6/24/13- Teacher's Guide

1. Target Audience: Theatre Arts 2, Grade 10

2. Pre-Show Activity

Makeup Without Mirrors:

In this game, students will attempt to help each other in pairs to apply stage makeup. Use a water-based makeup for easy removal.

SOLS #3d: Students apply technical knowledge and skills to collaboratively and safely create functional scenery, properties, lighting, sound, costumes and makeup.

3. Pre-Show Viewing & Discussion

Watch YouTube video over a No Exit production & then ask the following questions.

---Questions:

• What about this design concept do you think works? Does not work?
• What sort of challenges do you think would be involved with this sort of production?
• What other design concepts could you come up with for this show?

SOLS #3f: Students explain how scientific and technological advances have impacted set, light, sound, and costume design and implementation for theatre, film, television, and electronic media productions.

SOLS #4a: Students develop multiple interpretations and visual and aural production choices for scripts and production ideas and choose those that are most interesting 

SOLS #4f: Students justify selections of text, interpretation, and visual and aural artistic choices.

4. Pre-Show Reading & Discussion

Read excerpt from the play & then ask the following questions.

No Exit
by Jean Paul Sartre
Although many nineteenth century philosophers developed the concepts of existentialism,
it was the French writer Jean Paul Sartre who popularized it. His one act play, Huis Clos
or No Exit, first produced in Paris in May, 19944, is the clearest example and metaphor
for this philosophy. There are only four characters: the VALET, GARCIN, ESTELLE,
and INEZ and the entire play takes place in a drawing room, Second Empire style, with a
massive bronze ornament on the mantelpiece. However the piece contains essential germs
of existentialist thought such as "Hell is other people." As you read the play, put yourself
in that drawing room with two people you hate most in the world.

