DTCONCEPT

//Words Words Words// is an intentionally ridiculous play, intended as an escapist comedy with no ties to reality. The plot accordingly contains no significant action, only dialogue and physical comedy. Three monkeys, subjects of an experiment, are supposed to be trying to type //Hamlet// through random keystrokes. My concept for this play is simply a laboratory. The monkeys are confined and forced to type; they are fed and catered to expressly for this purpose. In short, they are part of an experiment by the unseen Dr. Rosenbaum. I would want to create the impression that Dr. Rosenbaum is ever watchful, so the stage should be awash in harsh white light. The plain floor and plain walls should be colored white. The tire swing (and the cigarette, when it descends) should hang from an unseen point on a stainless steel rope, giving the impression of coldness and sterility. The typewriters should be perfectly identical and placed on angular steel tables. The costumes for the monkeys should reflect the comedic side of the play while keeping with the lab theme, so they should be colorful but neatly ordered. Given that the monkey characters are named after older authors, there should also be a period-piece feel to their costumes, with the fabric and cut of each being distinctly antiquated. The typewriters should be antiques as well.