Staging proposal.

For staging MLML or TPG, the first thing I consider about is to show the difference between richness and the poor people. And also another important element is to show how the girl traveled long distance from village to the big city. Instead of setting stage into two parts, rich people’s region and the poor peasants’ region, because half stage used to show poorness and half stage used to show richness would let audience be confused about the setting and also can not show the hardness of Desiree who traveled for the long distance. So I would like to separate the whole play into four parts, the time period before Daniel came in, the time period when Desiree found out Daniel and took care of him and then his father took him away, then the time period she spent on the traveling, then the last time period she spent with Daniel and died in front of the palace.  ( This staging skill in the past I did not think about it, but after I watched The School of Rock, it inspired me of doing this method. )

For the first part, the time period before Daniel, the whole stage is the peasants’ area, and I believe the light should be dark brown because it highlighted the characteristic of the peasants. For the costume, whoever Tonton Julian, Mama Euralie or other peasants, they all wear the clothes with holes and mud on them, however, Desiree would wear the clothes with patchy on them in order to show difference between the other peasants and Desiree. And in order to show the her social withdrawal, I would like to choose the part when everyone went to the Vaudum ceremony where sets in the stage right, Desiree would go to stage left to stay near the river and do the soliloquize. And when the party starts, the lights on the peasants would be light red or light orange in order to show the happiness, however, the light on Desiree would be blue in order to show the peace and quiet environment. And also the contradict between the busy atmosphere and the quiet atmosphere would give audience a hint of the difference between Deisree and all other peasants.

Suddenly, it came a howl, and then a loud crash. Then the light shuts immediately, I would describe this darkness as the stage change from scene 1 to scene 2.  At this time, Desiree does not need to move, but the peasants’ party should be removed and put a fake tree on the stage center. Because on the stage, making a car crash and let Daniel stay in the crashed car are difficult to accomplish , so at this part I would change the scene to Daniel just laid down beside the tree and his burning car( we could only use scrap metal as the crashed car) sets on the margin of the stag right.) Then the Desiree would find out Daniel, which she moves from stage left to the stage center. And she called loudly in order to attract more peasants and at the same time she hold him carefully in order to show her care. When she is waiting for peasants coming, Papa Ge would appear next to the burning car and he should wear in black and also scared Desiree which he will walk from the margin of stage right and slowly move to center of the stage. As he approaching the stage center, Desiree would pray for the Agwe and Erzulie for her love. At that time, the background music should be the sound of storm and thunder, Papa Ge would laugh giggly about the pray And after Desiree prayed, Papa Ge disappeared with the giggly laughing and also with the heavy industrial music. Then the stage would appear white light with no background music, at that time, Desiree would look at the Daniel and begins singing.

Then it will be the transitional scene from the small village to the big city. In this part personally I do not want to add the scene where Mama took Desiree to the god battle part, which I believed that part only reinforced Desiree’s decision to leave the small village, in fact it does not truly change anything. So I would set this scene’s start with the conversation between Desiree with Tonton Julian, they both stay in the stage left. Then Desiree would begin to ask question to Julian, and also Desiree asked Tonton Julian to give his blessing to leave, Julian would be silent for a moment, but in the end he said stay safely to Desiree and just let her go. At this time, the staging life would be light yellow to show the sadness of leaving. When Desiree left the small village from stage left to right, I would suggest the whole lighting would shut down, only lights on the Desiree in order to show her loneliness. Then on the road,she began to move from stage left to right. In order to show that she spent much time on traveling, I would recommend that using the change between red lights and blues lights to illustrate that she spends many days and nights on the road. Then she would talked with first women about the patience during the conversation of requesting some food. The woman’s clothes can be clean and also appropriate. Which would show the difference between a peasants and a citizen. The she finally arrived in the big city, which we would using some white boxes to make a big gate to show the city. And the comparison between a black peasant with patchy clothes and a white and magnificent gate, which would illustrate how huge gap there is between richness and the peasants. Then Desiree wanted to go into the gate, but was rejected by the watchman because she needs to wear shoes, so she went back from stage right to stage right to find that cooking woman and asked for a pair of shoes to wear.

Then the scene 4, where Desiree had successfully gone into the house. The lighting would be light blue to show the quietness in the palace. When Desiree stayed in the stage left to watch the landscape, suddenly she found out Daniel who stood in the center and looked at her, at that time, Daniel wore the suits and looks very noble, but Desiree, even though she wore the white skirt and the shoes, her black skin also showed that she did not stay in the same level with Daniel.   Suddenly Daniel lost his conscious, then Desiree took him back to her room which located at the margin of the stage left. And then the light shut down and turn on after several second in order to show the pass of the night. Then Father of Daniel would came from stage right to stage left and told Daniel that he would never agree the marriage between them, at that time, the light on Daniel’s father would be red. Then after Daniel’s father gone, Daniel promised to Desiree that he would marry her. Then the stage transferred into a big hall that contains many nobles, then Daniel and Desiree would appear from stage right to the stage center, they would hold their hand together. Daniel would wear suits and Desiree would wear the white dress and white shoes, however, the contradiction between the white dress with her skin would seem a little bit ridiculous. After they move to stage center, many nobles would come together and use different languages to admire Desiree, but Desiree did not understand what they are talking about, so she could only step back a little bit and smile, which those two actions would show Desiree’s unconfidence. Then in order to gratitude the guests, Desiree would move to stage right and begin dancing for them, at this time, the white light would point to Desiree only. However, when she is dancing, other guests and Daniel would make a small circle and begin talking, they even do not pay attention on Desiree, the small circle represents the richness and even though Desiree makes herself as a noble but the whole small circle resists her. And after the celebration, Daniel would leave earlier than Desiree from stage center to stage right. This would give audience a hint that Desiree and Daniel’s relationship is not strong enough, the huge gap still exists. Then the light would shut down and all the guests do not need to move, only Daniel would move back to stage left and Desiree would go to stage right, at the margin, sits on a chair to look at the celebration between Daniel and Andrea.  Daniel and Andrea would show up from stage left then move to the center, Daniel would wear the suits and also Andrea would wear the white dress, but this time, the white dress seems corresponding with Andrea’s skin color. And when guests come and admire Andrea, Andrea would use different languages to answer them. Then Daniel would follow Andrea and dance with her. This time, guests would not make a small circle and talk privately, they would clap for them and admire them. So the difference results between Desiree’s dancing and Andrea’s dancing directly give audience that who will be the wife of Daniel. And also the different attitudes from guests would let audience figure out how huge gap there is between richness and poorness. In the end, Desiree became crazy, she ran from stage right to stage center, she seems she wants to destroy this celebration, but the vendors pull her over the gate, she cries and asks Daniel that does she do anything wrong? But Daniel does not pay attention on her, he acts as his father. Then suddenly Desiree was hit by the vendors on the wall, and she falls on the ground, but no one pays attention on her, the white light would draw on her, the scene would look a little bit funny that all rich people talk and celebrate in a hall, but outside the hall, there is a peasant girl who saved the rich person’s son, but no one cares about it, then the light shuts down slowly, the whole play ends.