GARCIN (enters, accompanied by the VALET, and glances around him): So here we
are?
VALET: Yes, Mr. Garcin.
GARCIN: And this is what it looks like?
VALET: Yes.
GARCIN: Second Empire furniture, I observe... Well, well, I dare say one gets used to it
in time.
VALET: Some do, some don't.
GARCIN: Are all the rooms like this one?
VALET: How could they be? We cater for all sorts: Chinamen and Indians, for instance.
What use would they have for a Second Empire chair?
GARCIN: And what use do you suppose I have for one? Do you know who I was?. ..Oh,
well, it's no great matter. And, to tell the truth, I had quite a habit of living among
furniture that I didn't relish, and in false positions. I'd even come to like it. A false
position in a Louis-Philippe dining room— you know the style?— well, that had its points,
you know. Bogus in bogus, so to speak.
VALET: And you'll find that living in a Second Empire drawing-room has its points.
GARCIN: Really?. ..Yes, yes, I dare say. ..Still I certainly didn't expect— this! You know
what they tell us down there?
VALET: What about?
GARCIN: About.. .this- er~residence.
VALET: Really, sir, how could you believe such cock-and-bull stories? Told by people
who'd never set foot here. For, of course, if they had—
GARCIN: Quite so. But I say, where are the instruments of torture?
VALET: The what?
GARCIN: The racks and red-hot pincers and all the other paraphernalia?
Think about the place you have chosen as your hell. Does it look ordinary and bourgeois,
like Sartre's drawing room, or is it equipped with literal instruments of torture like
Dante's Inferno? Can the mind be in hell in a beautiful place? Is there a way to find peace
in a hellish physical environment? Enter Sartre's space more fully and imagine how it
would feel to live there endlessly, night and day:
VALET: Ah, you must have your little joke, sir.
GARCIN: My little joke? Oh, I see. No, I wasn't joking. No mirrors, I notice. No
windows. Only to be expected. And nothing breakable. But damn it all, they might have
left me my toothbrush!
VALET: That's good! So you haven't yet got over your— what-do-you-call-it?— sense of
human dignity? Excuse my smiling.
GARCIN: I'll ask you to be more polite. I quite realize the position I'm in, but I won't
tolerate...
VALET: Sorry, sir. No offense meant. But all our guests aske me the same questions.
Silly questions, if you'll pardon my saying so. Where's the torture-chamber? That's the
first thing they ask, all of them. They don't bother their heads about the bathroom
requisites, that I can assure you. But after a bit, when they've got their nerve back, they
start in about their toothbrushes and what-ot. Good heavens, Mr. Garcin, can't you use
your brains? What, I ask you, would be the point of brushing your teeth?
GARCIN: Yes, of course you're right. And why shouild one want to see oneself in a
looking- glass? But that bronze contraption on the mantelpiece, that's another story. I
suppose there will be times when I stare my eyes out at it. Stare my eyes out— see what I
mean?. ..All right, let's put our cards on the table. I assure you I'm quite conscious of my
position. Shall I tell you what it feels like? A man's drowning, choking, sinking by
inches, till only his eyes are just above water. And what does he see? A bronze atrocity
by— what's the fellow's name?— Barbedienne. A collector's piece. As in a nightmare.
That's their idea, isn't it?. ..No, I suppose you're under orders not to answer questions; and
I won't insist. But don't forget, my man, I've a good notion of what's coming to me, so
don't you boast you've caught me off my guard. I'm facing the situation, facing it. So
that's that; no toothbrush. And no bed, either. One never sleeps, I take it?
VALET: That's so.
GARCIN: Just as I expected. WHY should one sleep? A sort of drowsiness steals on you,
tickles you behind the ears, and you feel your eyes closing— but why sleep? You lie down
on the sofa and— in a flash, sleep flies away. Miles and miles away. So you rub your
eyes, get up, and it starts all over again.
VALET: Romantic, that's what you are.
GARCIN: Will you keep quiet, please! ...I won't make a scene, I shan't be sorry for
myself, I'll face the situation, as I said just now. Face it fairly and squarely. I son't have it
springing at me from behind, before I've time to size it up. And you call that being
"romantic!" So it comes to this; one doesn't need rest. Why bother about sleep if one isn't
sleepy? That stands to reason, doesn't it? Wait a minute, there's a snag somewhere;
something disagreeable. Why, now, should it be disagreeable? ...Ah, I see; it's life
without a break.
Could hell be described as too much of anything without a break? Are variety,
moderation and balance instruments we use to keep us from boiling in any inferno of
excess,' whether it be cheesecake or ravenous sex?
VALET: What are you talking about?
GARCIN: Your eyelids. We move ours up and down. Blinking, we call it. It's like a small
black shutter that clicks down and makes a break. Everything goes black; one's eyes are
moistened. You can't imagine how restful, refreshing, it is. Four thousand little rests per
hour. Four thousand little respites— just think!. ..So that's the idea. I'm to live without
eyelids. Don't act the fool, you know what I mean. No eyelids, no sleep; it follows,
doesn't it? I shall never sleep again. But then— how shall I endure my own company? Try
to understand. You see, I'm fond of teasing, it's a second nature with me— and I'm used to
teasing myself. Plaguing myself, if you prefer; I don't tease nicely. But I can't go on doing
that without a break. Down there I had my nights. I slept. I always had good nights. By
way of compensation, I suppose. And happy little dreams. There was a green field. Just
an ordinary field. I used to stroll in it.. .Is it daytime now?
VALET: Can't you see? The lights are on.
GARCIN: Ah, yes, I've got it. It's your daytime. And outside?
VALET: Outside?
GARCIN: Damn it, you know what I mean. Beyond that wall.
VALET: There's a passage.
GARCIN: And at the end of the passage?
VALET: There's more rooms, more passages, and stairs.
GARCIN: And what lies beyond them?
VALET: That's all.
GARCIN: But surely you have a day off sometimes. Where do you go?
VALET: To my uncle's place. He's the head valet here. He has a room on the third floor.
GARCIN: I should have guessed as much. Where's the light-switch?
VALET: There isn't any.
GARCIN: What? Can't one turn off the light?
VALET: Oh, the management can cut off the current if they want to. But I can't
remember their having done so on this floor. We have all the electricity we want.
GARCIN: So one has to live with one's eyes open all the time?
VALET: To live, did you say?
GARCIN: Don't let's quibble over words. With one's eyes open. Forever. Always broad
daylight in my eyes— and in my head. And suppose I took that contraption on the
mantelpiece and dropped it on the lamp— wouldn't it go out?
VALET: You can't move it. It's too heavy.
GARCIN: You're right. It's too heavy.
VALET: Very well, sir, if you don't need me any more, I'll be off.
GARCIN: What? You're going? Wait. That's a bell, isn't it? And if I ring, you're bound to
come?
VALET: Well, yes, that's so— in a way. But you can never be sure about that bell. There's
something wrong with the wiring, and it doesn't always work.
GARCIN: It's working all right.
VALET: So it is. But I shouldn't count on it too much if I were you. It's— capricious.
Well, I really must go now. Yes, sir?
GARCIN: No, never mind. What's this?
VALET: Can't you see? An ordinary paper-knife.
GARCIN: Are there books here?
VALET: No.
GARCIN: Then what's the use of this? Very well. You can go. (Garcin is by himself. He
goes to the bronze ornament and strokes it reflectively. He sits down; then gets up, goes
to the bell-push, and presses the button. The bell remains silent. He tries two or three
times, without success. Then he tries to open the door, also without success. He calls the
VALET several times, but gets no result. He beats the door with his fists, still calling.
Suddenly he grows calm and sits down again.)

