HOW I LEARNED
TO DRIVE
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Above: Proposed To-Scale Floor Plan for How I Learned to Drive Set at the George Ignatieff Theatre
Above: Design Concept and Inspiration Presentation for "How I Learned to Drive"
2018
Set Design Consultant for "How I Learned to Drive" at George Ignatieff Theatre, Toronto
Directed by: Hannah Lazare
Written by: Paula Vogel
Plot Summary
How I Learned to Drive is a coming-of-age story that takes the audience to a non-linear journey of the protagonist, Lil Bit's pre-teen and teenage years in the 1960s as, unbeknownst to her at that time, she was sexually violated by her Uncle, and how she is finally able to forgive him after his passing in her thirties. The play explores issues of pedophilia, incest, male dominance, and the very journey of "growing up" through the metaphor of driving.
Design Rationale
For director Hannah Lazare, it was this theme of "growing up" that stood out amongst all others, and she therefore wanted to reflect Lil Bit's innocence during the course of her childhood through the play's set design. Wanting to step away from realist and minimal design that the play has often been approached with in the past, Lazare wanted her version to be a reflection of a child's mind, and wanted for the set of the play to contrast the dark themes explored in the performance itself through a kind of lightness and playfulness that Lil Bit embodied throughout her relationship with Uncle Peck during her childhood and teenage years.
The inspirations for the set design for How I Learned to Drive came from a number of places, including installation art works such as Chinese Avant Garde artist Song Dong’s installation artwork, “Wisdom of the Poor: Communal Courtyard”, Wes Anderson inspired works of public art in New York, 1950s and 60s retro restaurant and home interior design samples, drawing styles from children’s books, pastel color themes, and retro props and decor pieces.
Floor Plan
Inspired by “Communal Courtyard”, my design for the play took the form of a pop-up storybook, with spreads scattered in a non-linear formation on the stage, in order to represent the non-linear nature of the protagonist's narrative, while simultaneoulsy dealing with the problem of making numerous set changes happen without a black out. The simultaneous set would also allowed for the actors to freely move across the entire stage, visually provoking the audience’s interest. Each spread represents a chapter or scene in Lil Bit's life. While the spreads themselves were cartoon-like two-dimensional panels, each spread housed within its pages a set piece in order to give the book its "pop-out" effect. Finally, the road-lines on the stage was a way to represent the idea of Lil Bit navigating through her life, still using the ever-present metaphor of driving.
Kitchen Book Spread Design Concept
School Dance Book Spread Design Concept
Restaurant Book Spread Design Concept
Hotel Bedroom Book Spread Design Concept
The Final Production
The final set for the play followed the proposed idea of a “children’s pop-up book,” however, considering pragmatic factors such as budget and means of transportation from the studio to the theatre, instead of the scattered pages being constructed using a number of wood panels, the set took the form of an actual “pop-up book”, that was positioned at centre-stage throughout the entire play. Each spread inside the book consisted of a new chapter, painted with a child-like understanding of colour and perception, with the pages being flipped by the actors, in full view of the audience, with each change representing a new scene.
My role in the actual realization of the design—i.e. from design conceptualization and proposal to the actual production—was that of assisting the set designer with painting of the pages, and the theatre manager, Sharon Reid, with the process of actually constructing the set using wood panels, fabric, and metal parts.
The set design was the Winner of the Best Set Design of the Season Award at the 2018 Dougie Awards at the University of Toronto
Below: Images of the Final Set Piece
Set Piece: Book Cover
Set Piece: School Dance (Gym) Scene Book Spread
Set Piece: Road Scene Book Spread
Set Piece: Kitchen Scene Book Spread
Set Piece: Restaurant Scene Book Spread
Set Piece: Living Room Scene Book Spread