It Snows

Moodboard Presentation
My Initial Ideas
Scene 1
 Opening line: “We are in a not
very beautiful place of
buildings and streets and
windows.”

The specification of
these streets and
buildings and windows
not being beautiful
feels like an
emphasis-it feels
like the script is Within the context of our shows, a vast set is not
saying either these ideal nor entirely possible. However above, it does
are the cause, or show ugly buildings and streets that seem to go on
that they are part of and on-I feel the script is calling for this kind of
an ongoing list of creative response. To respond, I like the use of grey
ugly features. lighting being used, and small objects rather than
Nevertheless, they entire buildings to be used as set. I believe these
are the focus here. elements combined can create the drear atmosphere the
script alludes to.
Cameron’s camera use is
certainly a theme I find
interesting and would like to
explore. We aren’t told much
about Cameron’s wealth, and
due to that, I feel it
wouldn’t be related to
particular richness. His
camera is a digital camera,
and is described as being a
“Top gift”
If we are sticking to the literal time
period of the play, the characters
mention they watch CSI Miami, which came
out in 2002. So if we are looking at the
very earliest this play can be set, we
are looking at digital camera’s looking
like the one below.

Cameron’s camera:

What does the Camera

show?
Is it a tool to build the
story or world?
Is it used to build
scenery and images into
the play?
 How do we want the Cameron’s camera:
audience to feel
about Cameron’s
photographing
habits? Personally,
I think it is odd at Our response to his hobby I think is
first reading. dependant on the age of the character, (this
too being something we need to think
about/establish).
If Cameron is young, perhaps in his early
teens, or a couple of years before, can his
camera be seen as innocent fun?
If he is older, then why is he taking these
Do we want to photographs, especially of a person-the
see Cameron’s Weird Girl.
photos? -Is it a hobby, or a project?
-Does he have an interest in the Weird Girl?
 Age of the characters?
From exploring the previous
questions, I found I needed
to discern how old are the
characters in the play. This shifts and
shapes the play
dramatically.
-If they are young, These are the
(early teens), the two age groups
story between I’m
Cameron and Caitlin considering
So what is our version of feels more like one most for the
this story-love or of friendship. play.
friendship. I think the -If they are older,
play itself lends it (later teens), then
towards love, and I am the story between
lent in that direction Cameron and Caitlin
also. feels more like a
love story.
At the start of
Physical movements of the Weird
the show, and
Girl-we need to highlight their
throughout, who
importance.
are the main
-What is she looking at when she
characters
looks out of the window?
talking to?
-What is she thinking/feeling
when she looks out of the
-Is it the
window?
audience?

-Is it to
themselves?

-Is it to an
unseen character? Who are Cameron and
Cailin talking too?
-Or is it to
nobody?
 I would love the Lads and
Girls to have
gang-like/mob-like
formations-it reflects their
roguish and rough behavior.

This appearance’s
effect will too shift
dependant on the age
What are
of the characters.
the
-If they are younger
unspeak-
teens, it feels more
able
like naughty,
acts
childish misbehavior.
labelled
-If they are older
in the
teens, it feels like
script?
more malicious,
intentional and
I love the image above, from West Side Story. It aggressive behavior.
shows two worlds colliding-a theme I’d like to
explore in the play. It also hints to the story
that unfolds greatly in later scenes. Lads/Girls groups:
 There is repetition in the script-buildings, streets, schools
etc.
-This brings me to the idea: is there a way we can show a
passing of time, (flowing quickly but monotosley), to
represent multiple days passing, all of which are the same.
These days passing could blend into one day, showing it to be
boringly similar.
-From what the script entails, or at least the beginning of
it; life is dull, and where they live is dull.

My best idea for

portraying this would be Repetition-set:
a movement sequence,
accompanied with lighting
perhaps.
 Mime-what does it
represent?

