The Last Wife Scenography Assignment

Zoey Jones
Section 1 — Understanding

This play is exploring the idea that there is a large power associated with voice. This

“reimagining of history” gives its character’s voices in ways they never would have had (III).

Hennig uses Kate as a vehicle to showcase the sparking of change through agency in voice, as

she spends the majority of the play trying to defend a stabilize a position of power for herself and

other women, through a powerful and feminist voice. I think Hennig wanted to explore what if

would be like to give Kate such a voice—a level of freedom of speech that she never would have

had at the time. This is supported by Kate’s often blunt dialogue, using simplicity without

sacrificing intention and power to draw attention to women as a moving political force of history.

I think conducting this exploration through the lens of voice is very powerful, because it

emphasizes how much of women’s strength must have come from it, as their actions were

heavily restricted at the time. As the play progresses, we see Kate’s pragmatism and language get

her into more conflicts, but it should not be discounted that this is often what sparks the

beginning of change. The power of voice is emphasized in Hennig’s use of modern language in

the olden setting, as it draws attention to particular language that portrays the power of voice

itself.

The play is comprised of varying relationships with varying levels of power imbalances,

and I think the idea of voice is used to explore how these relationships can be affected. There is

also a commentary on the power of voice versus physical power, as shown through a contrast in

the characterization of Kate and Henry, who expresses all of his anger through physical

repercussions. Hennig is asking us if voice will ever be able to hold the same weight as physical

power, and this is something that is very prevalent to audiences today, in light of things such as

the #metoo movement. This contrast is also shown in an interaction between Kate and Eddie.
Eddie comes to Kate after he’s had a bad dream, and she comforts him by emphasizing the

power of the mind. He explains to her that he feels weak, and scared, and she responds by saying

“when people tell you you’re weak, it’s because they’re afraid of you. Maybe not of what your

body can do, but what… what the stuff inside you can do” (Hennig, 64). This moment relates to

my understanding in two ways. Kate is making reference to the power that voice can have,

especially in comparison to physical power. She is also using her voice to instill the beginning of

change, even if just in the attitudes of this child.

The combination of the accessible, modern language and the connection to voice in

today’s society asks the audience to experience this play both intellectually and emotionally. The

emotional response is a strange combination of a feeling of empowerment combined with

futility, and this hits gutturally. Experiencing Kate’s choices in using her agency in voice instill a

certain sense of hope, but this is slightly dampened by the ending of the play, when her fate is

revealed. However, if experienced intellectually, the connection can be made to the modern day,

and the sense of empowerment is revived. Hennig used a story that seems so far abstracted from

our realities but is not. When the connection with the modern language is made, the power of

voice becomes a timeless concept that Hennig has introduced. (Word count: 590)
Section 2 – My Designs
The Last Wife Design 1: Kate – Scene 1
Drawn by Hallie Jones
The Last Wife Design 2: Kate – Scene 14
Drawn by Hallie Jones
The Last Wife Design 3: Henry – Scene 19
Drawn by Hallie Jones
Section 3 — Explanation of My Designs

Introduction to my Designs
For my designs, I have decided to do three costumes: two for Kate, and one for Henry.

All of the costumes will be modernized to contemporary time, given that the play does not

necessarily take place in the time period it is referencing. It is important to me that the costumes

work alongside the modern language in order to convey the timeless nature of the concepts I

want to highlight. In this play, I conceptually see Kate’s character in three different phases, as

she gradually uses the power of her voice more often, and with an increasing degree of

confidence. I designed for Kate in one scene from “phase one” and one from “phase three.” I

chose to omit phase two because I do not see a significant enough change between two and three

to really alter the costume design. However, the difference between phases one and three are

drastic, which is why I have chosen to showcase that. I want to highlight the transition as Kate

discovers the power of her own voice and chooses to wield it more. However, it is important to

distinguish that Kate is never silent—she only becomes louder. She transitions from questioning,

to acting upon those questions. Additionally, the costume design for Henry aims to provide

contrast to both of Kate’s designs, showcasing the conceptual contrast between physical power

and the power associated with voice.  

