Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1993 - 30

Morley gave primacy ro rhe rexr rarher
rhan ro an exrernal "concepr," rheir analysis of rhe play's sparial dynamics
remained essenrially rhe same.
Limired by hasre and by rhe
Kronborg Casrle courryard, rhe sers for
rhe rwo producrions in Elsinore were of
necessiry makeshifr. Those for rhe New
Thearre and for rhe Shakespeare
Memorial Thearre were nor, calling inro
play considerable resources and ingenuiry. The revolving srage in 1934 drew
praise for rhe swifrness of irs scene
changes and for irs beaury. Skerches show
rhar Morley were also concerned ro
define differenr kinds of space by exposing differenr pans of rhe ser ro view and
shaping rhe space rhrough drapes and
lighring.
As can be seen in Figures Gand 7, rhe
essenriaJ ser srrucrure was a circular plarform, on which rwo drum-shaped rosrra,
reached by srairs, creared upper acring
areas. Figure G (mislabelled "Macberh
Old Vic" on rhe skerch) shows rhe srage
as ir was ser for rhe Courr Scene 0, ii). By
hanging rapesries and screens, wirh a
bench and rwo rhrones broughr on,
Morley panially masked rhe upper areas.
When rhe hangings were flown our and
rhe lighring changed, rhe upper areas
became barrlemenrs on which rhe Ghosr
appeared. For rhe Mad Scene (IV, v;
Figure 7), rhe ser was rorared 90 degrees,
differenr hangings dropped in ro mask ir,
rhereby crearing rhe effecr of anorher
place in rhe casrle. For rhe Graveyard
Scene (V, i; nor shown), which began rhe
rhird pan of rhe play in Gielgud's division, rhe orienrarion of rhe ser remained
rhe same, wirh differenr hangings and
some ornare crosses upsrage ro suggesr
rombsrones.
The 1934 ser rhus sarisfied borh
Shakespare's original requirmenrs for
speed and for differenr acring areas. Even
if rhe rexr does nor absolurely require ir,
rhe performance benefirs from an upper
space for rhe barrlemenrs, a public and
perhaps several privare inreriors, and rhe
graveyard. The rich rapesrries and cosrumes (rhemselves pan of rhe serring, in a
way) rhen creared a sense of rhe play's
armo phere and period, wirhour burdening rhe producrion wirh rhe elaborare,
rhree-dimensional serrings rhar an earlier
era would have rhoughr necessarv ro
evoke gorhic Elsinore.
From rheir preliminarv skerches ro
finished visualizarions of individual
momenrs in rhe play, we can see Morley's
crearion of rhe 1958 Hall/let scene by
scene. (See Figures 5, 8, and 9.) The
skeleral unir ser consisred of rwo levels,
wirh side pieces downsrage lefr and righr.
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Upsrage srood six columns. When needed, rwo rosHa wirh sreps rhar could be
rolled on from rhe wings. Having
designed rheir unir ser, which wirh modificarions rhey would also use for rhe
orher plays in rhe 1958 season, Morley
firsr made a rough skerch for each scene,
wirh minimal indicarion for lighring
and figures onsrage. Figure 5 shows rhe
rough drawings for "Pan II" (III, i, ro IV,
v). For each scene rhe designers visualized
a key momenr, and rheir skerches show
nor only rhe arrangemenr of rhe scene,
bur indicarions for blocking as well. As
rhey moved rhrough rhe six scenes inro

Figure 6. Court Scene. plan and elevation.1934.

Figure 7. Mad Scene. plan and elevation.1934.

which Parr II was divided, Morley
changed rhe lighring and flew in and our
swagged c10rhs ro suggesr changes from
rhe open, public spaces of rhe firsr and
rhe play scenes, rhe inrimare spaces of rhe
King's closer and rhe Queen's closer, and,
finally, rhe ourdoor, public space in
which Hamler observes Foninbras and
his men.
Having rhus roughed our rhe play
from beginning ro end, ~dorley nexr
worked up a more derailed skerch for
each scene, srill in pencil, on a larger scale
and wirh somewhar more careful indicarions for lighring and for rhe placemenr
of rhe acrors. Figure 8 shows rhe Queen's
closer scene wi rh a swagged c10rh suggesring a canopy over rhe large bed, and
wirh Hamler seared on rhe bed and
Gerrrude sranding ro one side. Lasr, for
each scene Morley skerched sroryboards
in color, keeping rhe rendering sryle
rough, bur now providing a good approximarion ro how rhey visualized individual
momenrs.
Figure 9 shows rhe sroryboard for rhe
Queen's Closer, rhis rime wirh Hamler
kneeling in fronr of Gerrrude, who is
seared on rhe bed, and wirh rhe Ghosr
sranding upsrage lerr, visible ro Hamler,
bur nor ro Gerrrude. Through heavy,
swagged drapes Morley creared an inrimare, volupwous apanmenr wirhin rhe
larger srage space. Gerrrude's musrard
gown harmonized wirh rhe salmon
drape, and rhe deep red coverler.
Hamler's black suir srood our in conrrasr.
The Ghosr appeared as an apparirion
whose whirened head and rorso alone
were clearly visible ro rhe audience and ro
Hamler. In rhis scene and rhroughour rhe
play Morley's designs speak for rhemselves, needing lirrle explanarion ro see
how rhe designers were responding ro rhe
rexr. Indeed, ir was Morley's virrue ro
presenr rhe play wirh simpliciry and c1ariry, making eloquenr srage picrures rhar
spoke direcrly ro rhe audience.
Ar rhe same rime, wirh rhe an rhar
conceals an, Morley offered solurions ro
problems in sraging rhar any producrion
of Hall/let faces. From irs opening on
rhe barrlemenrs ro rhe alrernarion of
large public scenes in coun wirh inrimare domesric scenes, rhe play moves
from ourdoors ro indoors. Morley's sroryboards rrace rhis rhyrhm, which maps
an imporranr dimension of rhe play's
imaginarive and physical space. [n
derail, rhe designs demonsrrare solurions ro more parricular problems in
sraging, as can be seen in rheir rrearmenr
of rhe Closer scene (Figure 8). The
placemenr of rhe Ghosr so rhar ir is visible ro rhe audience and ro Hamler bur
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1993
