Читать книгу Red - John Logan - Страница 6

Setting

Rothko’s studio, 222 Bowery, New York City.

Circa 1958-1959.

Rothko’s studio is an old gymnasium. The hardwood floor is splattered and stained with hues of dark red paint. There is a cluttered counter or tables filled with buckets of paint, tins of turpentine, tubes of glue, crates of eggs, bottles of Scotch, packets of pigment, coffee cans filled with brushes, a portable burner or stovetop, and a phone. There is also a phonograph with messy stacks of records.

There is one door leading to an unseen vestibule where the characters change into their work clothes and enter and exit the studio.

Most importantly, representations of some of Rothko’s magnificent Seagram Mural paintings are stacked and displayed around the room. Rothko had a pulley system that could raise, lower and display several of the paintings simultaneously. The paintings could be repositioned throughout the play, with a different arrangement for each scene.

There is also an imaginary painting ‘hanging’ right in front of the audience, which Rothko studies throughout the play.

Alternately, the entire setting could be abstract.