Singh 1

Uday Mehtab Singh

Selena Couture

DRAMA

18 April 2024

Design and Sustainability: A Theatre Exploration

Rough Magic is a wonderful play written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa who had a

lifelong affair with comics and directed by Christine Brubaker under the Timms Centre for the

Arts. Watching any play for the first time, Rough Magic was a great way to start with and

building impactful interest to watch more plays in future.

The play is from the already epic world of the Shakespeare that still had much to

portray and show. The depiction of the play, portrayal of all the characters and the use of

different design elements is a great example how a play should be directed and produced by

anyone. They fulfill functional as well as artistic needs, enhancing the visual narrative and

enabling seamless scene changes. These elements really had an impact on the audience as they

were totally engaged and showed participation in the play by supporting the characters. The

costume design brought the audience’s interest whenever any new character was introduced. The

design choices, including style, colour, texture, and fit, can communicate information about a

character’s role. The efforts by Ankita, who is the costume designer for the play were better than

the audience’s expectations. The use of vibrant colours of costumes, props attached, and unique

design of costumes showcased the influence of each character. The modern bright red colour

dress of Melanie showed her connection with the modern world and the long brown mantle worn

by Prospero depicted how the reluctant kings showcased their power of magic. The costumes

that impressed me the most were worn by the group of Alecto, Magaera and Tisiphone. It was
 Singh 2

impressive how Ankita used her idea and displayed different costumes that may be during the

time of fight with Prospero, during the time they were dancing or when they were enjoying on

the beach after victory on Prospero. This explains how the costumes are co-related with the

mood of the character and the time and play of the moment. To bring characters to life and

improve the visual storytelling of a theatrical performance, costume design is, in general, a

collaborative process that combines creative imagination, historical knowledge, and practical

expertise.

One of the design elements that had a greater impact on the audience was the sound

design. A scene's or the production's overall tone and ambiance may be set with the use of sound

design. Sound designers may generate certain emotions, communicate a feeling of place, and

transfer the listener to other locations or times by utilizing music, ambient sound effects, and

recorded speech. The use of sound in difference situations either being the use of thunderstorms

and other mystery sounds were used to being in the sense of secret and mystery among the

audience when Caliban along with Chet looks for a place to hide or when Melanie along with

Tisiphone go to search for Prospero. The way the soothing and sad music was introduced in the

end when Chet died brought emotional feelings among the audience. Moreover, Tisiphone

dancing on the music along with umbrella never failed the audience because humor had a major

and great impact on the overall experience of the play.

The design elements have always been a major part of all great plays. Elements such as

costume creates a visual impact influencing the audience's initial impression and ongoing

perception of the production. Also, sound design can deepen the emotional connection between

performers and the audience by evoking specific moods and atmospheres especially when the

story goes on the lighter note.

The elements made a relation between the performer and the audience as what the

characters wanted to convey was carved with elegance that helped in finer understanding with

the play. Costumes had been a major part that explained the intensity of the character. Though

the use of such sound design, audience was seen getting emotional in the Chet’s death scene that

shows the audience-performer relation. Audience was seen appreciating the characters even

before they started their role because what they wanted to convey was understood moments

before using costume and sound design. So, the use of costume and sound design overall unified

impact of Rough Magic that made this play one of the best creations of Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.

Christine Brubaker really did a great work and Timms Centre for the Arts is a great beginning to

this journey of drama and play.

Taking about the climate resources, Chapter 7, The Play Builders I: Theatre

Architecture and Scenic Designers from Theatre as Human Action: An Introduction to Theatre

Arts by Thomas S. Hischak raises awareness about the climate change while defining about the

construction of the sets on scenery. While the construction of such sets, the author explains how

“cutout trees and shrubbery which are also considered flats” (p. 131) and “rough-hewn wood” (p.

131) were used heavily at that time for various building purposes whereas in modern era, these

are replaced with steel and plywood frames. Describing about the elements need for theatre, the

authors explain how “designers today are not limited to traditional flats and drops” (p. 130). This

helps in the play i.e. an art form firmly anchored in interpersonal communication and expression,

occupies a special place in addressing the climate changes. It examines humanity's relationship

with the natural world that raises knowledge about reader to preserve our nature rather than

exploiting its natural resources.

The other text that talks about this issue is the Chapter 8 Play Builders II: The Other

Designers. The text highlights the need for various measure to find the alternative for the items

while directing or producing various plays. The text explains how theatre artists can make

environmentally conscious choices in their design processes. Based on “Environmentalism

Behind the Scenes on Broadway and Beyond” (p. 151), design aspects may play a critical role in

designing different ways where various measure like reclaimed or recycled materials, energy-

efficient construction technologies, and natural lighting and ventilation design can all help to

lessen the building's overall environmental effect. This shows how the readers can be forced to

think about different ways to find a solution for the climatic catastrophes to prevent the

deterioration of environment.

PART IV Theatre and performance in electric and electronic communication culture

from the Theatre Histories: An Introduction also highlights how wars can be drastic leaving a

major impact physically, mentally and emotionally on all its victims affecting the social society.

Also, it explained how every war was “more devastating than the predecessor” (p. 404). These

after war effects not only focus on the effects on “psychologic and social realism” (p. 404), but it

also describes the war effects on the nature and climate i.e. leading to severe environment

destruction. Through the form of theatre and plays, past event are depicted with the use of some

political characters to raise awareness about all the social and environmental destruction caused

in the past.

So, to conclude, Rough Magic is a wonderful play and there was much to learn from it.

Design elements such as costume and sound add on to the perfection of it. Together, these design

components produce a vibrant and engrossing theatrical experience that strengthens the bond

between performers and spectators as they explore the enchanted realm of Rough Magic. Also,
 Singh 5

theatre has a special and significant role in tackling the climate catastrophe because it uses both

its artistic and practical aspects to encourage action, increase awareness, and advance

sustainability.
 Singh 6

Works Cited

Aguirre-Sacasa, Roberto. Rough Magic., AbeBooks.

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31783148997&dest=can.

Hischak, Thomas S. Theatre as Human Action: An Introduction to Theatre Arts, Rowman &

Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated, 2019. ProQuest Ebook Central,

http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ualberta/detail.action?docID=5730471.

McConachie, Bruce, et al. Theatre Histories: An Introduction, edited by Tobin Nellhaus, Taylor

& Francis Group, 2016,

http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ualberta/detail.action?docID=4426526.