Sets for the Mediaeval Play, "Ye Good Old Bard"

For my project, I worked on a play with my groupmates. The play is a medieval hero’s journey with a modern twist, about a squire who goes on a quest to rescue the queen, facing numerous obstacles in order to fulfill her quest and achieve her dream of becoming a knight. I worked on set and prop design for the play. To create the throne room set used at the beginning and end of the play, I researched medieval castles, ultimately basing the set on the Krak des Chevaliers castle. I used the Coronation Chair in St. George’s Chapel, which has been used for the coronations of numerous monarchs, as a reference for the king’s throne. The background used during the squire’s monologue at the beginning of the play was inspired by the wood panelling in a medieval illustration created between 1330 and 1340. When creating the tavern set, I used various medieval illustrations as references for the tables, bench, barrels, cups, candle, and more. For the cave set, I used a photograph of a cave that is believed to have been the home of Eardwulf, king of Northumbria. I based the shape of the dragon’s cave, as well as the grass, dirt path, and lake, on this photograph. I used an illustration from an English manuscript as a reference for the medieval buisine. I learned about many aspects of medieval life and art through my research, and was able to apply it to a creative project.

Laura Jimenez