---Questions:

• How does Sartre create a sense of place through dialogue?

• Can you imagine what it feels like to stay awake all the time with the lights on with no hope of leaving a specific place? 

• How does GARCIN react to this hell?

• How could you twist your daily activities around so that everyday habits become hell?

• Is there a pattern of circumstances that reinforces the experience of hell? 

SOLS #5a: Students identify and research cultural, historical, and symbolic clues in dramatic texts, and evaluate the validity and practicality of the information to assist in making artistic choices for informal and formal productions.

5. Post-Show Follow-Up Discussion

---Questions:

• Why doesn't Garcin leave when the door opens? Doesn't he want to get away from Inez and be free?
• To what extent did the German occupation of Paris influence Sartre's writing of the play? Is the room a metaphor for Paris and the Valet a symbol for the Nazis?
• Why does Estelle need to look at herself in a mirror? Why aren't there any mirrors in the room? Does Estelle's use of Inez as a "mirror" constitute "bad faith?"
• Why does Estelle try and kill Inez? Is her attempt an example of self-deception or the absurdity of her situation? What is the paper-knife used to stab Inez a symbol of?
• What is self-deception, and what role does it play in No Exit? Why won't any of the characters admit to their crimes even in hell? Couldn't Garcin deceive himself into believing that he was brave?
• Why does the Valet have no eyelids? Why does this bother Garcin? What is different from the Valet's gaze to that of Inez?
• Does Inez suffer from "bad faith" just as Garcin and Estelle do? Does she think she has freedom of choice even in hell? Why or why not?

SOLS #2a: Students analyze the physical, emotional, and social dimensions of characters found in dramatic texts from various genres and media. 

SOLS #7c: Students analyze and critique the whole and the parts of dramatic performances, taking into account the context, and constructively suggest alternative artistic choices.

6/20/13- Review Capsules

Broadway (1946)

"The Season on Broadway"by Frederick Morgan, The Sewanee Review, June 1947. JSTOR LINK

In his review of the show's first Broadway run, Mr. Morgan focuses the majority of his attention to the setup and workings of the play, as well as its philosophy. Only briefly does he touch upon a couple of the cast members and their effectiveness in their respective roles. 

"Mr. Claude Dauphin, in the role of the collaborationist, made the most of some humorous business, but marred an otherwise excellent performance by excessive grimacing and blinking. Miss Ruth Ford, as the infanticide, was by far the most successful in conveying that impression of commonplace cruelty and sterility that is truly hell-ish." 

