The Woolgatherer

By: William Matrosimone

Director

The Woolgatherer

• It is a two play act, set in South Philadelphia, which centers around two unstable individuals, Rose and Cliff.

• Rose is an abnormally sensitive woman who lives alone in a one bedroom apartment. She seems to have closed herself off from the world due to her haunted past.

• Cliff is a sarcastic, wise-cracking truck driving looking for a one night stand. He is obviously wounded by his past relationship but tries to cover it up with his witticism. He is stuck in town for the night due to repairs being made to his big rig.

Casting Choices

• Paul Rudd will play the role of Cliff

• Natalie Portman will play the role of Rose

Theme: “Overcoming the Past”

• This will be the main action expressed throughout the story.– Also known as the “spine” of the play.– Both Rose and Cliff have been

troubled by their pasts but deal with it in different ways. Not knowing they are needed by each other to overcome their troublesome pasts.

– Rose tends to fill her empty life with fantasies, often losing touch with reality.

– Cliff uses sarcastic wit to fend off situations he’d rather not deal with.

– Together, these two attracting opposites create a sappy love story in which the audience can watch and become a part of.

Style: “Realism”

• The play will depict a realistic style of drama.• The audience will find it pleasant, funny, and

slightly intriguing but will not carry itself.• The play will become either romantic or sappy

depending on the performance of the actors and how they connect with the audience.

• The actors must immerse themselves in the role of each character and seduce the audience with the raw emotion of both Rose and Cliff.

Costumes

Style of Production

• The style of the costumes for this production would be very casual. The time period that it takes place in is present day and therefore the costumes must resemble present day wardrobe.

Nature of Individuals

• Rose: Innocent girl who appears to be afraid and mistrusting of the world. She hides a deep secret.

• Cliff: Blunt, sarcastic truck driver who is looking for a fun time with a lady with no commitment.

Rose

Cliff

Set design

• Thrust Stage will be used for the performance of The Woolgatherer.– This will create

a more intimate setting needed to keep the audience engaged.

• The Woolgatherer appeared in 1979 is set entirely in an apartment in South Philadelphia.

• The inside of the apartment should look a bit worn down but still somewhat kept, depicting the owner as a bit unstable and living by his or herself.

• The apartment should also be furnished with dull colors to set an isolated/abandoned mood.

• The arrangement of the furniture should be set to where the audience is able to view the entire inside of the apartment with the door, closet and window all in view.

• The realistic setting will depict the inside of an efficiency apartment consisting of:– A single bed, neatly

made– A small table– A chair– An orange crate– A closet– A boarded up window

hidden by cheap curtains

(scale model)

Lighting

Functions of Lighting

• Visibility: The simple ability to see what is occurring on stage. Any lighting design will be ineffective if the viewers cannot see the characters.

• Shapes and Forms: Sometimes, the lighting is placed in certain positions in order to see shadows or different parts of the design in order to understand the plot better.

Functions of Lighting

• Visual composition: How the entire scene onstage will appear to the audience.

• Mood: Setting the tone of a scene. Harsh red light has a totally different effect from soft lavender light.

• Location and time of day: Establishing or altering position in time and space. Blues can suggest night time while orange and red can suggest a sunrise or sunset.

Functions of Lighting

• Movement: movement -- alterations in the other factors will give impression of movement - this would also include the movement of a "follow-spot" (powerful spotlight as that swivel and shine on different places).

- Fades, cross-fades,blackouts can suggest movement and form