reading the script for what felt like the hundredth time late at night, I realized something:
The opening interview was the show.
Radium Girls as a show revolves around the high-profile court cases brought forth by workers in a radium factory, so why not set it in the courtroom itself? Let the characters present their case to both the court and us, the audience. In my shows, I always strive for ways to break what I call the "audience comfort barrier". I want to make the audience viscerally uncomfortable with shows like Radium Girls. So what if the characters speak directly to us? The scenes in Radium Girls are tight, focused, specific, right to the point. There is very little time to rest because the show needs to compress years into hours. What if they're so short and focused because they're the testimonies of those involved?
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After realizing this concept, the show immediately started to materialize for me. A literal courtroom drama, complete with an eerie jury of actors in the background that watch the audience from their side of the fourth wall. The events of the show unfold as the case does, and the Jury join the main players as photographers, an audience, clerks, lawyers, etc. Radium Girls can have a rather large ensemble, and I think it's only right to use them as much as possible.
Environmental Analysis
Once I have a pretty good general picture of the show in my head, it's time to get to specific. The script provides me with a lot of information, and it's time to synthesize it-- Where do the scenes in the show take place? What might be there in terms of set & costuming? When do the scenes in the show take place? If you click the image, you will see an example of this kind of breakdown . It is vitally important to go slowly during this point in the concept process to ensure that no mistakes are made. Although I may later rely on a stage manager or set designer to be aware of these factors, doing this work early allows me to know that my concept can fit what is in the script.
Breakdowns
Once I've catalogued all the important details about ENVIRONMENT for a scene, it's important that I go back and re-read the script again. This time, I do my best to break down each and every technical element that can be found in the show. Again, it is vital to do this in order to ensure the concept fits the show overall. If a concept does not fit a show, the audience will feel strange and uneasy, so it is important to me that all of my concepts match the show I'm directing. I'd hate to find out later.
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If you skip to the very bottom of this page, you will see my breakdowns for Radium Girls
Expanding The Concept: Lighting
After I know my concept matches the environment in the script, the fun begins! I can begin to make my concept more concrete. It's time to get even more specific with what this "modified" Radium Girls will be. When I direct a play, I am very conscious of the imagery that people see. Humans, by nature are very visually-minded, so I tend to focus on the visuals of a show before almost anything else. A huge part of that is how the lighting of a show looks. I believe lighting may be one of the most important technical elements and, if you pull it off right, you can tell an entire story without even a word being spoken onstage. Thus, my concepts are always very lighting-centric. If you click the image, you will see an example of how I conceptualized the lighting in Radium Girls
Character Analysis
Once I see a show materialize in my head, the next thing I typically focus on as a director is the characters. Usually I am drawn to shows with strong characters and Radium Girls is no exception. From Grace, a hapless factory worker, to Arthur, her sinister employer, every character is fleshed out. Even characters with only a split second of stage time are given plenty to work with. So, after going through the script, I typically jot down a few notes about each of the characters to give me specific ideas about who they are. If you click the image, you will see details about characters I managed to pull from the script for Radium Girls. This information usually helps to ground my 'vision' of the show firmly in my imagination. Not only do I picture what the design will look like, but now I can actually picture who I might cast in the show, and what qualities they would need to bring to the role(s).
After I envision the characters, I also do my best to bring the characters and the concept together as a whole. How do the characters inhabit the world of the play? How do they present themselves to other people. How do they dress themselves? In other words, what do the costumes of the play look like?
This may not seem terribly useful at first, but it is an absolutely essential part of my process. It not only gives me a starting place for building a budget, not only gives me a keener sense of the world of the play, but it also allows me to dive deeper into each character's psyche. It forces me to uncover their motivations and their attitudes in order to guess how they might choose to present themselves to the world.
If you click the image, you will see my preliminary costume research for the show. I was partway through this process-- looking specifically at the character of Grace-- when the COVID pandemic hit, but left myself a good place to pick back up at once we eventually resume student shows.
Final Button of the show.
An image struck me about halfway through conceptualizing this show, and I couldn't shake it. So, I decided to integrate this "final button" into my concept.
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After Roeder says his final line of the show, curtain call goes on like normal. However, when the cast takes their final bow, there is a sudden & immediate blackout. In the darkness, we see the set glowing with radioactive paint. On first glance, it looks like a Jackson Pollock painting from Hell. On further examination though, it isn't just splotches. It's imprints from human activity. Silhouetted bodies. There are several distinct marks near the entrances and exits-- Like fingernails and hands clawing, trying desperately to escape. The blackout lasts between 5-10 seconds, and then the lights flicker back on.
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If you want to see what I envision, go back to the top and click on the "Concept" image.
Extra Stuff: Breakdowns
As mentioned above, these are my breakdowns for Sound, and Lighting.
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If you click the images below, you will be able to view them