"What interest the play builds up is due largely to the element of the picturesque: the garish decor, the door that opens on a blaze of light, the bellhop's atrophied eyelids, the machine-like interactions of the protagonists." 

"Weaknesses" by Stark Young, The New Republic, December 9, 1946. LINK

Jerusalem (1999)

"Hell Revisited" by Sara Sherbill, The Jerusalem Post, February 12, 1999. LINK

In her review of the Jerusalem international production, Mrs. Sherbill perfectly balances her focus between the production and historical background of the play. The review interweaves the setup and history of the script with the values of the production itself (including performances, direction, set, etc.). 

"As Cradeau, a man whose strong, masculine self-image unravels before our eyes, Matt Leader gives an unfaltering, understated performance. While Cradeau is clearly suffering, Leader maintains the steadied responses, edging on stoicism, of a man who cannot bear to confront his truest self. In one key moment, Cradeau places his hands over his eyes in frustration and leaves them there longer than expected. We understand the message: this is a man trying desperately to cling to his sanity, or at least to some concept of reality he can make sense of." 

"It is obvious that No Exit's director, Jed Silverstein, guided his players gently through this difficult dramatic terrain. A common critique of Sartre'snovels and plays is that they are more about ideas than about people. Silverstein, however, has given the actors room to let their characters shine through the philosophical undercurrents, resulting in a production that is clearly based on ideas, but not at the expense of character development."

Ontario, Quebec, Canada (2010)

"In hell's drawing room, members of a ménage à trois confront big questions" by Pat Donnelly, The Gazette, March 13, 2010. LINK

In his review of the Canadian production of the show, Mr. Donnelly spends the first two-thirds of his writing on the range of effectiveness of the actors. Only as the review ends does he tag on a brief historical account of the script, as well as a short paragraph about the technical aspirations of the production. 

"[Bussiere] isn't the whole show. Co-star Julie Le Breton, who plays the toxic and seductive Estelle, frankly upstages her at times - as she is intended to do." 

"Faced with the problem of presenting a play meant for a more intimate space within the cavernous, 846-seat TNM, director Lorraine Pintal has turned to spectacle and transformed Garçon into a circus-like figure who climbs up and slides down a pole rising from the black metal cage that represents hell's drawing room. The decor, by Productions Yves Nicol Inc. (first time I've seen a company rather than an individual credited for set design), is designed to give a sense of confinement within an infinity of space. Three frame-doors swing open at appropriate moments. A chandelier hangs over the three-sofa interior where the action takes place."

Toronto, Canada (2003)

"Come hell or high drama" by Robert Cushman, The National Post, June 26, 2003. LINK

In his review of the Stratford Festival's production, Mr. Cushman spends the first half of his writing on the background of the play and analyzing the complexities of the characters (or complaining on the lack there-of). After a few more paragraphs analyzing and griping about Sartre's philosophy, the reviewer details his thoughts on the technical and acting sides of the production. 

"Claire Jullien as Estelle flounces about the stage, looking very blond and fetching in a blue dress but exhibiting the character's shallowness rather than exploring it. Chick Reid's Inez is flinty and hectoring, as if that were what defined a lesbian. Stephen Ouimette's Cradeau is somewhat subtler, imprinting himself on the mind as a man with a pervasive mental wince. His last illusions collapse when, doubled up in mirthless merriment, he announces, "I'm dead -- I've gone into public domain," one of the few memorable phrases in a disappointingly flavourless translation by U.S. poet Paul Bowles." 

"Jim Warren's production is the staged equivalent of an intelligent reading. Everybody shouts when required, laughs when required (most noticeably when they realize the implications of the play's celebrated punchline), and nobody digs very deep."

