A Chronicle of Swans
SENIOR CAPSTONE
A Conceptual Redesign of the Classical Ballet ‘Swan Lake’ for the mediums of Theatre or Film
Tucked deep within a twisted wood, beneath the jagged silhouettes of cave ridden rock, lies
This bog-like body of water was created by the Dark Necromancer, Rothbart, as a central source of shelter for his cursed creatures and unnatural experiments alike. While it may appear to you as a free and open wood, I bid you not to pass too far beyond the thick treeline. Like an infinite spool reaching out from the belly of the lake, long silk tendrils extend and seek to the ends of the earth for their wandering captives.
The swans have made a life for themselves in a particulur cavelike cove shrouded by the sorrowful willows. They often peel off to nearby villages, collecting trinkets, fashions, and toys to steal away into the trees before the lake can sense their absence. It is a comfortable place for the swans: familiar, generally undisturbed, and undeniably beautiful, but even the happiest swans know that in the end, no amount of knicked items can turn a cage into a home.
“ Swan Lake”
In the deep recesses of Rothbart's castle, built as a present for his darling daughter, stands
While it resembles a ballroom, it is most importantly a hall of mirrors. Here is where Odile draws her suitors, or rather, her prey. She lures them through rich velvet curtains and waltzes with them across the marble, all the while preening at herself at every turn of the dance in the polished silver. When she is through with them she can be known to laze upon her throne and gaze out through the stained glass.
Because the castle is centuries old, the ceilings are draped with dusty curtains and long abandoned cobwebs. The room is lit by legions of firefly faeries swinging about in iron cages. Rothbart could perhaps invest in candles, but as he fancies all living creatures an orchestra and himself the maestro, he never misses an opportunity to bend life to his will, however petty or cruel.
“ Odile’s Lair”
Grander than any royal ballroom, more imposing than any collection of hunted trophies is
In order to acquaint yourself with the essence of Rothbart, look no further than the giant snake head mounted over the orchid-like throne. It once belonged to the Beast of the Wood, an ancient serpent that would till the earth with its migration and expel magic into the dirt, ensuring the balance of life and death. In an act of seduction and great trickery, Rothbart siphoned the Beast's power and beheaded it for a trophy. Now it sits, poised forever as a threat.
The room is made up of two floors, one, a painted wooden dance floor adjacent to a musician's stage, the other, a balcony for his most treasured guests to entertain themselves with an elevated view. Each curtained doorway leads to an exterior balcony the looks out across the endless tangled wilderness below.
The space reflects the nature of a regal ballroom, and also his dramatic flair, yet it curls in around the edges, equally twisted and dark.