West Linn High School Performing Arts Program

Henry the Fifth

Set and Lighting Design by Jon Ares.

Winter 2003.

THE LIFE OF HENRY THE FIFTH by William Shakespeare – Adapted and Directed by Gabrielle Brewer-Wallin. Costume Design by Cheryl Cantwell.

Performed as an ensemble piece, with 10 actors playing all roles (and sharing the role of Henry), we staged the production in the Little Theatre, seating 100 people in a near- In-The-Round configuration. As Gabrielle wrote in the program, it’s an intimate play, and as the opening Chorus states, these are merely players to portray a moment in history.

The setting is one of the past, present, and the unknown future. Timeless. Metal on the floor, metal all around the audience, emblazoned with the names Shakespeare lists as fallen soldiers, plus a warm wood, earthy battle map, to give the show a sense of place, and the action a sense of magnitude. The lighting was noir-ish, as they are quick glimpses and tableau of an action past.