Jean Cocteau Repertory (1998)

"In an Existentialist's Hell, Three Is Still a Crowd" by Wilborn Hampton, The New York Times, September 11, 1998.  LINK

In Mr. Hampton's review of Jean Cocteau Repertory production, the reviewer spends much of his short and concise article explaining the summary of the play. He does, however, manage to include his thoughts on the director and the talents of the actors involved. 

"Elise Stone is the best of the three as Inez, the "tough customer" who finds she "needs to see people suffer to know I exist." Charles Parnell is striking as Garcin and has some rewarding moments, especially in his scenes with Ms. Stone. Tracy Atkins is never really believable as Estelle, playing a woman capable of killing her own child to spite a lover as though she were a cunning little vixen. Tim Deak delivers a fine turn as the Nazi-like bellboy who escorts each to their damnation." 

"Mr. Travis sets a pace and tone for his actors that seems more suited to a television sitcom than the menacing machinations of three ruthless souls bound forever in torment. Indeed, some exchanges are played for laughs. Admittedly, a surprisingly pedestrian translation by the novelist Paul Bowles offers little in the way of inspiration. And the final scene, in which the passions of all three are at last unleashed, if only to prove their ultimate impotence, is taut and partly salvages the staging."

Tampa, Florida (1988)

"Enter Hell through 'No Exit' and discover a compelling play" by Peter Smith, Floridian, December 10, 1998. 

In his review of a Florida regional production, Mr. Smith writes extensively on the setup of the play and then analyzes each actor in their own paragraph. The review is to-the-point and effectively explains and analyzes the production. 

"This existential horror story is mostly well played. Patrick James plays Garcin, and if he begins the evening a little stiffly, as he gets swept up in the play, he handles himself better. Words that seem at    first to come only from his lips come from his soul by play's end." 

"Daniel F. Reardon's direction is understated and intelligent. He illustrates the various alliances and conflicts with quiet movements and allows Sartre's jokes (for there are some good ones) to come out."

Chicago (2010)

"Looks like Hell to me" by Barry Eitel, Chicago Theater Beat, June 8, 2010. LINK

In his review of a Chicago regional production, Mr. Eitel beautifully describes the technical and scenic elements involved. He does include depictions of each cast member's work, but this review was refreshing in that it was almost exclusively about the design and directing choices of the production. 

"McLean, Barlow, and Gleisten clamor and climb wonderfully, conquering the walls, sloped floor, and sofas. The three claw at each other in lust, anger, and desperation. More importantly, they can balance their characters’ evil qualities with vulnerability and rational thinking. Sometimes they can’t get a firm grasp on Sartre’s lyrical language. McLean is particularly guilty here, sounding wooden and dull at bits. He clearly gets the pettiness and jealousy of Garcin, though. All three add enough personal quirks and charms to make these borderline psychopaths engaging. John Taflan, clad in the uniform of a Napoleonic army officer, is endlessly fascinating as the valet. He’s tall, weird, and intimidating, which is what I think the Craigslist ad for a doorman in Hell would ask for." 

"Graney and scenic designer Tom Burch demand intense physical acting from the cast. The room is tiny and crowded with furniture and bodies. On top of all this, the whole set is on a steep rake. The design requires accuracy and focus; any sloppiness could end in making the chaos too chaotic."

Virtual Theatre (2011)
"A brilliant 'No Exit'" by Karen D'Souza, Mercury News, April 4, 2011. LINK

In her review of The Virtual Theatre's production, Mrs. D'Souza perfectly blends her critique over the acting, technical, and directorial aspects of the performance. The only thing missing from her review is an depth regarding the history or background of either the script or playwright.

"This valet plays a much larger role than in most versions of the tale. Here he is a jailer for the characters but also a bridge between the universe of the play and the real world. Occasionally, he turns to us and silently begs (via placards) to be let out of his miserable duty. It seems that he, like his prisoners, is locked in a cycle of grim repetition."

"While fusing film and theater can often distract the audience from the craft of the actor, the bold use of cinema (video design by Thompson) in this production invigorates the aspects of the play that might otherwise seem dated. The sexual interludes feel almost obscene, and the brutality of the power dynamics is devastatingly effective."