Now the image to the

right may seem
strange-but what does
Caitlin look like when
miming? My assumption
is that she won’t be in
mime attire, due to it
being practice, and a
dream of the characters
rather than a
profession, and also,
it would be difficult
to get the actor in
that attire within the
play-there would be no
time backstage.

Mime ideas:
 In scene 1, Caitlin starts to
note various parts of the stage,
such as upstage and downstage.
-Could we see something here?
-The script alludes to lighting
being used anyway, but perhaps
we could have these areas of the
stage light up as Caitlin says
them, whilst the rest of the
stage is a blackout; Caitlin
being covered in a spotlight
however.
Caitlin’s -Could we make this even more
The above image is
acting interesting by having physical
more mysterious and
career scenes play out in these areas
creepy than I would
stage of brightness?
like, but it
ideas: -These could show people and
conveys my idea
places.
well enough.
-It could play out a boring or
repetitive world.
What a beautiful image-it
shows an idea of mine quite
well. At times, I like the
thought of splitting the stage
to reflect the duel narrative
between Cameron and Caitlin.
The split; with this
idea, I wouldn’t want it
Split stage? to be set apparent-that
limits the stage space
and doesn’t look all that
attractive. But having
the idea of
splitting/sharing a stage
between the two leads is
really interesting-rather
than what is entails in
the image, imagine one of
the actors encompassed in
the darkness, with one in
the light. When the
perspective changes
between Cameron and
Caitlin, so will the
lighting.
 A theme in the play I think is
behavior. Not only is this word
used a lot in the stage
Theme-Behavior/growing up:
directions, but it is a recurring
image displayed in the script. We
see the behavior of the Lads and
Girls change and develop, and I
see, when reading the script,
comparisons between them and the
Mums and Dads-we see the
With this known, I would difference, but also similar
like to highlight this aspects of behavior. There is an
theme and make a note of undefined thought of growing up
it when I see it in the in the play-undefined in that it
stage directions, in is sitting nicely in the
order to play with the background whilst we engulf
idea onstage. ourselves in the joy and chaos we
see in the play.
 Within the script, the
Mums associate with
Caitlin, and the Dads
associate with Cameron-are
there some social thoughts If there isn’t
behind these decisions? any social
context here,
why has the
playwright made
The Mums in the Social
this decision?
script are described Context:
as a knot, whilst
the Dads are
described as a
If the Mums look
fistful-something to
like a knot, and the
explore in these
Dads look like a
simple stage
fistful, will the
directions.
Girls/Lads look
similar to these
formations onstage?
 I like the idea that the Mums and
Dads are in similar formations to
the Girls/Lads. Or, are in a
formation that has hints of
Girls/Lads formation, but has
shifted and developed.
-This shows development in terms of
behavior/growing up.
-And here, we get to see a contrast
between the two groups, and it
gives us a chance to visually
represent the two groups in a
similar visual way, or a different
I decided to look up “theatre knot
visual way.
formation” to see if anything interesting
came up-this image did and it gave me an
interesting interpretation: here I see, if
looking at It Snows, multiple sets of Mums
and Dads with their lives intertwining and
merging as one-just an interesting thought Mums/Dads formations:
that could make for a cool transition.
There are several lists of names
within the script-on the first
instances of this, “mummy” and
“daddy” end the list. I just
think it might be interesting to
emphasise these words here, as
Script lists:
the script around these lists
shows the Mums and Dads trying to
get some peace from their
children. I think it may be
ironic or amusing to emphasise
these words at the end to
insinuate there will be no peace.
Weird Girl’s
teddy bear:

-What does it represent?

-How big is it? Handheld, or the
size of a child?

To me, a teddy bear can represent

comfort, but also burdens. It shows
something that is consistent-a teddy
bear is always by your side as a
child-and that is precisely the
point-as a child. When you grow up,
it becomes lost; discarded. Is this
what it represents?