Costume 1 — Kate, Scene 1

My first design is for Kate in the first scene of the play, when she is in very much in

phase one. In this scene, Kate is being told to do a lot of things, and although there are moments

where she questions it, she generally complies. This is emphasized through moments when Kate

says phrases such as “you have authority” and “you’re always right, ” in response to Henry (11).

For this scene, I want to create an experience that communicates that Kate is out of place, which
refers to the idea that she has not yet established her place in the new hierarchy she is being

thrown into. I want the audience to feel a sense of empathy for her, and a not confidence in her

ability. In fact, I don’t want the audience to identify with Kate very much. I want her to appear

slightly weak, but however, not to the extent where the audience would pity her. She should not

stand out compared to the other characters, and her own sense of confidence should be

ambiguous. Kate’s presence onstage should not be almost underwhelming.

I have chosen to dress Kate in an ankle length, long sleeved, grey dress and flat shoes.

The dress should not hug her figure, and the fabric should be thick, heavy, stiff and opaque.

There is a line of darker grey stitch down the middle of the dress, visually splitting her in half.

The use of flat shoes ensure that she will not be shorter anyone else onstage (Henry and Thom),

so as to communicate that at this point, she is below them in status. The neutral colours of dress

will cause her to blend into her surroundings, seeming as though she can move without making

much impact on the stage.  The ill-fitting and full coverage nature of dress will swallow her

figure, making her appear smaller than she is. I want her body shape and form to be unclear

underneath the dress, so as to convey an ambiguity in her as a whole. The fabric itself will be

difficult to move in, which should convey a lack of strength, even if it is artificial. The line of

stitch down the centre of the dress should communicate a split nature in herself, but also her

mindset, communicating the lack of confidence. In this scene, she is caught between being

pragmatic and standing up, and being complacent with what is asked of her, and this is because

she has not yet discovered the power of her voice. She is not only pragmatic, nor only

complacent, but she is not entirely herself, either.

This experience relates to my understanding because in order to showcase the eventual

power that Kate discovers, a contrasting starting point must be established. By beginning the
play with the low, ambiguous depiction of Kate and her intentions, her transition throughout will

be much more impactful. In a sense, this costume conveys an image of a complete absence of the

power of voice, solely so that the image will be very clear when it does arise. This is one of the

few scenes where Kate is pushed around, and she does not actively and persistently argue it,

which demonstrates how voice and have a direct effect on agency. The experience that will

accompany Kate in this scene will communicate how the dynamics of her relationships are

affected when she is not on her voice.

Costume 2 — Kate, Scene 14

The second costume I designed is for Kate again, but in scene 14. In this scene, Kate has

complete agency and confidence in her voice. She actively stands up to Henry and has been

doing so for a few scenes prior. She is situated in the middle of phase three, and she is powerful.

I want the audience to experience radiating confidence coming from Kate. They should be

rooting for her, but not out of a place of pity, out of a place of faith. It should be clear that Kate

knows who she is, her place, and what she is capable of. The audience should feel a vicarious

sense of empowerment. She should stand out in comparison to Henry, but in a sense where she

could be viewed as equal, not necessarily more powerful.

My costume design for this scene consists of a knee length belted dress, and short

cardigan, and heeled shoes. The material of the dress becomes sheer chiffon about ¾ of the way

down the dress, allowing legs to be visible from underneath. The fabric of the outfit as a whole is

light and lofty, swaying as with Kate as she moves in it. The top of the dress is quite fitted,

whereas the bottom widens. This costume contrasts entirely to the costume for scene one, with

the largest contrast in the color. Every piece of this costume is colored with a jewel-toned color

palette, so as to be referential to royalty. Because I have chosen to modernize all of the costumes,
I think this is an important element to include, to ensure the idea that Kate has now found her

place in the hierarchy is not lost. The heels in this costume serve to place Kate on the same level

of visual field as Henry, as she now matches him in confidence. In contrast to the first dress, the

partially transparent nature of this dress allows the audience to see Kate stride. The structure of

this fabric and the way it moves will act as a way to track Kate as she moves, the sway of the

dress representing how much she is able to affect with her new-found power. It is important that

the dress itself is all one colour, because Kate has found who she is, and is no longer on the fence

about whether to engage her voice or not. The belt was added to accentuate her figure, to dispel

the previous ambiguity of the grey dress. This costume will stand out from the backdrop of the

scene, as Kates power and confidence should now be quite evident. The neckline of the dress

also places a certain emphasis on the collarbone, something I wanted to highlight because of a

dichotomy it presents. It is one of the easiest bones in the body to break but resides so closely to

where we use our powerful voices. This emphasizes the constant presence of the threat of

physical power to Kate, while highlighting how she overcomes that, especially in this scene, to

use her voice with complete agency.

