Artistic Vision Statement

The play I chose to direct is Going Nowhere Apace, a ten minute, 4 person play by Glen Merzer. The premise of the play involves a man in a gym, Judd, who approaches three different woman and tries to have a conversation with each of them. Early on in the script, it becomes apparent that Judd is not completely normal. He approaches three strange women, asks them personal question, offers some personal information of his own, and generally just tries to get them to respond to him in some way. I interpreted Judd as a socially awkward man, who is lonely and is just trying to connect with another person. He is reaching to these different women in different attempts to get them to pay attention to him. He seems to be obsessed with death, and off-handedly mentions sex, characteristics which add to his awkward persona. Judd’s costume is designed to convey his awkwardness, while still keeping with the realistic setting of a gym. The colors of his costume, black and grey, are most similar to Mary, the woman who he connects with, or believes to connect with the best.
The first woman Judd approaches is Francesca, who is friendly and non-judgmental, but eventually becomes uncomfortable with what Judd shares with her and his interest in developing a relationship beyond just having a conversation. Her costume incorporates bright colors to convey her happy attitude and looks much more comfortable in a gym.
Cecilia, is the second woman Judd approaches. She is serious about and focused on exercising, but doesn’t mind listening to Judd talk. Like Francesca, she becomes alarmed when Judd expresses an interest in her. Judd then becomes irrationally angry with her for rejecting him (another part of his socially awkward personality), and Cecilia takes offense and storms away. Cecilia’s costume is black and tight to convey her seriousness and sense of belonging in a gym.
Mary, the last woman Judd approaches has a costume that incorporates the same colors as Judd’s costume, but looks socially acceptable and normal for a gym setting. Mary is an intense character and is immediately defensive when Judd tries to engage her, but then eventually takes pity on him and shares personal information. Shocked at Judd’s reaction, she becomes frustrated at the un-anticipated outcome.
The set is a representation of a gym, with two stools representing stationary bikes, which is where the action in the play takes place. There is a stretching/weight-lifting station and a bench for looking at magazines to complete the gym atmosphere. The colors of the set are black, navy blue, and grey and mirror the colors in most of the costumes. This dark color palette for the play’s design displays Judd’s black/off-color humor and the sense that these interactions have a dark and desperate undertone of a lonely man’s last attempt to reach out to other human beings.
I looked at the play mainly from Judd’s perspective as an awkward man. I want the audience to understand how uncomfortable Judd is at talking to women he is interested in, yet I want the audience to still recognize how creepy and weird and a little abrasize he can be when he talk to the three women, talking animatedly about death, touching them as a close friend would, and unexpectedly becoming angry and lashing out at the women he was just trying to pick up.