Dushina
Doobree

Performance Design

My name is Dushina Doobree and I recently graduated from The University of Melbourne with a bachelor's degree in performance design.

The last 3 years have taught me more than I expected. I have always loved nature as it is, but with time I have seen how design can be used to enhance the natural world around us. Being able to visit new places and learn new skills is what I enjoy the most as it allows me to discover myself more and more and it changes the way I perceive things. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for me.




Orlando

Set design
After reading Orlando and seeing all the changes that happened in her life, I wanted to create a structure that would represent an anchor for her, a safe place where she can always come back to when she feels lost. But as I was developing this idea and seeing the structure being used to represent all the places she has been to, made it lose its sense of stability and safety. Therefore, the idea of the structure representing her anchor did not make sense anymore.

The new current structure is a more abstract one. It is a representation of Orlando herself, an accumulation of all her memories associated to the different places she has been to that makes her who she is today. The structure was designed in a way that would allow all the different settings to have a specific place for it to occur. The whole structure is on tracks so that it can be moved backwards to the sides for outdoor scenes. It is accompanied by a backdrop, made of the same material as the structure to create a sense of unity.

Light design
With my set design being an abstract structure that can be moved to represent different environments, I have decided to go for a more naturalistic lighting design. Multiple colours are used throughout the play with each colour representing something specific.

A dark green colour is used to represent moments under the oak tree and a deep blue one for the moments set outdoors. The yellow colour is used at two different times. When used on its own, it represents the natural light coming from candles or oil lamps but when combined with either blue or green, it is for moments outdoor and act as sunlight.

There are also times when colours are used only to set the mood. For example, a combination of pink and blue lights is used for the scene in Constantinople. The warm pink light shows the love and attention towards Orlando but is contrasted with a cooler blue colour as a reminder of the fake side of it; as in this is not her real life, it is just an escape from home.