 

Oregon (2009)
"Imago's 'No Exit' tilts toward success with strong, physical cast" by Michael McGregor, The Oregonian, October 17, 2009. LINK

 

In his review of Oregon's 2009 production, Mr. McGregor beautifully analyzes the technical, directorial, and acting performances involved in the production. There is no real historical background given on the play, but with such a heavy emphasis on the revolutionary set in this production this is understandable.

"The cast is made up of strong, physical actors: Tim True as the pacifist Garcin, who needs to be assured he's not a coward. Maureen Porter as the privileged, frivolous Estelle, who needs the validation of male attention. JoAnn Johnson as the cruel lesbian Inez, who has internalized others' view of her as loathsome. And Bryce Flint-Somerville as a humorously creepy valet showing them the room they'll share for eternity."

"Mouawad's approach, enhanced by Jeff Forbes' stark lighting, is visually dramatic. On a roughly 12-by-12-foot stage that can shift several feet up and down, the three central actors end up in interesting juxtapositions. First, one is higher than the others, then all three are down low. All are balanced on the level or fluctuate as they approach or retreat from one another. Because the shifts coincide with psychological shifts in the script, and the actors adjust without betraying the effort involved, the gadget never seems just a gimmick."

6/19/13- Production Reviews

Broadway (1946)

• "The Season on Broadway"by Frederick Morgan, The Sewanee Review, June 1947. JSTOR LINK
• "Weaknesses" by Stark Young, The New Republic, December 9, 1946. LINK

Jerusalem (1999)

• "Hell Revisited" by Sara Sherbill, The Jerusalem Post, February 12, 1999. LINK

Ontario, Quebec, Canada (2010)

• "In hell's drawing room, members of a ménage à trois confront big questions" by Pat Donnelly, The Gazette, March 13, 2010. LINK

Toronto, Canada (2003)

• "Come hell or high drama" by Robert Cushman, The National Post, June 26, 2003. LINK

Jean Cocteau Repertory (1998)

• "In an Existentialist's Hell, Three Is Still a Crowd" by Wilborn Hampton, The New York Times, September 11, 1998.  LINK

Tampa, Florida (1988)

• "Enter Hell through 'No Exit' and discover a compelling play" by Peter Smith, Floridian, December 10, 1998. 

Chicago (2010)

• "Looks like Hell to me" by Barry Eitel, Chicago Theater Beat, June 8, 2010. LINK

Virtual Theatre (2011)

• "A brilliant 'No Exit'" by Karen D'Souza, Mercury News, April 4, 2011. LINK

Oregon (2009)

• "Imago's 'No Exit' tilts toward success with strong, physical cast" by Michael McGregor, The Oregonian, October 17, 2009. LINK

****FIX LEXIS/NEXIS LINKS**********

6/18/13- Production History

Original French Production
Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier
Paris, France
May 1944

Raymond Rouleau, Director

Original Broadway Production
Biltmore Theatre
New York, New York
November 26, 1946 - December 21, 1946

John Huston, Director
Frederick Kiesler, Scenic & Lighting Designer
Claude Dauphin as GARCIN
Ruth Ford as ESTELLE

Off-Broadway Production
Theater East
New York, New York
August 14, 1956 - October 28, 1956

Patricia Newhall, Director
Kent Bedient, Set Designer
Robert F. Mandan as GARCIN
Tani Seitz as INEZ

Recent Regional Production
American Conservatory Theater
(co-produced with The Virtual Stage and Electric Company Theatre)
4/7/11 - 5/1/11

Kim Collier, Director
Jay Gower Taylor, Set Designer
John Webber, Lighting Designer & Technical Director
Andy Thompson as GARCIN & Video Designer
Laara Sadiq as INEZ

Less Recent Regional Production
American Repertory Theater
(co-produced with Imago Theatre)
01/07/06 - 01/29/06

