Alex Shen's "The Adding Machine," Scene 7

Prompt #9: Think like a director/designer. Choose a scene from The Wild Duck or The Adding Machine. How do you want the spectator to see the moment? How should the characters look? How should the setting look? How should the props look? Select images from the web. These are the images that designers, actors, and casting directors will see in making decisions about how things will look or how they should play the roles. Identify the images, identify their roles in the scene or moment, and give reasons why you chose them. Select at least three characters, props, or design elements, such as costumes, hairstyles, furniture, or lighting effects.

I really enjoyed reading The Adding Machine. The script used descriptive words to create a vivid picture in my mind as I read through the story. Of all the scenes from The Adding Machine, I could clearly imagine scene 7. Everything in my mind was planned out and seemed like it would make the perfect play.

I imagined that the scene took place in a park on a nice sunny day (which could be simulated through lighting) sometime early 20th century. The park would have green grass because the description in the book made it sound nice and scattered randomly would be a few oak trees, but in the play there would be one tree in particular that would be used for the scene.

I imagine the setting to look like this, which is Central Park located in England

Mr. Zero would appear, played by a man around his 50's. He would be wearing a black suit with a white collared shirt, black shoes, and a black tie. He would also look very tidy - cleanly shaved and everything very tidy. However, he would be a bit pale because he's dead. From the way I see it, Zero's role in the play is to emphasize the author's message that everyone is unintelligent. This scene in particular shows Zero reveal Daisy his love for her.

Shrdlu, would look different from Mr. Zero. He might be a bit younger than Mr. Zero, possibly in his 30's or 40's and wearing the same clothes as Mr. Zero but with the addition of glasses. In scene 7, Shrdlu explains how nobody every stays in the nice area for long, which consequently leads up to the next scene.

I imagined Mr. Zero and Shrdlu dressed like the men in the pictures above. These men wore clothing from the Victorian Era.

Daisy, possibly in her mid 40's (although looking younger), would come in with a very pretty white dress and a some makeup on to make her looks match her beautiful dress. In scene 7, Daisy surprises Zero with her presence in the afterlife and the fact that she has loved him while both of them were still alive. Zero admits that he shares the same feelings, but does not accept Daisy's offer to live together in the afterlife forever.

I imagined Daisy to be dressed from the Victorian Era, like the women above.