Initial Thoughts

In in idle moment, I started to put down some ideas about how the production will start, and some thoughts on the overall look of the show. I'm very keen on the idea of using tube lighting, I like their juddery quality when they first switch on, but all ideas are open to negotiation and I don't want to be too prescriptive in case that tramples on what the design team will bring to the project.

General

The production will not employ flats. The space will be cluttered with the minutiae of a modern life.

Opening Sequence

• House music will not be music. Instead it will be a loop of snatches of phrases spoken by a female voice. They should be distorted and the actual words spoken should be difficult to hear.

• Stage is black. A telephone is on a small table centre. It will start ringing. After a few rings, a tight spot will snap on lighting just the table and phone. The light will be accompanied by a metallic, percussive sound that seems to give the light substance. The voices will end, the phone stop ringing, the answerphone messages will begin.

• At the end of the final message, the light will snap off with the same sound effect. Once in darkness, a series of fluorescent lights attached to the back wall will begin to flicker randomly. They will be in a configuration which subtly spells out the name ANNE, but the whole name must never be lit at once.

• While the lights are flickering, some industrial-type music will play loud and the actors for Scene 2 will take their positions