Joshua McWhorter

Paper Two: Trifles

ENGL 206
04/06/2015

Production Concept: Trifles

I. Introduction
For my production of Trifles by Susan Glaspell, I have chosen to use a realist approach that
will focus on using aesthetic designs accurate to the period, the life, and the lighting styles that would
be present in the home of our victim, John Wright. Using realism will allow our production to better
capture the atmosphere of an early 20th century farmhouse and to reproduce the feelings of isolation and
loneliness discussed by Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters as they retrieve items for the incarcerated Mrs.
Wrightour potential murderer.
Our production will focus on the state of the home, and center on creating an environment that
hints at the possibility of an emotionally abusive life capable of leading a woman to commit murder
If she did. We will also focus on the two women, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, and their reaction to the
home, their discovery of the bird, and their choice to conceal this evidence from the Sheriff and the
County Attorney. Isolation is the key term that we will use in our approach to this play. Isolation is our
basic theme. All choices made concerning prop design, lighting, stage layout, costumes, sound, and
other aspects of the play, will be made with these elements in mindrealism, reactions, isolation, and
murder.

II. Body
In our story, a farmer known as John Wright has been strangled by a rope in his sleep. His wife,

Minnie Wright, has been accused of the crime and arrested. The play follows the investigation that
occurs after her arrest and the actions of the Sheriff, the neighbor, the County Attorney, and two women
that are present in the home during this investigation. The play also focuses on their reaction to the
home and their reflection over Minnie Wright's behavior after she was discovered by Hale Lewis and
incarceratedreactions that can be taken as either shock or relief, depending on the interpretation of
the person watching the play. We should maintain this quality of ambiguity, while still leaning toward
guilt.
Our focus will be on creating a convincing two-set production on a single stage. Our two sets
will represent the living room and the kitchen of our farmhouse and be placed side by side, in a slightly
angled fashion, to ensure an easy line-of-site from anywhere in the audience. Aesthetically, we will be
focusing on the atmosphere of the home as a crime scene, and on recreating an environment that is both
realistic and purposeful in the telling of a tale about brutal murder and isolation in a farmhouse during
the early 20th century. We will want to focus on creating the feel of an old place that is well lived in. We
will be recreating a look of natural lighting, and focus on making the scene appear as cold as possible,
this way our audience can experience what it may have been like to live there and exist in the space
they see on stage.
As a reminder, we will be using a theme of isolation throughout our play. This will be
reinforced by the worn interior of the home, the sparseness of the sets, the use of creaking in the floor
boards, and the unwashed and dusty state of the houseall signs of the busy life of a farmer and the
lonely life of a woman who is weighted by the thought of keeping up a routine in a home that is always
quiet and away from the world; of a woman who might suffer in silence because of a husband that is
always cold and distant.
The house should have a slight echo or hollowness to it when the actors speaka way of
providing an eerie feel that is often associated with quiet, lonely places. Harsh white lighting and deep
shadows will be used to establish a cold feel and a sense of unease. The use of well established and

talented actors will be used to reinforce these visual and auditory elements.

Casting

Tommy Lee Jones as Henry Peters; Sheriff: Jones is an authoritative actor, who has a tough
looking exterior and commanding personality that will serve the role of our sheriff very well.

Ewan McGregor as Lewis Hale; Neighbor: McGregor's scruffy look and athletic build make
him perfect for the role of a middle-aged, early 20th century, farmer. His natural acting ability,
down-to-earth attitude, and working-man appearance, make him perfect for the part.

Charlie Cox as George Henderson; County Attorney: Charlie plays the part of a young,
ambitious man, very well. His friendly, energetic performances, and go-get-em' attitude, will be
perfect for the role of a young attorney.

Meryl Streep as Mrs. Peters: Meryl Streep's distinguished career, natural talent, and down-toearth style, makes her a great choice for the part of refined country girl, and the Sheriff's wife.
Her range of emotion and ability to do realistic scene portrayals will help pull the audience into
the play.

Jessica Chastain as Mrs. Hale: Chastain's s strong acting, down-to-earth look, and soft voice,
make her perfect for the role of a farmers wife. She also has the ability to look both beautiful
and tough at the same time, both qualities that we might expect from a mother with a hands-on
approach to life.

Stage & Sets

The play will be laid out across a single continuous stage and will use two main sets. The set on
the right will be the living room and the set on the left will be the kitchen. The play will be done in a
proscenium style theater, using a two-box style arrangement, with the audience and the stage occupying
separate spaces. This was chosen to create a more closed-in feel, while still allowing us to build full
sets. This type of theater will also allow for a great degree of control over the point of view of the
audience, the lighting of the play, the ambient sounds of our farmhouse, as well as providing our team
with plenty of off-scene flexibility.

