For the project I worked to create and source the set and costume along with designer, Rebecca Constable. I found the project to be extremely helpful to my learning in terms of set design. As my background is in costume design, I have found it helpful to watch the process of making the set.
When designing the project we had the book as our reference, as the book mentions many props and locations, it was essential we found a way to reference this without it being too overwhelming as the show only had one actor. This meant some elements that we had originally wanted or decided to use were cut as it was too much.
The show toured different libraries, and it was also important that anything we designed worked within the spaces and was able to fit into the van. This was a big learning curve for me as this was my first touring project and, making sure things fit in vans and fit into different sized spaced was something I had never had to consider with the work I have previously done.
For the project, I made the suitcases which involved stripping the old paint, sanding, and repainting with a new design. I also sourced ‘grandads chair’ and other items. When working on the project I really learnt about not being precious with my work as there were certain things that I would create that would end up not being used, I found it was really important to move on when it did happen and focus on the next task which can be very difficult when you’ve spent time working on something. However, when seeing the end result, I realised that certain cuts and changes are necessary to the overall performance. In the end, I feel that all the design decisions we made worked well.
I was incredibly pleased with the final outcome of the project; the set worked for all the spaces the show had to travel to and was still interesting and engaging for the audience. Most importantly the story of the love a granddaughter has for her grandfather shone through.
-Working on ‘If All The World Were’ Library Project by Delicia Sorhaindo