“Who’s Afraid of Virginia of Woolf” is a 1962 play by Edward Albee about the complexities of an older married couples’ relationship as they entertain a younger unwitting couple across a late-night drinking session following a faculty party. This production was a critically acclaimed rendition originally created in the 80 seat Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre. The work was reimagined and redesigned to sit within the 1000 seat Comedy Theatre playing to a significantly larger audience than its original season. Tasked with designing the lighting for this project proffered some exceptional challenges. Recreating the original production’s mood and atmosphere in a proscenium arch theatre over ten times the size was one of the most significant hurdles the project presented. Working with director Sarah Goodes the brief was retain the intimacy of the original staging whilst depicting a sense of theatricality that would frame the piece as work of ritual and ceremony. The colour palette of the light shifted within a small but uneasy range that amplified the emotional context of the characters interactions across the evening. The lighting also served to focus in upon each of the characters anxieties and psychological state in a way that was meant to underline the uncanniness of the narrative’s descent into chaos.
History
Add to Elements
Yes
NTRO Output Type
Original Creative Work
NTRO Output Category
Original Creative Work : Design / architectural Work
Place
Melbourne, Australia
Venue
Comedy Theatre, Melbourne
NTRO Publisher
Red Stitch Actors Theatre/GWB Entertainment/Andrew Henry Presents
Start Date
2024-06-29
End Date
2024-07-21
Medium
Lighting Design
Research Statement
“Who’s Afraid of Virginia of Woolf” is a 1962 play by Edward Albee about the complexities of an older married couples’ relationship as they entertain a younger unwitting couple across a late-night drinking session following a faculty party. This production was a critically acclaimed rendition originally created in the 80 seat Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre. The work was reimagined and redesigned to sit within the 1000 seat Comedy Theatre playing to a significantly larger audience than its original season.
Recreating the original production’s mood and atmosphere in a proscenium arch theatre over ten times the size was one of the most significant hurdles the project presented. The brief was to retain the intimacy of the original staging whilst depicting a sense of theatricality that would frame the piece as work of ritual and ceremony. The colour palette of the light shifted within a small but uneasy range that amplified the emotional context of the characters interactions across the evening.
The excellence of this work is evidenced by:
• The work was a milestone for the Red Stitch Actor’s Theatre transferring an intimate work to a larger commercial venue in collaboration with commercial producers GWB Entertainment and Andrew Henry Presents.
• The work was directed by Sarah Goodes, one of Australia’s leading theatre artists.
• The work was as critically acclaimed on this second outing as it was for its sold-out original season.
• The work was viewed by a much larger audience than was possible in its original run at Red Stitch.
• The work has been picked up as part of Sydney Theatre Company’s 2025 season