I love the thought of a giant teddy bear on

stage. It is very humanlike-and that can be
very symbolic. It may be impractical however,
so in that case a smaller one is better.
Dream ideas: My main idea for the dreams is to see them.
-Lighting could be used: the stage could be a
blackout, with lights shining like stars perhaps,
with a spotlight on Cameron or Caitlin, depends
on who’s dream it is.
-Sound could be used to reflect what is in
Cameron and Cailin Cameron and Caitlin’s dreams-such as cow noises.
talking about their -Could some form of puppetry be used? To show
dreams is probably these dreams?
my favorite moment -Are their beds on stage? Are the actors in
of the play. The pajamas? If so, they could get out of their beds
amount of and explore their dreams physically-walking
possibility you can amongst their dreams, with the lighting and sound
explore here is effects in effect still.
vast. -That is a very magical and thrilling idea to me.
-Of course we do not need to integrate entire
beds into the script-something that represents
them perhaps, but I do like the idea of pajamas.
-Cameron and Caitlin also talk about duvets-do we
have them? Is there another way to represent
them?
Weird Girl
-Why is she screaming?
Ideas/window ideas:
-What is she trying to say?
-Is something wrong?
-Will there be a window in which she
can bang with her fists?
There are many -If not, how does this affect the
moments when she scene? Note she looks through it a
looks out of the few times.
window, or Cameron -Can we add height to the stage? As
and Caitlin do-if the Weird Girl is presumably high
there are no windows up. Do we need to though?
as set, how do we -What is written on the Weird Girl’s
portray this? note. Do we let the actor decide
-Do the actors look like we did Zero with the letter
off to a part of the scenes?
theatre consistently,
as if one part of the
stage is a shared
space representing a
window for each of
the characters?
 Dancing:

At the first mention

of dancing in the
script, Caitlin is
good, Cameron is
shit, as told by the
characters. Could we
have an action to go
with this dialogue
to reflect these
thoughts?
Scene 2
 After the mystical end
to scene 1, I’m unsure
how to do Everyone’s
Everyone’s dialogue:
dialogue.
-Do they invade the
stage, and therefore the
dreams, ripping them
from their dreams?
-Or do they speak
offstage, as if voices
from outside?

The likelihood off adding

hundreds of lightbulbs then
removing them in the show
seems unlikely. But it is a
nice image-replace the
lightbulbs with lighting
showing stars-then I can
visualize just as beautiful
an image.
There are multiple
moments in the script
where a Tv programme
is mentioned. My
impression is that
the characters listen Tv Programmes:
and respond to what
these are
broadcasting, so with
that idea in mind, do
the audience need to
hear what they are
saying too? If so, do
we use recorded audio
in the background to
represent these Tv
programmes? Or do we
use distorted audio
for them?
Snow!

-I think I’ve discussed with Kate that we will be visualizing

the snow. So…
-How will it look?
-How much of it will there be onstage?
-Will any snow spread to the audience?
-Does it cover the actors?

Additionally, when the snow is added, I think, especially with

the dialogue in the script, we really need the actors to
infuse sudden energy into their characters when the snow
comes-this is when behavior shifts as a theme dramatically,
and therefore, so do the characters.

According to the script’s stage directions, Everybody puts

snowflakes in their mouths-do we want to do this? If so, it
will have to be some sort of edible snow.
Snow! This image to the right
shows what I can imagine
for It Snows-a constant
stream of snow.

Whilst this doesn’t

work for the snowball
fight, the image on the
left is an accurate and
interesting way to
represent snow-it looks
a bit icy however.
Snow!

Groundhog day does snow onstage really

nicely-though this seems like too small
an amount?
By this point in the script, I’ve
noticed that the bear is onstage a
lot, or is at least referenced a lot
in the script.
-Are we going to remove it then
place it again for when it is next
mentioned in the script?
-Or will it stay onstage?
-If it stays onstage, does it become
a hazard? For example, could an
actor trip over it?

