Due to fact that our group will not go on to develop this work for the Theatre Company module we made quite a conscious decision to put a lot of thought into how we would stage a full production and how far we could go with the props. It was felt that we needed to put a lot of detail into it because we wanted to give it a period feel and being a partly biographical piece we wanted there to be authentic atmosphere created through the set. To achieve this we picked out key items from such an imaginary room, that would also have a role in the narrative. We centred the staging around the bed, because we imagined that is where he would have perished, and like Danton’s Death, our play spirals toward the eventual death of the main character. So in our minds, hospitals would not have been up-to-scratch for illnesses such as typhus and sufferers would have stayed in bed at home. This could subliminally remind an audience that Georg Buchner was sick in the end, and not only physically, but as writers of his biographies suggest, mentally. One could imagine that having placed his friend Minnigerode in prison inadvertently through writing a rebellious pamphlet classed as treason, involving his friends, Buchner would have felt guilty beyond reason and as it is said that his friend was tortured in prison to his eventual death, he would have felt partly responsible and ashamed to have escaped such a fate himself. A person could be driven mad by this and such stress would have put a great weight upon his conscience.
Luckily we found a perfect deep red bedcover that could have signified death, and also richness, as he was a very successful man overall in his short life. We added a simple old-fashioned bedside table with a tray of water and a flannel for Minna to try and keep Georg’s fever down. From reading about Buchner’s life I discovered that he had had times of hardship when he was wanted by the police, as his father did not support him through disappointment (he had expected his son to follow his footsteps in the medical field, not start a rebellious revolution) and so I conjured a scene where this hardship could be expressed. The logic in my mind said, poverty equals lack of warmth, and so I had him and Minna going through old newspapers to put into a stove, because they could not afford coal. This led really nicely to him discovering the writing competition which he entered Leonce and Lena into. The key prop in this scene therefore, was a stove, which I knew we did not have in the props store and did not feel confident enough to make one look authentic enough. I had the brainwave of persuading local stores to lend us a stove, which I knew would not be easy as they are usually worth hundreds of pounds, however, with my experience in drama and film/tv productions, I know all about being resourceful. I first approached Raspberry Village but as they are a chain store, they needed to check with head office and I was doubtful that they would get back to me. Then someone told me that Flames is an independent store run by family business and they had a good reputation. Sam passes them on her way home and so she enquired. With the promise of free advertising in the programme and a £20 deposit in case of any damage, we were successful in persuading them to lend us their personal stove from the back. We considered how to light it to make it look as if it were actually lit and got some good suggestions by the tech team, however on the day we were delighted to discover that it had a flame light in built to look authentic which provided a lovely atmosphere for the set.
The third important prop that we needed was a desk. A desk is a writer’s most important piece of furniture and this was quite a struggle to find. I asked a friend who works in antiques if he could lend us one but they were too expensive for him to risk getting damaged. On the final day we had a another look in the props store and by chance we had missed an ornate dressing table which could serve the purpose nicely. It had drawers in which were perfect for storing small props in such as the wig for the Danton’s Death dream sequence. In view of the fact that we only had a brief 15/20 minutes to portray Buchner’s life and dreams, and there were only four of us playing several characters, most costume changes (especially mine as Buchner) had to take place on stage in blackout and so most of the little props were hidden around the stage, under the bed, behind the stove, under my pillows, and the desk’s drawers were ideal.
– Sylvia
Below is a specific description of the props and staging we used. This is just a little briefing into how the stage was set out on the day but see the costume tab on the other page for a more into depth descriptions of the costumes and make-up.
– Sam
Act one:
Stage props – Bed is centre-back stage with red embroidered bedding and dressing, a bedside table to the left of the bed with a bowl and flannel in, a tray with writing materials on the bed, a desk right-forward stage, 2 chairs one behind the desk and another at th side of the bed, and a stove which will be left-forward on the stage.
Scene one – Buchner wears a robe and Minna wears a white dress with a white bonnet. A projection plays at the end of the scene onto the white screen hanging above the bed.
Scene two – A black blanket to cover Friedrich (when taking a picture), bottle of champagne with glasses, a pile of paper. Friedrich wears black trousers, a white shirt, braces and a green coloured men’s blazer. Buchner wears black trousers and a white ruffled shirt. Karl also wears black trousers, a white shirt and a men’s blazer.
Scene three- On stage there is prison bars in front of the bed. Two guards stand on stage wearing green officers jackets. Rioting music is playing in the background of this scene. Both Buchner and Danton are wearing Lords wigs with black trousers, white shirts and Danton wears a man’s blazer. A sound of a guillotine plays at the end of the scene.
Act Two:
Scene one – Newspapers are used in this scene, either a full one or ripped up. Costumes are as they were in Act I Scene 1.
Scene two – 2 letters stamped with candle wax. Costumes again are as they were in Act I Scene 1. Music is played for Leonce and lena.
Scene three – Costumes are as they were in Act I Scene 1, with no props being used.
After this the lighting changes and we finally approach the last part of the scene. Music is being played in the back ground. The Carnival Announcer wears a red/black top hat with black trousers, white shirt and blazer. The captain wears black trousers, a white shirt, braces and a green coloured blazer. Woyzech wears black trousers and a white ruffled shirt. The Doctor has several pieces of medical equipment and glasses. Marie wears a white dress and a black shawl. Drum Major adds to the Captains costume by just adding a drum stick to the character.