Cloud Nine: Set design (revolves, trucks, projection, multimedia, pyrotechnics, smoke machines, flying)

Set Design

Revolves

Revolves can be used to portray the passage of time between Act 1 and Act 2, effectively indicating the supposed hundred years passing within a generation.
Implementing revolves also helps to contrast the colonial and modern settings by quickly alternating between different scenes or periods.

Trucks

Trucks can be employed to transition between indoor and outdoor settings. For example, moving from the colonial household in Africa (Act 1) to London’s open spaces (Act 2).
Trucks serve to create a physical representation of the characters’ emotional journeys, as they move from oppressive environments to liberating ones.

Projection and Multimedia

Projections can be used to enhance the periodic feel of the play. Visual displays like wallpapers or images capturing the colonial and modern times can emphasise the contrasting eras.
Multimedia such as videos or images aide in ensuring seamless scene changes and can add depth to the set, enriching the audience’s understanding of the cultural context.

Pyrotechnics and Smoke Machines

Pyrotechnics and smoke machines aid in creating dramatic effects to underscore intense moments, like the family’s confrontation with the natives in Act 1.
These can also indicate an alteration in the environment around the characters, signifying the impending changes in their lives.

Flying

Flying can be employed symbolically for representing characters escaping from their societal restrictions. For example, Betty taking flight could metaphorically indicate her journey towards self-liberation.
It also serves as a visual stimulant that adds an extraordinarily physical dimension to the plot, making it more captivating for the audience.

Remember, set design is integral to theatrical implementation, forming an indelible impression on the audience’s perception of the plot. Cloud Nine, with its contrastive settings and emotionally charged narrative, allows ample opportunities to employ diverse elements of stagecraft.