A comparison between the use of design to support narrative in Josie Rourke’s production of ‘Coriolanus’ and Lucy Mckenzie’s ‘Quodlibet’ series

Set in the midst of war and famine in ancient Rome, the play begins in the streets of ancient Rome where plebeians fought for more grain and a democratic society. In response to the riots, the wealthy patricians decide to appoint tribunes to represent the lower classes, including war hero Caius Martius, who is granted the name ‘Coriolanus’ in recognition of his great deeds in the siege of Corioli and defeating the enemy Volscians. However, in order to become consul, Coriolanus must plead for the votes of the plebeians. Overcome by his pride and arrogance, Coriolanus fails to play the role of the diplomat and is rejected by the plebeians after some persuasion from two clever and manipulative tribunes, Brutus and Sicinius, or Sicinia, as Rourke’s Sicinius is female. Driven to fury, Coriolanus speaks ill of the very idea of democracy and is declared a traitor to the Roman state and exiled.

Visual semiotics is essential to the success and coherence of any performance, achieved mainly by effective set design and costumes, which support and enhance the narrative, and Josie Rourke’s production of Coriolanus at the Donmar Warehouse is no different. These components are crucial in the audience’s understanding of the themes, mood and context of the performance, both geographical and historical, the latter of which is made slightly ambiguous in Rourke’s production as she chooses to emphasise the tragedy of Coriolanus, the fallen soldier, and the political issues explored in the play. Set designer Lucy Osbourne uses the intimate space of the Donmar Warehouse with great ingenuity to support the ideas and narrative that Rourke focuses on.

Osbourne creates a set that is stark and bare, with only a high brick wall, a ladder and twelve chairs. The minimalist approach to the set allows the audience to focus solely on the emotions of the characters and their story. Removing the barriers that historical context may create, the audience is better able to sympathise with the characters and see them as human beings, even applying the themes of the play to their own lives, rather than viewing them as relics from a long forgotten past thus creating a sense of detachment.

The company of Coriolanus, main stage. Donmar Warehouse 2013.

In addition to the props on stage, an unusual, diamond shape is seen on the stage floor, which young Coriolanus paints over in blood red paint, marking the area where most of the action takes place. Perhaps this is a subtle technique used by Osbourne which serves as a foreboding of the blood shed that is to come. It can be argued that the arrangement of the row of chairs present on stage throughout the play could be likened to chairs in parliament, as the consul plays a similar role. The political narrative of Rome as a nation suffering from war and striving towards a new, democratic state is further reflected in the design of the chairs; uniform, bare and unadorned, as well as matching the production’s overall aesthetic.

Similar to Osbourne, Lucy McKenzie, a young Scottish artist, uses interiors and objects as a way of exploring narratives. Inspired by Greil Marcus’s book ‘In the Fascist Bathroom’ on post punk, McKenzie decided to quite literally explore what the interior design of a space may look like in accordance to particular political and ideological inclinations. In her paintings called ‘Quodlibet’ XII, XXII and XX, subtitled Objectivism, Nazism, Fascism, respectively, McKenzie depicts a cork pinboard which functions as a collage on which she assembles copies of paint samples, various kinds of marble and architectural drawings. In each of the three paintings, the artist creates slightly different variations of one aesthetic style in accordance to a particular ideological narrative.

In ‘Nazism’, the colour palette on both the marble and paint samples is similar to that which is associated with neoclassical architecture, most popular amongst the members of the third Reich and Hitler himself. The plans for both the interiors and the architecture showed an emphasis on minimal decorations and an emphasis on straight lines which was typical of neoclassicism. Finally, the book cover titled “Das Behagliche Heim,” which describes “how one recognizes a National Socialist by his home”, neatly ties together a representation of Nazism through design.