The image of a teddy bear covered by

Teddy bear’s stage snow however is very powerful and
longevity: visually appealing in terms of
expressing meaning and emotion.
Everybody dressing?

Everybody gets dressed into snow

gear.
-Will this be onstage?
-Or offstage?
Additionally, they have to put
mittens on later, so will this be:
-Onstage?
-Or offstage?
Weird Girl’s
positioning
onstage:

Where is she onstage?

-Is she at a consistent part of the
stage? That too me I think makes the
most sense, unless perspective is
changed.
Hexagonal Shape Dance:

This combined
with snow
onstage may
prove
problematic. The
snow may need
replacing or be
constantly
flowing for a
time.
Scene 3
The Snow -What is it?
Piece: -What is happening in
Additionally, when Cameron is
it? Is it playful
taking photos, after the Snow
fun, does it unfold
Piece, I like the thought that
any character
what he is taking a picture of
development, showing
develops from the madness
contrast to before
onstage-there is a shift from
the snow fell?
the snow piece to a scene from
-How is the snow
Cameron’s photographs, which
getting replaced?
then shift back into the
Because it will get
chaos. This reflects that this
kicked about and
chaos is widespread and
shaped and thrown.
inescapable.
-How many actors are
there on stage?
 Because the dialogue and
focus shifts frequently
between Cameron and
Caitlin, if we decide to
use any visual elements
Discerning between to reflect the
Cameron and characters, would it be
Caitlin: useful to have some form
of key almost, to the
extent that there is
some colour association
between costume and
lighting?
-How are we doing this,
if we are?
-It seems there is room
for things to go wrong
with an onstage snowball
fight.
-Is the snow getting Apparently, in
replaced? Groundhog Day, the
-Will there be literal theatre version,
snowballs, or instead a there is a snowball
movement piece symbolic fight though I
of snowballs? couldn’t find an
-The big snowball??? How images to show
will that be done also? this-but it does
show it’s been done
and is presumably
possible.
Snowball
fight:
 More social
context:

Within the snowball fight, it notes it

is a fight of gender vs gender. With
the possibilities of some
gender-related social context already
explored, this could be a theme within
the play-this idea of gender and the
roles of gender?
-With that aside, how do we interpret a
fight of gender vs gender, if we’re
running with that context or not?
-Perhaps it is instead a nod to the
ongoing conflict of the Mums and Dads
instead?
To me, it just seems that this
relationship bursts out of
nowhere-this sudden like for
each other. In the first scene,
where we see the two characters
together for the first time, do
we see anything between the two
characters? Or do we want this
relationship to blossom quickly?
Relationship
between Cameron and
Caitlin:
Additionally, when reading
the play, it feels like we
switch between two
worlds-Caitlin’s and
Cameron’s. When the two
characters interact, do we
see these worlds collide and
collapse into one? Is there a
visually appealing way we can
do this/represent this?
-Theme-world’s colliding?
 More Weird Girl
-What is wrong with the ideas/thoughts about
Weird Girl’s brother? her brother:
-What does his facial
expression tell us?
-What is he looking at? Also at this point in the
-For such a seemingly play, we hear the Weird Girl
static character, why speak for the first time.
and how does he prevent This is
the Weird Girl from important-highlightable.
trying to take him to -Why haven’t we heard her
the door? voice until this point?
Within the script, we flick
between exploring a snowy world
to being inside. If the stage was Snow set
snowy how are we to clear it, potential
then replace it? Transactions? problems:
Keeping a part of the stage
uncovered by snow?
Whilst Marlee’s party is Marlee’s party: At Marlee’s party, it is
happening, we shift focus to crowded, and Marlee gets
Cameron and Caitlin at a bus drowned out.
stop: -This crowded atmosphere
-Do we have both this grows, so to me it feels we
squashed party and the bus are adding actors until
stop onstage? there are none left to go
-Or could we place the bus onstage.
stop elsewhere? -It would be interesting to
-Maybe close to the audience? have them swamp
Showing their worlds have Marlee-physical piece?
collided, and so too can the -Do we hear her voice get
world of the play collide drowned out, as my
with ours? interpretation is no one
being able to hear her?
-The script does say later
Marlee mentions there are only twenty guests that it is squashed and
allowed, insinuating more than twenty guests are there is wonderful group
joining the party-obviously, we lack that amount dancing, but could we
of actors, so how do we interpret/execute this introduce an element of that
line? earlier, that grows into
that piece?
I would like to explore the journey of the shiver
more.
-How intimate do we want it?

