Artist Statement

      In writing Nell Gwynn, playwright Jessica Swale aims to “honor Nell’s memory, to capture her spirit … rather than stick slavishly to facts.” Keeping with  the playwright’s line of thinking set the tone for our design team’s visual ideas, sketching around the known historical facts and embellishing here and there to reinforce the wit and social commentary of the time. In Nell Gwynn, we see two worlds coming together; the historically accurate theatrical conventions of Nell’s time and those that we are more familiar with now.

      Like the Drury Lane Nell knows, lighting positions such as chandeliers and foot lights will place us in the world of the theater. Because the audience itself played a big role in theatrical productions, the look and feel of the Drury Lane will extend out into the house of the Hansen. The use of moving lights, saturated colors, and haze will embellish musical numbers and the lavishness of the palace as well as speak to the meta-theatricality, and fun, of Swale’s work.