Jerry Mouawad, Director & Set Designer
Jeff Forbes, Lighting Designer
Will LeBow as GARCIN
Karen MacDonald as ESTELLE

Chicago Regional Production
Athenaeum Theatre (The Hypocrites)
Chicago, Illinois
June 8, 2011 - July 11, 2011

Sean Graney, Director
Tom Burch, Scenic Designer
Robert McLean as GARCIN
Samantha Gleisten as INEZ

New York Regional Production
Schwartz Theater Center
Ithaca, New York
November 10, 2011 - November 19, 2011

Juliana Kleist-Mendez, Director
Elaine Tripoulas, Choreographer
Jeffrey Guyton as GARCIN
Anya Gibian as INEZ

Montreal Regional Production
Théâtre du Nouveau Monde
Montreal, Quebec
March 13, 2010 - April 8, 2010

Lorraine Pintal, DirectorPascale Bussières as INEZPatrice Robitaille as GARCIN

Toronto Regional Production
Stratford Play Festival
Stratford, Toronto
June 26, 2003 - July 15, 2003

Andrew Massingham, DirectorClaire Jullien as ESTELLEStephen Ouimette as GARCIN

Jerusalem International Production
Center Stage Theatre
Hadassah, Jerusalem
February 12, 1999 - February 20, 1999

Jed Silverstein, Director
Claire Serfaty as INEZ
Matt Leader as GARCIN 

6/17/13- Production Stills

Schwartz Theatre's 2011 production- set is "agony red" and has working video screens throughout the set's background (visual stimuli).

Imago Theatre's Oregon production on a raised, heavily tilted stage (remote operated).

Triple Play's NYC production on a see-saw stage (shifts slightly based on actors' movement).

The Virtual Stage's 2011 United States debut, in which half of the show is pre-recorded and projected for the audience to watch, in addition to the live acting in front of the projections.

Chicago's Hypocrites Theatre Group had a 2010 production that included an extremely absurdist design, complete with fluorescent pink walls and a fully nude statue.

Cornell University's 2011 production, in which the wall resembles disco mirror sections, and can expand & contract. It also has an additional dancer that "represents" each of the three main characters.

Scena Theatre's 2008 production chose to set up their black box venue as a theatre-in-the-round.

Taipei's National University of the Arts had this memorable 2008 production that included projected wall frames and floor frame gobos.

NYU's production, set in an environmental theatre space. Design purposefully does not include walls.

6/11/13- Where & When

Originally set in France, 1944

Yes, technically the play occurs in hell. However, all the characters are from Paris around the time of 1944. Therefore I will try to understand the nature of the location at this date to better understand the characters.

World War II effected Paris, France, a great deal

From 1940-1944 Paris, France, was overtaken by German forces. The north half became "occupied", while the lower half stayed unoccupied by the invading armies. Central Paris survived the war unscathed, despite the order having been given to the German commander to destroy the city before he fled. After the war, the suburbs exploded in size and popularity. In addition, large social estates and a comprehensive express subway network were built. A freeway was established the circled Paris via the surrounding suburbs. 

SOURCE

Existentialism was a means of rebellion in 1940s France

Following the Second World War, existentialism became a well-known and significant philosophical and cultural movement, mainly through the public prominence of two French writers, Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, who wrote best-selling novels, plays and widely read journalism as well as theoretical texts. These years also saw the growing reputation of Heidegger's book Being and Time outside of Germany.

Sartre dealt with existentialist themes in his 1938 novel Nausea and the short stories in his 1939 collection The Wall, and had published his treatise on existentialism, Being and Nothingness, in 1943, but it was in the two years following the liberation of Paris from the German occupying forces that he and his close associates — Camus, Simone de Beauvoir, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and others — became internationally famous as the leading figures of a movement known as existentialism.
SOURCE

World War II also effected the fashion of France

World War ll had an effect on the fashion industry everywhere even in the home of haute couture, Paris. After the Nazis occupied Paris they insisted that the fashion industry be transferred to Berlin, and although they did eventually withdraw the order several couture houses closed down. 'Coco' Chanel shut up shop a year before the outbreak of war and later benefited by having a top Nazi official as her lover. A lot of other top designers either retired or went into exile.

