Ruined

In deciding on an idea for a mock production of Ruined, it wasn't easy to come up with a vision right away. Lynn Nottage created such a powerful kaleidoscope of emotions and symbolism, reading her play was imagining poetry in motion. I certainly wasn't sure that I would be able to accurately capture those same emotions and symbolism myself. I wanted to find a place that would parallel the land of The Democratic Republic of Congo, where Ruined was set, and also serve as a symbol of the oppression and confinement that Sophie, Salima, Josephine, and even Mama Nadi, endure daily. I thought that a prison would be a great symbol of this oppression and confinement, but I wasn't sure I would be able to draw any parallels to the land. Therefore, I was delighted when I researched Folsom Prison and discovered the rich history that surrounded it, and its similarities to The Democratic Republic of Congo.

In Ruined, the land around Mama Nadi's bar is rich with minerals, especially diamonds. This has made the land viciously contested property. In fact, The Democratic Republic of Congo relies on this mineral wealth as the main staple of their economy. Likewise, the location for Folsom Prison was chosen not only for its availability of land, but because of the close proximity to an abundance of good quality minerals, granite in particular, that could be excavated. (Interestingly, Folsom, California, has a "rich" history of being a major part of the California Goldrush in 1848.)

For The Congo, hydro energy is currently an exciting possibility because the land is bordered on the East by mountains and virtually all of the country is part of the vast Congo River. For Folsom, the prison is also bordered by fresh water from Folsom Lake and the now defunct Folsom Powerhouse used hydro energy for electricity.

While the similarities of the land in Folsom and The Congo are numerous, I was also drawn to the prison itself serving as a symbol of the personal prison that Josephine, Salima, Sophie and Mama Nadi are in each day. For Mama Nadi, she is torn between exploiting and protecting the girls working for her. In a way, she is like their warden- caring for them but also businesslike when necessary. For example, if business is good, everyone eats, but if business is slow, then Mama Nadi makes sure that she eats and is taken care of first. Also, when we learn towards the end of Lynn Nottage's play that Mama Nadi is ruined, we understand more of the personal prison that she is in than we knew at the beginning of the play.

For Josephine, Salima, and Sophie, their bodies are their prison. Their bodies have already been used as weapons of the war by the rebels and soldiers who use rape as a way of destroying families and communities. By all of them now being together at Mama Nadi's bar / brothel, they have essentially gone from one prison to another.

To help give a sense of optimism where there doesn't seem to be any, I wanted to use bright colors in the scenic design. In addition, I thought that by keeping the bar neat and tidy, it would show that the bar is like the sanctuary that Mama Nadi sees it as. I can envision the bar being simplistic with only a couple of tables and chairs on the set. I would also have an old but working pool table where the rebels would play when they were at the bar and the soldiers would play when they were at the bar. This would be an interesting way to show that the two sides fighting against one another are actually quite similar. They both like women, drinking, and playing pool to help them relax and have a good time.

For the bedroom of Sophie, Salima, and Josephine, I would use a prison cell to re-enforce the symbolic prison that these women are in. The walls would be cement, to lend a cold feeling to the room, and the girls would sleep on bunk beds. Their beds would be old but the linens would be a bright, cheerful color to contrast the old bed. In addition, there would be fashion magazines, makeup, and toiletries strewn around the room as well as posters on the wall of local celebrities. All of these things would impart a sense of hopefulness that the girls have of one day being able to return to a normal society.

While I am not sure that anyone, professional or novice, could accurately recapture the complex and compelling story and emotions of Lynn Nottage's work, it was an interesting assignment for me to attempt. I enjoyed working with my classmates again and I felt that we each brought our own unique perspective to our production of Ruined but still held onto a unifying vision of confinement and hope for the women in the story.