Song for The script notes Ideas for

the dance that miraculously, the
track-what Cameron can dance. moments
do we The fact that it has between
choose-we used the word Cameron
are given miraculously makes and
the freedom me want to make this Caitlin
to choose! super apparent to at the
the audience, so end of
could we see some scene 3:
poor dancing from
Cameron up to this
point?
Scene 4
Slush dance: Near the start of scene four, there
are a few scenes described between the
word “Dush!”
-It would be nice to replicate these
scenes onstage-like the idea with
having physical scenes played out when
Caitlin lists various parts of the
stage in scene 1. This would provide a
direct contrast to the behavior shift
within the play.
-”Dush” and how these events are
written in the script combine to give
After this, there is a a very ritualistic feel to the
colour change in the writing. Would be interesting to see
snow-should we use ritualistic movement onstage circling
lighting to convey this? these events described.
If to convey it at all? -3 words come to mind here: circular,
prismatic, rhythmatic.
Within this scene, when we
return to the group formations
I’m 50/50 here. I can see the
of the Lads/Girls:
first point as they still
-Are the formations the same-has
refer to Cameron as “Cuntly”
their way of life shifted back
and Caitlin as “Twatly”,
as if nothing ever happened?
however, they quickly dismiss
-Or has the formation changed,
those names after and start
showing things have changed
to work together to create a
since the snow, which we already
dance, which makes me lean
see in seeing the character
towards the second point.
development between Caitlin and
Cameron?

Also, as a side
point, there is
some texting in Return of the
this scene-do formations of the
we want to see Lads/Girls:
it or even hear
it?
Scene 5
 Everything has returned to
how it was before snow.
Development? -Do we see any obvious
change?
-Is it still the boring
town it once was?
-We see development in
character in the mains-how
much do we see in the
ensemble? Are some
different, some the same,
or are they all different,
or all the same?
 Ending:
Upon hearing of this play, I saw
somewhere that the author
intended for the play to be
lighthearted-a happy play, with
an uplifting ending. But she also
wanted to show not everyone has a
happy ending, as seen by the
story of the Weird Girl.
-So with that said, let's
highlight the unhappy end for the
Weird Girl, which the script does
justice too in scene 5 already.
My goal for the audience
is for them to have felt a
sense of magic by the end
of the play.
The field of flowers is
the last image we see.
-This could look lovely
from a lighting
perspective.
-What does this final
image represent?
Image Moodboard
 The above image might
look nice for the
I love the lighting in dream moment.
the background here-it
makes the snow look
Replace the lamp brighter. The image to
with a bus stop the left has
and you have a a nice floor
great stage set I imagine
for the bus stop for the
scene. boring
streets in
the play.
Perhaps a little less
derelict, and if we could
have large set, but these
images look like a great
example or boring streets
and buildings.
Some examples
of some rich
and lavish
furnishings
for Marlee’s
party.
Bus stop
ideas:
 Though we probably won’t
see it, this is how I
imagine the interior of the
Weird Girl’s building
looking like.

Window ideas:
Snow gear ideas:
Some interesting
ritualistic movements for
the Dush dance idea.
Slush and snow ideas:
Giant snowballs!
Below is an
interesting
image-make it less
like ballet perhaps
and with snow
costumes-then we
some interesting
group dancing in
the snow.
End