Today I had my tech session, in which I sorted out the final set and technical requirements for my show.

In the staging area, there is:

• A wooden chair, which I sit on as I open and close the show, as well as demonstrating the car journey.
• A coffee table which is used to hold some smaller props and further demonstrate a homely environment.
• A plank of wood which is used to symbolise the bridge in the story.
• A bucket which will have a small amount of water that I can flick at the audience when falling into the swamp.
• A snorkelling mask which I put on whilst swimming in the swamp to aid the storytelling.

The audience will be restricted to five viewers (plus two examiners) to help create an enclosed atmosphere. They will sit on either a sofa or one of two tub chairs, all of which are red (matching my own living room at home) and will be covered by throws that I have collected from home. By doing so, I hope to authentically recreate my living room at home, adding to the intimacy of the piece.

There are four key lighting states throughout the show which will change to suit the locations and assist with the storytelling. At the beginning, the only light will be on the audience and once they have settled, the neutral light will fade in on the ‘staging area’. The lighting on the audience will fade out. The natural light changes to a warmer orange hue after I have introduced the piece and have moved into the story (as a representative of the sun). Upon entering the forest whilst in the car, a dark green hue will fade in to suggest the car has been ‘enveloped’ by the trees. Afterwards, the lighting with switch back to the orange hue and will remain until I fall into the swamp. During this section, the sound of Cicadas will play in the background (subtlety so that I can speak over it) to imply the outdoors. This sound will fade out when I begin to cross over the bridge. Upon falling in the swamp, the light will snap to a mix of light green and dark orange (to make the transition between falling in more obvious as well as creating a murky brown colour). During Robert Frost’s poem, the lighting will remain as the warm orange hue. Once I have sat down after the poem, the lighting will reset to the opening ‘neutral’ state to show that I am back in the living room. The show ends as I put down the photo album, and the light on me fades, leaving the audience in light.

Now all that remains is to continue to rehearse the piece and make sure that every transition is clear.