drowning
a play by María Irene Fornés
“Drowning, tells its story swiftly, in a handful of pages, sketching a love affair from the first moment of desire to the bitter end. All the characters, including [Pea,] the jilted lover, are described in the script as potato-heads with bodies “like seals or sea lions” and shiny, oily flesh covered in warts. Their revolting exterior brands them as unlovable and oddly makes the story feel more universal: their repulsiveness makes them vulnerable and draws empathy.” -- Paul David Young
Drowning’s scenery seeks to understand the psyche of the play’s characters and reflect that into the architecture of their world. Intentionally disregarding María Irene Fornés’ note on the physicality of her characters, this production renders a space where outcasts deliberately choosing to live in exile might find themselves. The production calls into question what might happen if/when one chooses to leave their own purgatory.
Drowning’s scenery seeks to understand the psyche of the play’s characters and reflect that into the architecture of their world. Intentionally disregarding María Irene Fornés’ note on the physicality of her characters, this production renders a space where outcasts deliberately choosing to live in exile might find themselves. The production calls into question what might happen if/when one chooses to leave their own purgatory.
project information
location: shubert theatre, new york university; new york, new york
date: 2021
type: scenic design, unproduced
credits
project team: jacob t. middleton
location: shubert theatre, new york university; new york, new york
date: 2021
type: scenic design, unproduced
credits
project team: jacob t. middleton
conceptual collage; preliminary ideas exploring character, mood, and architecture
1/2” scale model; scene one
1/2” scale model; scene two
