Productions

The Physical World of Loa to the Divine Narcissus

 

The stage design in Loa to the Divine Narcissus falls in line with what was standard during the early days of the Spanish Golden Age of Theatre. As things were rapidly evolving, many theatrical advancements were taking place at the time. One thing we know for sure, however, is that this play would have taken place on top of carros, which were tall wagons where mobile performances took place. The plays done on carros were always religious pieces, as they were mostly performed during parades held for the Feast of Corpus Christi. Because of this, sets had to be fairly small and easy to set up and take down. Luckily, Loa to the Divine Narcissus does not rely much on set design to tell its story. Most of the action takes place in one spot, so the carros would likely only need to hold one or two display pieces, likely hinged to display from the top platform.

The structure of the carros, which held everything

from set pieces, dressing rooms, and machinery

Where Loa of the Divine Narcissus shines is the extravagance of its costumes. During the Spanish Golden Age of Theatre, costumes were sometimes supplied by the cities, but often actors would have to spend parts of their own paycheck to assemble costumes. These costumes were also always contemporary, regardless of the time period of the play or the status of the characters. Spanish costumes of the time share many similarities with English renaissance costuming, where all of the outfits were generally lavish, and characters of high status or fame even more so. Women in the theatre had their own restrictions, like being restricted from wearing short or wide-hooped skirts, pants of any kind, or 'strange headdresses'. The outfits for this play would obviously follow suit, but with some noticeable accessories and changes. Occident is mentioned as entering with crown, and Zeal and his soldiers are dressed mainly in armor, swords, and roughly military uniforms that were standard for the time. Oddly enough, while America would be one of the roles that would be ideal for women at the time, she is written to enter with a "richly embroidered cloth and headdress," which would most likely fall under the 'strange headdresses' restriction women had. Religion, on the other hand, would wear fanciful women's dresses that could be suitable for actresses of the period.

Costumes used during the Spanish Golden Age of Theatre.

Religion would likely look like the woman pictured.

The movement of Loa to the Divine Narcissus would be fairly simple, as there isn't much spectacle to be had from a loa piece in the first place. Most of the motion is moving across the stage to signify a chase occurring, which just involve the soldiers and other characters moving from one door through the other. This would be incredibly easy given the layout of the carros, as either door would just lead to backstage. To finish it off, the props used during the play are also described well in the script, and would not prove to be too hard to acquire or find for performances. The props mostly consist of a sword for Zeal and other weaponry for the soldiers, various feathers, shells, and instruments for use by Music, and drums and bugles for when the soldiers attack. Other optional props could include religious text for Religion, or idolic figures for Occident and America. Regardless, these are all easily obtainable even for low-budget actors and actresses of the time.