Designed & Constructed by Shaniqua Kalaw
Production Planning and Theater Thesis Final Project (2023)
Streben, Simulacra, and Self-deification:
A Design Adaptation Depicting the Elusive Paradox of Striving versus Succumbence in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust I and II.
Derived from the German legend of a dissatisfied man who makes a deal with the devil, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust I and II is deemed to be “unstageable”—meant only to be read, not performed. With its fantastical elements, multiplicity of meaning, symbolic approach, and metatheatrical nature, Goethe’s magnum opus is impossible to encapsulate with a single means of perception.
To capture the magnitude of such a work, the designer attempts to explore a reality that goes beyond the material realm—creating a world steeped in the sort of hyperrealism introduced by the Surrealists and Symbolists of the 20th century, and fusing today’s theater practices and technologies with historical theater devices that go as far back as antiquity. The result of such an undertaking is a Gesamtkunstwerk or “Total Theatre” appropriate to the scope of Faust that reflects the human condition presented in the work itself—constant striving in the face of human fallibility.
The unit set is a surrealist landscape, specifically depicting Mountain Gorges, a fitting metaphor for the human condition represented by Faust that he struggles with throughout the entirety of the drama. The stage is constructed in the same manner as a triptych, with two outer panels that are revealed to the audience at the beginning of the play during the Prelude and the Prologue. The audience themselves are meant to enter the triptych after those scenes, allowing them to become part of the action and be fully immersed in the story, engulfed by the world of the drama. When the audience members enter the stage, they do so through an opening at the center of the stage meant to simulate the state of being born into Earth. Upon entering, the audience is surrounded by three main sections consisting of multiple panels growing larger in size as they approach the center of the stage, which are divided according to the three facets of mankind: mind, body, and soul. The various settings of the drama will be presented onto the panels through video projections accompanied by set pieces, and, depending on the themes of the scene, they may take place within or merely in front of these panels. The middle section, where the audience sits, is representative of humanity and the human condition. Faust is surrounded by these towering panels, but he only ever stays in the middle of them, never inside, just as the audience do.
General Layout, Floor plan, Elevation
Set Piece: Hell-mouth
Mind
Body
Soul
Mephistopheles takes many forms throughout the course of the play, but here, he is seen showing his definitive features in plain sight, no longer needing to hide his cloven hoof or cock’s feather from human eyes. He is distinctly textured in ways mimicking the internal structure of humans, since he is able to understand them more deeply, but he is unable to go beyond the material and into the soul–he can only reach bone. His silhouette evokes the fashions of the 16th century, where the legend of Faust was first recorded in writing. He is an unchanging figure both throughout the centuries and in the course of the play. His design is meant to be simultaneously modern and historical, supporting the multiplicity of his character, as well as the idea that he is a figure that is able to move through time and space without difficulty. He is a character that is capable of grasping modern concepts and even pave the way for innovative ways of thinking, while also being unable to grapple with the ideas of salvation and morality that veer away from the 16th century perspective.
In this scene, Faust, blinded by the personification of Care, embodies the human person alone in a scene full of cosmological figures. Among these immense figures whose designs are tremendous in terms of both silhouette and intricacy, Faust is seen in what appears to be a stylized version of a simple Greek chiton—the simplicity of his garment making him stand out amidst a sea of figures and creatures bursting at the seams with texture, color, and detail. Upon closer inspection, one may see bulbous textures on his garment meant to evoke the bulbs of Job, showing that he and Faust share similar fates, just as they shared similar introductions. This perhaps his most simple costume throughout the play, as this is him at his dying moment, when he has finally released the bonds tying him to earthly pleasure.
Here, Gretchen appears again for the first time since her execution in Part I. Her spirit may be considered as a lower-ranking Angel in the hierarchy of Heaven considering she only recently entered the realm. Thus, she is the most human-like of the figures from Heaven. She wears a stylized version of mid-18th century peasant attire, echoing her appearance when she and Faust first met and fell in love in the first part of the drama. On her bodice is a lace pattern resembling a uterus, emphasizing her role as the redeeming feminine figure, as well as an allusion to her sorrowful fate in Part I.
The Angels, especially the higher-ranking ones, are so far-removed from man–such highly unattainable creatures that it is difficult to place their appearance. Their costumes are enormous and all-encompassing, covering the entirety of the human underneath to the point where one is unable to tell whether or not there is one at all. Resembling the shifting, untouchable form of fire, they appear as incomprehensible beings in order to highlight the idea of Faust’s inability to reach higher planes of existence not because he is lacking, but because it is so distant from human understanding, and the Angels are embodiment of this quality.
The Mater Gloriosa, or the Eternal Feminine, is the German equivalent of the Virgin Mother. In this scene, she is the highest among the figures of Heaven. The constant form of the Angel, with its shifting forms, takes inspiration from the form of the Mater Gloriosa in movement. A figure completely covered in flowing white fabric, the costume is meant to serve an ethereal dance that attempts to hide the human beneath. The simplest when still, it becomes the most fascinating visual array when used in dance. The only distinguishing feature of this figure is her halo, alluding to that of the Virgin Mary.
The Devils are similar to humans—standing on two feet, these creatures emphasize the internal structure of human beings. Although their silhouettes are similar to that of humans, they may be described as man turned inside out. Internal organs make up the exterior of their body, though they are not arranged in an anatomical way, rather they simply twist and morph onto the form in distorted ways. The same is true for bones, and depending on the type of Devil, they may have more of one or the other.
The Lemures are the least human-like of the figures from Hell. Defined as the spirits of the unburied dead, these creatures stand on all-fours, more like animals than humans. Instead of resembling humans themselves, they are instead filled with the parts of humans. Their hands are composed of a multitude of human hands piled on top of each other to create two large, grotesque spades, for their task in the afterlife is a constant reminder of the reason why they are in Hell to begin with: to dig graves for the dead. Instead of a regular human head, they wear expressionless gray masks to evoke the idea that there is no real face behind the mask. Their bodies, however, are filled with human faces, implying that these are the spirits that now inhabit this horrid creature.
Homunculus
Helena
Vial of Poison
Book of Magical Symbols
Designed & Constructed by Shaniqua Kalaw
Costume Department Assistants: Ronna Ituralde, Katherine Fernando, Jara Vallejo, Chiara Guillermo
Production for Theater & Film Final Project (2023)
Designed, Constructed, & Make-up Execution by Shaniqua Kalaw
Styling, Stage Effects 2, Prosthetics, & Set Construction Final Projects (2023)
Matriona Dildoll is a drag queen concept created for SCENO20’s drag show, Drag-Uh! Based on the idea of a Matryoshka’s removable layers, this drag queen showcases one of the most amusing aspects of drag shows--onstage transformations. As Matriona reveals each of her layers, a new character is revealed. The show takes the audience through the process of self-discovery and sexual awakening while incorporating the traditional phases of a Matryoshka--beginning with the mother, then the daughter, another daughter, a son, and an infant--representative of the forward-backward trajectory of realizing one’s sexuality and gender expression before finally reaching the innermost layer of every person: the human being. Beginning with the traditional mother figure and ending with the infant devoid of defining characteristics tying them to one sex or the other, emphasizing the fact that all human beings are the same at their core--no matter how they choose to present themselves.
Designed by Shaniqua Kalaw, Constructed by Shaniqua Kalaw & Costume Department Members
OJT for by:TE (2023)
By William Shakespeare
Designed by Shaniqua Kalaw
Theatre Readings in Shakespeare, Costume Design 1, Scenic Design 2, and Lighting Design for Theatre Final Projects (2022)