THALES ACADEMY APEX HIGH SCHOOL // JUNE 2021 // APEX, NC

The decision to adapt Little Women into the 1940s created an array of new opportunities for set design. Mid-century interior designs, decorations, and layouts were often simple and straightforward, and easy to assemble into sets for the stage. 

To research and organize the layouts for each location, I spent time looking through photographs of apartments, homes, and specific rooms from the 1940s, paying close attention to the styles of furniture and recurring colors and patterns. Fireplaces and hearths were often central pieces of a room, accompanied by sofas, chairs, and tables in warm and muted colors, as well as ornate wallpapers covered in miniature patterns (often floral). For other locations, such as the European gardens, I looked through images of conservatories and gardens of Italy and Greece to get a feel for common organization, plant life, and accessories (fountains, arches, etc.).  The use of mood boards and images, colors, or patterns that evoked certain overtones was instrumental in the design of each set, providing insight into the use of pieces to represent their atmospheres, importances, and connotations.

Due to restraints imposed by the theatre venue itself (lack of storage space, smaller stage size, and limited capacity for frequent transitions), Little Women uses only a few primary locations. Detailed sets and backdrops are used only when multiple scenes may take place on that set, or during longer scenes that serve great importance to the story. On occasion, certain scenes are conducted with very minimal set pieces (or none at all), in order to emphasize and limit distractions in regard to the dramatics and emphasis of the scene at hand. Generally, these scenes may take place in front of the curtain, and involve only two or so people (Laurie's proposal to Jo, Amy and Laurie's engagement, etc.) for maximum effect.