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Chess, hypothetical

Anatoly's hotelroom Two metallic structures with attributes of the Berlin wall create the interiors of the production. (music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, lyrics by Tim Rice)	Merano	Hotel in Merano
Anatoly and Florence An impression of a carefree better world is portrayed through the paintings on the walls	First match The setting of them matches is based on the actual setting of the chess games. A gauze at the from of the stage would let through visions of the metallic silhouettes and the dancers behind the gauze.	First match, cut by static
British embassy Arriving at the British embassy, the red X stops Anatoly from going at first	British Embassy The Embassy accepts Anatoly, and the X is now lit from the front, hiding everything on the other side of the wall	Bangkok This is to give a touch of ABBA's late 70's, early 80's disco feel
Interview The strengthen the impression of the events being observed worldwide through television, we would use a live video feed of the actors during the interview	Pity the Child The scene that explains the story of the American, the need to please and get approval through success, and the fear of abandonment that plagues him	Finale The finale transforms the set to a game of chess, to show the game engorging every part of life, as Cold war affected every part of the society

I decided to take the play in to the most iconic symbol of the Cold war; the Berlin Wall.
The wall represents the volatile situation between the Soviet and the West, and created a literal barrier between the opponents, not only dividing Europe, but separating families and loved ones.

As Cold war was a large scale chess match played by politicians, and other powerful figures, I thought the most provocative and intriguing approach would be to place the delicate, pristine game of chess and its players within the heart of the conflict. Through this concept we can shake the balance and create an effective contrast by placing the events amidst the scars of war.

Siiri Korhonen

Set and Costume Designer

Brigadoon

Set & Costume Designer

Musical theatre production

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Director: Philip Howard

2016

This production was a new twist on the well known musical Brigadoon.

It was set in the 1950's, but in a theme park that presented 18th century Scotland.

This allowed us to create two very tonally different worlds, weaved together:

A sinister and bleak 1950's reality, with an excessively cheery, tartan-clad 18th century layer over it.

Each character had a 1950's costume, with a quasi 18th century layer on top, so they could easily transition from one era to the other. We used a vibrant colour palette and a mix of flowing, tartan layers that were a key element in the choreography.