Lucy Mckenzie’s Quodlibet ‘Nazism’ and ‘Objectivism’

Equally, in ‘Objectivism’, McKenzie not only provides the viewers with modernist architectural drawings but also presents us with disparate symbols. For example, the painting depicts the cover of an Ayn Rand book, the founder of the objectivist philosophy, and a photograph of Tarama de Lempicka along with some of her works, which can be found on the covers of several editions of Rand’s novels. The colours; deep reds, greens and greys, are characteristic of the modernist colour palette and can be seen in the marble samples as well as Lempicka’s paintings. By compiling these subjects in her painting McKenzie creates a narrative through design that is recognisable and understandable to the audience.

Osbourne uses colours as symbols of power and to support the development of characters. For example, the costumes and leather accessories, in warm, muted tones of greys, reds and browns, compliment the dismal and almost apocalyptic mood of the play as well as exuding a sense of unstated power. Some characters, such as Aufidius, and even Brutus and Sicinia, are often seen wearing dark blues and purples which are colours associated with power or high class in ancient Rome. Whereas these colours are fitting for Aufidius, general of the Volscian army, it is interesting that Brutus and Sicinia, despite being plebeians, are seen wearing such colours. Perhaps Osbourne uses this as a subtle hint to show that both have reached a higher state due to their influence and manipulation of the masses in the condemnation of Coriolanus.

Coriolanus (top), Aufidius (middle), Brutus (bottom)

Furthermore, the imagery surrounding Coriolanus’ costume shows his decline in Roman society and supports the possible interpretation of his character as a martyr, a tragic hero. Seen in earlier as a noble, Roman general, ready for battle with in his red, leather armour, Coriolanus’ costume changes as the play progresses -his crown looks as though it is made of thorns and his senator’s garments resemble the robes of Christ.  

Coriolanus and Aufidius. Donmar Warehouse. 2013

 The red and black brick wall that serves as the backdrop is changed throughout the play to convey different emotions, moods and to support the action on stage. For example, in the beginning of the play, the wall is seen covered in graffiti as the angry Romans express their outrage about the food shortages that seem not to affect the wealthy aristocrats. This successfully conveyed the unrest amongst the citizens, with the graffiti becoming a symbol of their rebellion.

However, during the siege of Corioli, video designer Andrzej Goulding transforms the bricked wall- an explosion of flashing fireworks is projected on it; with falling rubble, dark lighting and sound designer Emma Laxton’s loud, electronic music, an atmosphere of chaos is created which appropriate for the war going on somewhere beyond the stage, or perhaps above it, as suggested by Ismene Brown from The Art Desk.  Brown comments: ‘The war is heard, not seen within the high black and blood-red brick walls, somewhere up above a high ladder into, perhaps, street level from this bunker’(Brown 2013). This poses an interesting question as to whether Rourke and Osbourne were commenting on the tendency of politics and manipulation, as it is the consul who decides the fate of Coriolanus from hero, to enemy and exiled, to take place ‘behind the scenes’, a safe distance away from the violence and death their decisions may cause.

Coriolanus. Donmar Warehouse 2013

The stage is transformed once again in what was arguably the most compelling, intimate and revealing scene, not originally in the play, in which an exhausted Coriolanus stands alone, centre stage, washing away the blood from his battle wounds. Lighting designer Mark Henderson darkens the entire stage, save for the inescapable, ferocious white light that shines upon him as water surges down on from high above, turning red as it mixes inextricably with the blood from his injuries. David Benedict of Variety describes it as ‘a magnificent image in its own right’, as the water is ‘spraying into the dark like sparks off steel’ (Benedict 2013). By removing all other aspects of the set from view, Henderson emphasises Coriolanus’ isolation, showing a physical and emotional vulnerability to an otherwise strong, arrogant and unyielding protagonist, thus imposing the idea of him as a tragic hero.

It is only with the aid of set, costume, sound and lighting design that such powerful images can be conjured on stage, convey to the audience ideas and emotions that words don’t always succeed in doing so. Design helps to build a visual language that transcends words, not only supporting the action on stage but creating a narrative of its own, creating tension in a visual form and becoming a living character in itself.

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