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The set of A Monster Calls was particularly interesting, given that it was the most modern set that at least I have seen in the plays. This set was simple and minimalistic, creating a large space for the actors and stresses to move around. The use of rope to make the yew tree’s various iteration was ingenious. It created a space that was easy to manipulate and allowed the actors to make spaces that would have been hard to have otherwise. This set was particularly helpful with the themes of the play. Since it was so minimalistic all of the attention was focused on the actors. In that way it could be seen as similar to how a teenager or child would feel in the situation of the play.  

The themes, as I understand them to be just from seeing the play deal with mental illness and feeling alone while also being in the spotlight. The set really adds to this feeling, especially with the nightmare sequences that had projections behind the actors. The chairs and all of the actors on stage also added to the theme of being seen, but not being seen. The use of the props and chairs all drew attention back to the actors that were in the spotlight at that moment, whether it was just the main character or various others.  In the scene where Conor destroys his Grandma’s house, the lack of actors on the stage created the atmosphere of being alone in the house. The chairs were a good choice in this instance, because they allowed the stage to look as though furniture was on it but made it easy to move and thus destroy.

The minimalism of the set worked well with the choice in props and the choice of actors. There were a few that were clearly chosen because they were either dancers or had dance experience. The rest were clearly trained in some form of modern dance for this production or at least in the use of the ropes. The dance really added to the attitude of the characters and helped envelop the storyline, especially with the lack of props. John Leader, the actor who played Harry was clearly a dancer and during the scene where Conor beats up Harry, the audience could see what was happening even though no one touched him. In fact, I think that if there were more props or less space on the stage the same message themes and sections of the play would not have been as clear.

A Monster Calls deals with heavy ideas, ones that are often hard to display. I think that this production did a good job focusing on the difficulties of the main character and the issues he was going through. Since there was so much space on the set it really separated what was actually happening from the props that were there, along with the other actors. The whiteness of the set contrasted with the open part that had the sound effects and the actors. The whiteness actually brought to mind hospitals and psychiatrists offices which again ties into the themes behind the play.

This play was extremely moving and kept my attention the entire time. When we first walked in I was confused with the stage because it seemed so empty, but it really came to life with the actors and small number of props that they had. The scenes in the hospital really created the sense of disturbance that the main character felt seeing his mom so sick. The lighting helped create the rooms, by lighting part of the stage and keeping the rest of it dark. This might not be the stage, but the lighting was part of the set. The lights were also important in the nightmare sequences, with the projection on the back screen and the darkness that was comparable to the feeling of Conor during them. The final sequence with the middle section coming down and having Conor’s mother essentially fall off of the edge was an extremely powerful ending to the play. I understand that this sequence was no the ending of the play, but most of the problems were resolved or came to a peak in this scene.

The set created a space that would have not worked for another play, but in this instance the set worked with the themes and the actors filled the space so much that I didn’t notice the emptiness. The ropes also helped fill the space and added an element that would not have been possible without them.