The Suitors images
We began a week late because Steven was ill and didn't give us the sketches before going into seclusion. It won't be a problem, though. In the sketch at right you see in a general way the spatial relationships. From your left we have a street sign (assistant director Cameron's invention), Chicanneau's house with front door and Isabelle's balcony, the street running between the houses, then Judge Nigaud's house with its door, second-floor window and attic. It's quite hard to see at your extreme right, but there is also a basement door and a low basement window for one of the mad judge's escapes. The elevated area in front of the window represents an elevated area. I should mention that the action of this comedy does not take place in Paris but somewhere in Normandy, probably so Racine's Parisian audience wouldn't object to the strange commedia dell'arte accents.
The ingenue Isabelle, Chicanneau's daughter, makes her first appearance tending the flowers in her window box. Steven's drawings made this balcony unit pretty imposing as a visual balance to the big Nigaud mansion across the stage. We probably will include the roof, but if we aren't careful it will interfere with lighting the poor child. It could be that a vestigial roof will make the picture right without throwing a deep shadow on her face.
Judge Nigaud's place is more complicated. In the square-on sketch at right you see the door, elevated area backed by shuttered window, and attic. The basement door and window will appear at the foot of the steps dropping to your right.
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