Expensive fabrics such as silks and lace were no longer available in Paris and ordinary fabrics were restricted. This, along with the mass exodus of the Jewish fashion workforce (they were either forced to go abroad or further south e.g. Nice) meant the collapse of the French fashion industry centre. Few fashion houses continued in their pre-war status but worked mainly for wealthy collaborators or exported designs to Germany.

The designs at that time in France were full skirts, high-heeled shoes and even fur coats for those who could afford them. The French designers argued that their designs were in defiance of the German restrictions and also meant that there was less fabric available to the enemy. In Paris, women began to make the hat their expression of fashion, as material was rationed, but flowers and feathers were not. So an explosion of colour and style could be seen on the heads of many women.

SOURCE

Paris' Social Culture secretly thrived during the war

Far from closing down Parisian social life, the Germans exploited the city’s cultural and entertainment resources as an opulent recreational area for their soldiers and officials. Soon after the occupation, theatres re-opened, playing to capacity audiences of French and Germans alike. It was a time of expansion for the city’s nightclubs as well. About 125 of central Paris’s 200 cabarets were founded after the 1940 armistice.

Jazz achieved unprecedented popularity in the occupied nations of Europe and even in Germany during the war, but nowhere more so than in  France. Paris concerts had traditionally attracted audiences of around 400. Now even those performances  in provincial towns featuring lesser artists, attracted audiences of a thousand or more. Record sales also increased. Many of these were recordings of French artists playing American-style swing. Undoubtedly jazz fulfilled the desire for escape of many in the occupied nations; it was a reminder of a different time and a different place.
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French Cinema thrived under German influence

French society has long been proud of the quality of films produced during the war under German Occupation, and indeed several of them have never fallen from favour—Les Visiteurs du soir and Les Enfants du paradis, for instance, not to mention Cocteau’s L’Eternel Retour and Grémillon’s two films. But others that adopted the Vichy ideology of back to the land, and others again that were subsequently interpreted as resistance films, are also well worth seeing.

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Map of German-occupied France

6/12/13- Sounds & Images

Whitefriars Lane song

Inez sings this entire song during the play to torment Garcin. It isn't a well-known piece, but here is a guide vocals demo of it (made exclusively for an actress playing Inez in a 1999 production of the play).

SOUND CLIP

Valet Uniform

The Valet wears a red valet/bellhop uniform during the play. There are variations, but not many. Here is an example of what I have found to be commonly worn during productions of the play.

1940's vintage uniform

Map of Parisian neighborhoods

The various characters are all from the region of Paris. This map helps to understand the way Paris is broken down, and where each character would have hailed from

Neighborhoods of Paris, France

Example of Couch that might be found in 1940s France

This was a prime example of a couch that the characters would be sitting on if the "hell" they are in is, in fact, contemporary for the characters.

1940s French sofa

Bell-Push

There is a bell-push in the room that is frequently talked about by the guests.

Antique Bell-push

Bronze Ornament/Statue

There is a bronze ornament / statue in the room that is large, heavy and ugly. It is a centerpiece of the set.

a Barbedienne statue

Famous/Popular French movie, 1943

This was the most popular French film at the time. Entertainment in France was scarce, as Germans allowed for very little recreation- therefore, French-made cinema was a rare escape for the citizens.

L'Eternal Retour, extremely popular

Popular French Art

This was a very famous, calming painting during the 1940s in France. It reminded the people of a simpler, safer time.

Popular French painting

Nazi poster in Paris, France

A Nazi poster that is discouraging any thoughts of liberation from German rule.

Nazi anti-rebellion poster

French Fashion

Period clothing, worn by the common citizens (people not involved with the war, such as the play characters).

French 1944 fashionable garments