Minimalism, abstraction, and the hostility of nature
A common mistake students make is designing a highly realistic forest with fake trees and painted leaves. Dennis Kelly states: "The play is about the characters, not the setting." Top band answers use abstract, minimalist set pieces (like scaffolding, concrete blocks, or bare rostra) to create an environment that feels hostile and psychological rather than literal.
Using a stark, brutalist aesthetic (like concrete blocks or metal scaffolding) removes the comfort of nature. The cold, geometric shapes reflect the lack of empathy in the gang. End-On staging allows the actors to form a rigid, confrontational line facing the audience, emphasizing their pack mentality.
Use these pre-structured sentences in your exam to instantly hit the top marking bands for design justification.
| Design Element (What) | Impact Justification (Why) | Key Terminology |
|---|---|---|
| A stark, brutalist concrete rostrum placed dead-center for Phil to sit on during the woodland scenes. | Elevates him physically, demonstrating his high status and immovable control over the gang, while contrasting with the natural setting to show how detached he is from humanity. | Rostrum Levels Brutalism Proxemics |