The Big Meal with Michael Boyd

Opening in March it is very exciting to be working with Michael again and on a new play at the Ustinov in Bath. This has been a hit play in the US and charts one family over the passage of many generations. We watch one couple’s whole lives pass as the characters leap between pairs of actors, each a different age group. The play is meant to be set in a generic American restaurant, but with the possibility that we can imagine a range of different dining experiences. Strangely when working on a new play there are many images from past US productions on line, most seem quite Naturalistic which for me doesnt tie in with the very fluid nature of the storytelling, so the process so far has been to find an evocative space which uses the key elements of a restaurant, the tables, chairs and banquettes without tying it down to one particular place. We have gone for a bold red space, which can feel harsh or seductive depending on lighting. the bold slots in the walls are a response to the  theatre’s architecture.

big meal by Dan lefranc, direted by Michael Boyd, designed by Tom Piper . rough model

big meal by Dan lefranc, direted by Michael Boyd, designed by Tom Piper . rough model

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