The Taming of the Shrew
set design
We then asked the designer, Mauro Tinti a bit about his job on the production:
How would you define the role of designer?
The designer is the one who is responsible for the final visual effect. Although this is achieved by working very closely with the director, the designer has a great responsibility. It could be said that he is the director's right arm!
How well did you know this play before you began working on the production?
I vaguely knew the subject but I never read it before, so it was amazingly surprising for me to discover how many aspects you can explore within the text and the story. It is not just a comedy; it's definitely more than that. The concept of the "play within the play" and the role of women, not to mention money and power, are some of the crucial issues you have to deal with if you want to stage this play.
Can you take us through the design process?
Of course the process is different according to each play, but usually it starts with the reading of the text and a series of preliminary discussions with the director, in order to have a confrontation of ideas and inspirations. It is a fascinating creative process, and then you start to sketch your ideas while at the same time doing a lot of research about any ideas you have developed. These will not necessarily be about the historical period – it could also be about contemporary art, for example. You never know where you can get your inspirations from and I like to mix things up. I use a sketchbook for each production, which ends up completely full of drawings. Then some of them are discarded and some others developed into the final concept. I then make a scale model to show the director and the theatre (photographs are shown on the next page).
Does the design change at all from model to production?
The making of the model is one of the stages of the process, but when you show a "final model" is supposed to be fairly accurate. Some details could then change before the opening of the production, but nothing really substantial; the whole concept stays, or should stay, the same. If everything changed from the final model it could mean only that the whole process was clearly wrong – I am sure that this could happen, and has happened before, but it must be pretty dramatic!
How does the designer's relationship with the lighting designer work?
It is another close relationship because he is responsible for create the final visual effect you wanted, and to suggest emotions through the lighting.
Did you also design the costumes?
Yes I did. I usually design both set and costumes when I have the opportunity; it gives me more control on the visual side of the production.
Here is a preview of the set design, hot off Mauro's drawing board:
