Big Love by Charles L. Mee is a Greek tragedy depicting the art of feminism and the right to love.
T H E M E O F T H E P L AY
STEWARDING THE THEME
The theme of the play can set the mood, which correlates with the different design elements.
SET DESIGNBecause of the feminist aspect of the play, the girls are not afraid to flaunt what they have. The main
set can be the bathtub where Lydia is bathing and people begin
walking in LIGHT DESIGNBecause of the play’s
depiction of the right to love, soft (lower
intensity), warm-toned lighting can be used during the romantic
scenes between Lydia and Nikos
COSTUME DESIGNBecause of the feminist aspect of the play, most of the girls
can be wearing wedding dresses, but on the more
conservative side.
The director is essentially the editor of the entire play. He overlooks all the aspects of putting the play together like:
>Choosing the script
>Selecting the cast
>Shaping the spine
>Finding the style
>Developing the directional concept
J O B O F T H E D I R E C TO R
CHOOSING THE SCRIPT
Usually the director chooses the script to which he or she feels a deep connection to. We chose the play Big Love because of it’s
modern take on a old-time problem (arranged marriages/forbidden love), as well as the twist in domestic
violence. A woman hurting a man is less spoken of than a man hurting a woman.
S E L E C T I N G T H E C A S TANGELINA JOLIE - Thyona: Bride, angry feministANNE HATHAWAY - Olympia: Bride, polar opposite of ThyonaAMANDA SEYFRIED - Lydia: Bride, middle ground between her two sistersVIN DIESEL - Constantine: Groom, the ultimate misogynistJUSTIN BARTHA - Oed: Groom, not very brightJOSH DALLAS - Nikos: Groom, longs for a real connection with his brideSEAN MAGUIRE - Piero: Owner of the Italian manor providing sanctuary to bridesMERYL STREEP - Bella: Mother of PieroGABRIEL MANN - Giuliano: Son of Piero
Big Love is a play about fifty girls who flee from their city to avoid marrying their cousins due to a contract created before any of them were born. The grooms are for following tradition and
culture. The brides are against arranged marriages.
The spine of the play of is “tradition vs. modernity.”
SHAPING THE SPINE
The style of Big Love is “selective realism.” Selective Realism is essentially when the play is meant to resemble real life, but not
all the time.
The issue of arranged marriages, right to love, and domestic violence are still issues today, but having 50 sisters is highly
unlikely.
FINDING THE STYLE