Metamorphosis - East Productions.

10/09/2024

Set.

Very minimalistic. Any props that need to be used (such as the photograph or the key) are mimed by the actors.
3 chairs for family, these are positioned downstage centre and downstage left/right. The family (Greta and Mr/Mrs Samsa) spend most of their time here. Whilst sat on the chairs, the family never face Gregor's cage head on - representing the way they ignore his existence and try to forget him after his transformation.
There is an open-fronted cage made of metal beams that is positioned up stage centre. Whilst Gregor is the beast he is in the cage and throughout the play he crawls insect-like around the bars. This represents Gregor's bedroom. The bars of this cage spread out over the rest of the stage, so the whole house is covered in the external shell of the cage - representing how Gregor's transformation is affecting the rest of his family's lives.

Very minimalistic. All the characters wear only black/white clothes. This is used to convey the political point of the play; a life of perpetual labour is depressed and horrific.
Gregor wears very formal clothes - suit trousers with a white shirt and black waistcoat. This shows how his work has become his life as he never removes his working clothes.
The family all wear white face paint and contoured make-up to give their faces long, drawn expressions. East production chose to use this in order to further convey the suffering of both Gregor and his wider family.

There is a blank white backdrop which can be lit from behind. When lit it means that the family standing down stage become shadows whilst Gregor's cage is illuminated. This is used in the scenes where the family's reactions to Gregor are shown - they become black outlines stood in tableaux showing shared emotions.
The cage is rarely fully lit, it is usually partially lit as Gregor crawls around inside. This is used to convey the beast's strange and supernatural movement.
Towards the end of the play when Gregor in beast form is free from the cage, the entire stage is lit in a whitewash. This puts everything in sharp focus and so the audience clearly see Gregor skulking around downstage whilst the lodger entertains the family.

There is a soundtrack over the top of most of the play, this usually comes in the form of mechanical ticking. The movements of Gregor in his cage stay in time with this steady artificial beat which represents how he has been consumed by the 'machine' that is a life of labour
The sounds used outside of ticking are mostly knocks and thuds that allow the actors to keep the set simplistic. These sounds re-enforce the power of the mimed object.
There is a chiming gong sound that signifies the entrance of an important character or an important change in the play. This is played when the head clerk enters, as well as when the apple is thrown and at other crucial points of the play in order to signify their importance.
Lots of the play takes place in silence however- that is to say that it is only dialogue from the actors rather than external sounds (non-diegetic sounds are very rare).