1This is the first stage of the process – planning our ideas. We created a moodboard that included all of our individual ideas based on our research of New York City and Washington Heights and knowledge of the script.

2

The next stage is designing a collective sketch of all our ideas put together. We considered the reasons behind our ideas such as historical and geographical context. For example, we thought wrapping ivy around the drain pipe would add to the rough feel of the set and make the scenery look aged.

3Material? Where can we get it from? Why are we using it?

Trash can Already got After the interval the street gets trashed. So in act 1 there will not be a trash can but in act 2 there will and with litter scattered across the set. We have chosen this to give the effect of the aftermath of a riot.

Bin liners Asda After the interval the street gets trashed. So in act 1 there will not be a bin liners but in act 2 there will and with litter scattered across the set. We have chosen this to give the effect of the aftermath of a riot.

Pipe B&Q / Homebase Purely to give character to the set.

Ivy Outside Purely to give character to the set.Paint – black, brown, “Cocoa Bean”, “Wholemeal”, “Sand”

B&Q / Homebase / Hobbycraft

In act 1, scene 1 Graffiti Pete is painting graffiti. From looking at the designs we have learnt that they are very colourful. This will contrast with the dark colours of the rest of the set.

Spray cans Hobbycraft We need paint spray cans because in act 1, scene 1 Graffiti Pete is painting graffiti. "GRAFFITI PETE is revealed painting various walls."

Flowers Florist / outside When analysing the characters we found that they have South American backgrounds and in South America they grow lots of fruit. So we thought that flowers/ plants in a window box would support the characters’ background.

Window box (plywood) When analysing the characters we found that they have South American backgrounds and in South America they grow lots of fruit. So we thought that flowers/ plants in a window box would support the characters’ background.

Door numbers Lasercutter / Poundshop / Timpsons

Flats are above the salon. Purely to distinguish between the two.

Sand paper Already got We need sandpaper to give the door numbers a worn down look because the neighbourhood is quite poor and the street gets trashed at the end of act 1.

Moss Outside In our research previous sets have been dirtied down to give the effect of a “run down” area. Our design has taken this into account.

Washing line Asda / borrow We need clothes because in act 1, scene 8 it says “Women are folding clothes”.

Pegs Asda / borrow We need clothes because in act 1, scene 8 it says “Women are folding clothes”.

Sugar paper Asda We need sugar paper so we can create a smashed window. The street gets trashed at the end of act 1 and it’s visible at the start of act 2. [Act 2, scene 1]

Clothes Already got We need clothes because in act 1, scene 8 it says “Women are folding clothes”.

Fire escape (Wood) B&Q We are using the wood to make a fire escape as it would be too time consuming to make out of metal. Also it would be too flimsy to make out of card. Act 2 scene 2 is called the Rosario fire escape.

This is the materials list I created. I wrote down what I needed and where to get it from so that I could tick it off when I sourced it, allowing me to keep track of my materials with ease.

4

Building the set comes next. It took time to figure out the measurements of the windows that needed to be jigsawed into the MDF wood, and consequently we took our time doing it in case anything went wrong. The flats measured 1.22m in width and 1.9m in height. I used a spirit level when drawing out the window on the wood to make sure the lines were straight, otherwise it wouldn’t be professional and it wouldn’t look good on the set. I took extra care when it came to using the jigsaw machine because precision and a steady hand is the key to getting a good result. Fortunately I did a good job and the lines were straight.

5 The next task was to begin painting the flats to look as realistic as possible. To do this, we added polystyrene “bricks” along the sides of the flats to distinguish apartments from other parts of the building. We sponge painted the bricks dark colours to make them look aged and crumbly, although the texture of the polystyrene already took care of this. To stay in keeping with the rough and dishevelled theme, we continued this technique on the actual flat itself and on the rest of the set. Continuity is very important in order for the set to look aesthetically pleasing and professional, and also historically, socially and geographically correct.

6This is the finished product. We added little props and bits of scenery such as potted plants and the balcony to create a sense of realism for both the actors and the audience. My specific flat fits in well with the rest of the set because continuity was kept in mind and achieved throughout the designing and building stages. The flats were attached onto wooden braces with nuts and bolts for support.

My product didn’t have any issues during the performance evenings so I consider it a success. The staging was stable and safe enough to allow the actors to move around freely and use the stage space however they required.