DIRTY BUTTERFLY
Orange Tree Theatre | Set and Costume Design | September 2024
Something bad is happening to Jo. Through paper-thin walls, Jason and Amelia hear everything – but what does it take to stop listening and do something?
Starring Amanda Ibadin, Cassie Clark and Abimbola Ikengboju
Playwright : Debbie Tucker Green
Director : Robert Furey
Movement Director : Elize Layton
Lighting Design : Abhinav Mishra
Sound Design : Isabel Buchanan
Stage Manager : Patrick McAneny
Photography : Sam Taylor
CONCEPT
Repositioned inside a prison, the design hints at an institutional environment without forcing it upon the audience. The space may be interpreted as a literal prison or simply a physical metaphor for the power imbalance that traps the characters. Confined to their cells and situation, Amelia becomes the unwilling witness to fellow inmate Jo’s abuse. Jason, a correctional officer, moves freely yet is similarly trapped by his fascination with Jo. As a guard, his passive complicity in her abuse highlights the play’s broader themes of guilt, obsession, and power.
Subverting the traditional rules of the round, the set deliberately obstructs sightlines with a central wall, dividing the audience's view and forcing them into the same voyeuristic role as the characters. The tension between what is heard, what is seen—and what we wish to see, despite its horrors—mirrors the darker truths of the human condition. This tension is maintained until the epilogue, where the wall is removed, transitioning the space into a prison cafeteria for a devastating conclusion.
