THE SOFA
THE EMBASSY THEATRE, LONDON, FEBRUARY 2023
SET, COSTUME, AND VIDEO DESIGNER
CONCEPTUAL WORK FOR MFA SCENOGRAPHY
WRITTEN BY ELIZABETH MACONCHY
DIRECTED BY TONDERAI MUNYEVU
SET & COSTUME AND VIDEO DESIGN BY GULFEM OZDOGAN
THE SOFA TELLS THE STORY OF A FLIRTATIOUS YOUNG MAN WHO IS TRANSFORMED INTO A SOFA BY HIS GRANDMOTHER. THIS TRANSFORMATION RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW POWER IN WOMEN IS OFTEN PERCEIVED—DOES THE PORTRAYAL OF A STRONG FEMALE FIGURE AS A "WITCH" REVEAL SOMETHING DEEPER ABOUT SOCIETAL GENDER ROLES. THE SOFA ITSELF BECOMES A SYMBOL OF FORCED PASSIVITY AND OBJECTIFICATION. COULD IT REFLECT HOW WOMEN, THROUGHOUT HISTORY, HAVE BEEN TRAPPED IN SOCIETAL EXPECTATIONS?
THE SUPERFICIAL INTERACTIONS AT THE PARTY ALSO BEG THE QUESTION: HOW DO THESE DYNAMICS RESEMBLE MODERN RELATIONSHIPS SHAPED BY SOCIAL MEDIA? WITH CURATED PERSONAS AND COMMODIFIED IDENTITIES, CAN THE CHARACTERS’
PERFORMATIVE BEHAVIOUR BE SEEN AS A REFLECTION OF TODAY’S DIGITAL WORLD? VISUALLY, THE RETRO-INSPIRED DESIGN, WITH THE CHARACTER DESCENDING ONTO A TELEVISION SCREEN, HIGHLIGHTS THE INFLUENCE OF MEDIA ON IDENTITY, USING SYMBOLS LIKE MONEY AND COSMETIC SURGERY NEEDLES TO EVOKE THE COMMODIFICATION OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS AND REPRESENTATIONS.
COSTUME DESIGN
