Under Construction
I decided that the Castle's presence was so monumental, it was futile to try to mask it with a set, so my concept was to embrace the castle and have it serve as a backdrop. This actually involved ADDING elements that blended in with the existing stone walls. Notice the steel framing being erected in the photo above to support an mid level stage to receive face panels of faux stone panels to match the wall behind. This worked well with the minimalistic approach I felt was appropriate to tell this Japanese story. Staging elements were then placed downstage and the result was a seemingly simple and pure expression of a Japanese house and garden areas.