Inspired Design
Performed in Smock Alley Theatre Studio, Dublin in October 2009.
The Third Tragedy by Euripides opens in front of the walls of the ruined city of Troy amidst scenes of carnage,
destruction and mourning. The story follows the lives of the women of Troy - their challenges, tragedies and
prayers - through a situation which seems desperate and void of hope. Hecuba, the Trojan Queen and mother of
Paris (the young prince whose actions caused the war), is left bereft of all her worldly and spiritual possessions
and family connections and thrown into a world of slavery for which she was ill prepared.
The brief was to design a set made from recycled materials which would represent the gates and walls of the ancient
city of Troy. The set had to be imposing within the height limitations of the Smock Alley Studio (5m) and have two
levels for the actors.
Using Pallets enabled exciting effects with suitable lighting from front or behind. The structure essentially is a
scaffolding frame with the pallets tied in place. Rotating every second pallet produced interesting textural effects
and patterns as the pallets are not square but rectangular. The main gates to the city were constructed of simple
scaffolding planks which added a weight dimension to the gate and produced a “heavy” effect when opening and closing,
especially when accompanied by rattling chains behind the gates. The pallets were coasted with a green wash to give
an eerie effect which reacted very well under lights.
The build
Offsite build, fitted perfectly, assembled in hours.
Initially I had visions of scouring the industrial estates of South Dublin looking for cast off pallets. However, this would
have resulted in a collection of damaged and different sized pallets which would have made the build very difficult.
The finished product would have looked like a bonfire before Halloween. Fortunately I had a contact in Guinness who was
happy to donate a quantity of almost perfect Skids. Skids are a lightweight pallet and are used to transport barrels of the
“Black Stuff” around the country. With the dimensions of the pallets, I was able to work on drawings and make
decisions about pallet placement on the scaffolding frame. Preparation consisted only of painting the pallets. I also had
to make up four large hinges for the gate from some lengths of 50mm x 25mm steel box section.
All of this was delivered to Smock Alley and built in a matter of hours. Scaffolding was supplied by Dirk Jegar of In Any Event,
who was in and out of the building an three hours. It took about five hours for two people to hang the pallets and doors.
The get out took about two hours. I now have a quantity of pallets which I am happy to recycle if someone else wants a
similar set.
