Harriet Jacobs - The Kansas City Repertory Theatre

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THE PRODUCTION DESIGN ELEMENTS SET DESIGN Collette Pollard, Set Designer Collette Pollard returns to the Rep after having designed the set for the Rep’s 2009 production of The Glass Menagerie. Collette, who received her MFA in scenic design from Northwestern University, also designed the set for Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s world premiere production of Harriet Jacobs in 2008. She recently spoke to us about her inspiration for the set and how the design has evolved for the Rep’s production. Like the last set you designed for the Rep, The Glass Menagerie, Harriet Jacobs is a memory play. How did you evoke this feeling of memory in the set design? Memory is evoked in two specific ways in this production of Harriet Jacobs. Harriet's memory of hiding in the attic for seven years--only able to see the outside world through the cracks in the wood-- is reflected in the set design through the use of narrow openings in the upstage wall. These give us a sense of seeing glimpses into her memory of cotton fields, field workers, and watching her children grow and play. The other way in which memory is addressed is by not having anything real or tangible in the interior scenes. For example, we don't see the interior of Grandmother's kitchen or the Master's house. Instead, we listen to Harriet describe her memory of the space, and the ensemble helps set the world of the play through movement and song. Where did you draw your inspiration from for the set? I was inspired not only by the original architecture of the actual attic in which Harriet hid, but also by what it physically means to have freedom. In researching Harriet Jacobs, I came across an installation by artist Ellen Driscoll called The Loophole of Retreat. HARRIET JACOBS LEARNING GUIDE | 2010 This piece, although quite different from the scenic design, inspired the idea of representing the seven years of Harriet’s hiding with seven window-like openings in the upstage wall. The idea to use all wood boards came from our research on the homes, schools and places of work of those who were enslaved. The color was inspired by the yellowing of a page in a book and a piece by Ronald Lockett, named Pregnant Lady, that the costume designer, Jeremy Floyd, brought in during our research process. How has the design evolved since your design for the Steppenwolf production? The Kansas City Repertory scenic design is quite different from the design at Steppenwolf Theatre. At Steppenwolf, we dealt with memory by having the entire space open with all the props and furniture stored along the theatre walls. We evoked the trapped feeling in the design, not only her literal hiding, but also the traps that all the characters find themselves in. We realized the architecture of Grandmother's house and the big house with a cage-like structure indicating the bones of the house. All the props were real to help transform the space by the ensemble. We were also interested in the cage-like qualities of the boning used in period clothing to distinguish the white people in the play. Three windows hung in the space giving us moments of memory and, unlike seeing this production's expansive landscapes through narrow slots, we only saw the sky contained in the three windows. At KC Rep, the architecture of Copaken Stage, as well as director Jessica Thebus' point of view on memory and interest in seeing the writing on the walls, frees us from creating a real structure for Grandmother's house and the big house. We are more interested in illustrating the coffin-like attic where Harriet felt more free in hiding than when she was enslaved. The script also went through changes allowing us to show the outcome of her surviving and culminating with her publishing her story. Kansas City Repertory Theatre: Harriet Jacobs | 14
THE PRODUCTION SET DESIGN - CONTINUED HARRIET JACOBS LEARNING GUIDE | 2010 Notice the triangular opening that represents the crawl space where Harriet goes into hiding. The type above the model indicates text which will be projected. Note the use of color. Images of the set model courtesy of Collette Pollard. Kansas City Repertory Theatre: Harriet Jacobs | 15
Page 1 and 2: ISSUE 09 STUDENT MATINEE SERIES LEA
Page 3 and 4: Photo: Michael McClure Dear Friends
Page 5 and 6: THE PLAY THE STORY Setting: A crawl
Page 7 and 8: THE PLAY THE AUTHOR - CONTINUED Mot
Page 9 and 10: THE AUTHOR HARRIET JACOBS -TIME LIN
Page 11 and 12: THE PLAY THE PLAYWRIGHT Lydia R. Di
Page 13: THE PRODUCTION NOTES FROM THE DIREC
Page 17 and 18: THE PRODUCTION DESIGN ELEMENTS COST
Page 19 and 20: THE PRODUCTION DESIGN ELEMENTS LIGH
Page 21 and 22: THE PRODUCTION SPOTLIGHT ON AN ACTO
Page 23 and 24: THE PRODUCTION SPOTLIGHT ON REP STA
Page 25 and 26: PRE OR POST-SHOW ACTIVITY HARRIET J
Page 27 and 28: PRE OR POST-SHOW ACTIVITY - CONTINU
Page 29 and 30: BEFORE THE PERFORMANCE PRE-SHOW ACT
Page 31 and 32: AFTER THE PERFORMANCE: REFLECT & CO
Page 37 and 38: STATE AND NATIONAL STANDARDS Harrie
Page 39 and 40: STUDENT MATINEE INFORMATION TIPS FO
Page 41 and 42: STUDENT MATINEE INFORMATION CONTINU
Page 43 and 44: EDUCATION AND OUTREACH—POST SHOW
Page 45 and 46: KANSAS CITY REPERTORY THEATRE 2010-
Page 47: Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s a

Harriet Jacobs - The Kansas City Repertory Theatre

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