Big Love Set Design
Cardboard, foam, wood, and paper model for an imagined production of Charles L. Mee’s Big Love on a thrust stage
The play’s title is bluntly literal and describes the larger-than-life portrayal of real human themes. I wanted to create a set that attempted authenticity, striving less for a recreation of a real Italian villa and more for a theatrical Olive Garden. The Greek theatre influences of the text are present in the traditional framing and symmetry with three central arches and subtle steps to allow dynamic staging. Finally, the set is complete with a massive centerpiece: the “bathtub” which appears frequently in the script is represented in this imagining by a functional swimming pool.