The Leader
Set Design - A Collaboration with Nick Healy
The multiple entrances and exits of this set highlight the absurd, circular nature of Ionesco’s play. The Admirers chase the illusive figure of The Leader with great enthusiasm and unquestioning devotion, but he is given no personality and does nothing more than go through the typical motions of politicians. The Leader enters the stage exclusively from a long corridor with warped perspective – it creates the illusion that he is larger than life from a afar, but becomes diminutive when compared to the huge entrance onto the stage.
Towards the end, The Leader is shown to have no head, but of course, this is not enough to break the unrelenting devotion of the people. “What’s he need a head for if he’s got genius?” The abstract space reminiscent of playgrounds, gives this play a dramatic backdrop, while amplifying the absurd hilarity of this revelation.
