Concepts and Plans
Rathfarnham Drama Group commissioned Scenemaker to build a set for their production of Translations by
Brian Friel. This is a play about the first ordinance survey of Ireland and the angelicising of old Celtic
place names. All the action takes place in a barn which is being used as a school and attended by a group
of students who have a surprising knowledge of the Classics and languages. It is also a love story where
the two lovers can't communicate verbally as the English officer can't speak Irish and the Irish girl
can't speak English. Their natural barrier is ultimately overcome by the language of love.
The play was staged in November 2010 in the Mill Theatre in Dundrum. The director of the play make a
cardboard model of what she thought the set should look like. Taking our cue from the model we devised
a minimalistic set that would be made of plywood to convey the idea of a large barn interior.
Click the images for full views.
Director's Model.
This was my first drawing of the set
The Director felt that the doors should be bigger, so I enlarged them on the second rendering.
This is the final drawing. During construction the diagonal planks were lost as they didn't look quite
right when constructed.