Costumes
The costumes should be turn of the century appropriate, which fits the era of the play. The
women will be wearing long flowing dresses with sleeves (due to the cold), and have traditional

footwear. They will have long hairperhaps with a colored ribbon, stylistic hat, or small bun to help
keep it back and out of the way. Both dresses will be of light coloration, perhaps white, light green, or
light pinkmaybe with floral patterns. They should contrast slightly with the background so that the
actors stand out from the sets. Mr. Hale will be wearing heavy duty denim pants and a thick denim
shirt. He will also be wearing a thick wool jacket, stained and worn from working. The Sheriff will be
dressed more formally and have on cowboy boots, a cowboy hat, a dark tan colored uniform, and a
matching jacketthe boots will help create the thumping sound the men make as they are entering and
leaving during their scenes. The County Attorney would be the most formally dressed and be wearing a
dark suit and dress shoes. He will also be clean shaven, without a hat, and have black, slicked back hair.

Lighting
We will fade the lights from room to room as the actors move from set to set. These lighting
fades will be done by completely lowering the lights in one set as the actors exit, while simultaneously
raising them on the new set as they enter the scenethis way the focus is kept on the current action and
only one set will be visible at any one timeunless otherwise necessary. The lighting, itself, will be
done in way that looks like the natural light of the day is coming in through the windows of the
farmhousesomewhat harsh, but still dark and shadowythis is to give the feel of a place that is old,
lacks artificial lighting, and is wintery cold. Other than this lighting style, the only other contrast of
light will come from the fireplace that our characters gather around for warmth and comfortthis is the
one place that should be warm and inviting on the set, as it represents heat and communitya place
where our actors congregate.

Sound
Any music will be limited to the introduction of the play and when the audience is leaving. The
job of the sound technician will be to create an experience for the audience that makes them feel like

they are in an old house with creaky floor boards, and to ensure balance as the performers move from
scene to sceneincluding the accurate sound of the men thumping and creaking as they moving up and
down the steps. We will need a light breeze that comes from outside when the door is open and closed
to remind the audience it is winter and to give the actors something to react to. We will also have to
create sounds for the fire, and other minute elements that will enhance the theme of realism and
isolation that we are trying to establish. All sounds must have an authentic quality to ensure the
audience experiences them correctlyex. the floor boards should not squeak louder than the talking of
the actors, it is meant to be ambient. Also, microphones should be placed in key location on set to
enhance sounds, like water being pouredbefore the start of the playand well tested to ensure
accuracy.

Props

The props should look old and usedlike a farmers house.

It would be nice to give the appearance of dust, particularly in the light coming in through the
windows. Things should be slightly unkempt and disordered, as explained at the beginning of the play.
The walls are to be a light blue, with off-white accentsa common aesthetic style in early 20th century
farmhouse architecturebut cracked, peeling, and worn so that they look like they haven't been kept
up onthe intent is to show that the Wright's live in an environment that is left slightly neglected; one
where the unsaid is a facet of life and just enough is the standard of daily living.

A wood-burning cook-stove should be present in the kitchen, with an icebox and other early
household itemssuch as a wash basin and water jugs. These choices are based on the description
Lewis Hale gives us about John Wright at the beginning of the play, and the County Attorney's actions
in the script. Mr. Hale discusses Mr. Wright's resistance to getting a telephone and just wanting to be
left alonethis provides us with some personality for John Wright. That he is an old-school farmer that
challenges the new and finds comfort in routinehis routine. So it would be expected that his home
would be a little behind the times, and that perhaps the things he makes available to his wife are more
for his convenience than her comfort.
The living room should be somewhat sparse, lacking in pictures of family, but with nicknacks
present and objects from Minnie Wright's past in the churchA reminder of happier times that now act
to reinforce her loneliness. This way we give the feeling of a lived in but isolated space that represents
a form of prison for Mrs. Wright, of her solitude.

III. Conclusion
In this reproduction of Susan Glaspell's Trifles, we will be using a realist style approach and
focusing on a theme of isolation. This will be a two-set production that takes place in a proscenium
style theater, using a two-box style arrangement. Our goal will be to recreate the feel of an authentic,
turn of the 20th century farmhouse, with natural lighting and sound. We will also be focusing on the sets
as the location of a brutal murder. And although we never see a body, we will be attempting to make the
house feel like an environment that could have led up to such a brutal act. Our use of props should
reflect on both our attempts at realism and our theme of isolation. They should be sparse, meaningful,
and used looking. If you have any other questions, or need more clarification, please consult our
director, Joshua McWhorter. He will be more than happy to direct you in making the correct decisions.

Thank you.