This experience relates to my understanding as it demonstrates a clear change between

Kate’s activation of the power of voice. Everything about this costume starkly contrasts that of

Kate’s first costume, demonstrating the contrast between the stages of her character. The

empowering feeling associated with this costume communicates the full power of voice that Kate

discovers, and the effects of this are very clearly seen in her interactions with Henry in this

scene. When the audience feels this, they will understand that something has changed from the

onset of the play. With the use of modern language, it will be clear that what has changed is the

way Kate wields such language, therefore communicating the power of her voice. Additionally,
this costume also makes subtle reference to the contrast between physical power and the power

of voice, which will become prevalent in the costume design for Henry later in the play.

Costume 3 — Henry, Scene 19

I chose to do a costume design for Henry in scene 19, which is where he demonstrates the most

aggressive physical reaction to Kate’s pragmatism. Henry slaps Kate across the face, and in that

moment is the height of tension between the contrasting types of power I have been looking at.

For a moment, physical power prevails, and I think it is important to highlight every element of

this scene, in order to highlight the contrast. I want audiences during this scene to be extremely

aware of Henry’s physical strength, possibly even to the point of fear. However, there should

also be a sense that is isn’t fully confident in himself, so as to suggest the display of physicality

is an overcompensation. There should be a definite sense that he is where he belongs to be. More

than anything, the audience should be drawn to his body.

The costume design for this scene is quite simple but relies heavily on the fit and color of

the clothing. It consists of a jewel toned blue shirt, belt, black dress pants, and dress shoes with a

steel toe. The shirt should be very tightly fitting, with the sleeves rolled up as far as they can go.

However, the roll should not be a roll, but instead more of a scrunch, as if they were pushed up

in a hurry. I want this to communicate the conceptual moment when Henry decides he will not

let Kate command her power, which if before the scene even begins. His arms should be tightly

squeezed by the scrunch, accentuating the muscle. The colour of the shirt will be the same as the

color of Kate’s jewel toned dress in scene 14, which will act as a callback for the audience. Kate

will not be in that colour for this scene, in order to suggest that Henry is now more in his place

than she is. Henry’s pants should strangely tight—definitely verging on too tight. I want to give
the impression that his clothing acts only as a second skin, and not anything that contains his

physical strength and power. The element that will contrast this in order to reference a part of his

weakness is the shoes. The steel toe will communicate a need for protection—a need that he

won’t admit to in the rest of his body. Other than those toes, every part of this costume should

accentuate his body, strength, and power, but only in the physical sense.

This experience relates to my understanding as it directly demonstrates the contrast

between physical power and the power of voice. The large emphasis on Henry’s physical form

and his brutality relates to the feeling of futility that contrasts the empowerment audiences will

feel for the majority of the play. For many scenes before this, Kate has been very vocal and

confident, and this scene will knock that down.  Much like the first costume design, I think

creating this experience is crucial, so that the impact of Kate using her voice and overpowering

Henry in other situations is so much more impactful. (Word count: 1985)

Section 4 — Conclusions

As a whole, my designs should communicate the overarching concept of the power of

voice, split into two subsections of that understanding. Firstly, how Kate discovers such power

and how she changes in using it, and secondly, the continual battle between physical power and

the power of voice. My designs created an experience for the audience that will communicate

these ideas, namely using color, fit, and silhouette of the costumes. A transition in Kate from

small and manipulatable to powerful and confident is showcased through a change in color, style,

and fit of her outfits. Elements of the story are tied into Kate’s transition by using jewel tones.

The tension between the types of powers is shown through Henry’s design, which serves to

accentuate his physical features, and contrast Kate’s designs. These choices as a whole create the
feeling of futility that is overcome by empowerment and connect to the main two subsections of

my understanding. (Word count: 156)

Total word count: 2732