During the fall semester 2014, I directed Christopher Hampton’s adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses.
This production served a number of curricular needs, primarily for graduate students. MFA Acting candidates Kirill Sheynerman and Carolyn Conover played the Vicomte de Valmont and the Marquise de Merteuil, respectively. Conover received a grant to travel to Paris for preliminary research; I assisted in planning her trip and traveled to Paris with her. Scenery and costumes were designed by MFA students Daniel Hobbs and Elspeth Williams, respectively. Undergraduate students designed the lighting (Jessica Osos) and sound (Steve Parkinson). Wigs and hair were designed by our costume shop supervisor Angie Wendelberger.
A major challenge of this production was staging a play about secrets and lies in the round; there was no place to hide. Capturing the rococo world of the play was also a challenge, resulting in a painted floor and columns, rather than the ornate walls and doors that would have been typical of the period.
I identified game-playing as a central theme of the play, and the designers took inspiration from playing-card suits for scenic elements and make-up. Indeed, the play begins with Merteuil playing cards with her cousin, Madame de Volanges:
Blocking emphasized combat through metaphors of chess and tennis matches:
I blogged rather extensively about the rehearsal process and production here.