Creative Presentation on Blitzstein's REGINA

As we prepare for the final weeks of the semester, we are winding up to the creative presentations each student is working on related to our opera(s) researched independently. The creative aspect of my project is revolving around a set design for the opera Regina by mid-century composer Marc Blitzstein.

The primary set design revolves around a Reconstruction-era southern homestead, roughly turn of the century. A key aspect that is capturing my interest in the interpretation is the furniture within. The script to the play upon which Regina is based, Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes, takes care to describe the furniture of the upscale residence as showing wealth, but nothing of actual meaning or sentimental value. Basically, my interpretation is that the furniture should create an air almost of a Victorian showroom, instead of a home. It merely shows off the monetary success of its occupants, while at the same time revealing the cold-hearted qualities of the three siblings that lead to that success. It allows for the wealthy characters who actually have compassion, namely Horace and Alexandra Giddens and Birdie Hubbard, to seem a bit alien around the set.

Several scenes of the opera occur on the terrace outside the house. If I were designing the set for the theatrical stage, I would prefer to create this as a side set extension on a traditional proscenium stage. However, for opera, most houses are designed acoustically for the singers to be placed upon the stage proper, my design incorporates a revolving set, similar to what you might see on a production of Les Miserables. This set allows the scenes to flow seamlessly from the room to the terrace, as the door to the terrace is found at the upstage portion of the room that is the primary set.