Behind The Screams of The Addams Family

With just a few short weeks until everyone’s favourite family move into the neighbourhood, we caught up with Designer Diego Pitarch for a ghoulish glimpse behind-the-screams of The Addams’ macabre mansion home! Be afraid Birmingham…be very afraid.

What exactly is a ‘Model Box’ set?

A ‘Model Box’ of a set is effectively a scaled-down, three dimensional model of the set design as it appears on stage. This particular model is based on a scale of 1 to 25 (with each cm equivalent to ¼ metre) and is 10 metres wide by 7 metres tall. It’s one step beyond the ‘White Card’ model, which is a more basic, schematic version of the set and scenery.

Talk us through your design process. Where do you begin with a project like this?  

Usually, the process starts with a conversation with the Director. We read the script together and, from there, we have a think about which ideas and motifs we want to pull out or enhance and how we can best incorporate these into the overall design.

What are the main challenges you face when designing a set for UK Tour?

Well, from a purely practical point of view, you have to consider the variety of spaces you’re going to be working within. This tour takes in 22 separate venues, from the 3000+ capacity Edinburgh Playhouse right through to the 925 seat, Hall for Cornwall. There are other practical considerations too, like what storage each venue has available, how easy individual elements of the set are to transport to and from the venue and, of course, the facilities and production staff each venue has at its disposal.

What have been your main sources of inspiration for the design?

This particular production – the first ever UK Tour – draws heavily from Charles Adams’ original cartoon sequence. These were single, vignettes (over 150 in total) which offered a snapshot into the life of an atypical, quirky American family. It was this set of cartoons which formed the inspiration for the 1960s television series. During the initial design stages, we were very fortunate to get hold of Charles Adams’ original character breakdowns for the cartoons, which were subsequently provided by the TV company. An invaluable resource!

One of the main components of this particular design is the use of the central staircase, which sits right at the middle of the set and can be split into two individual parts. It’s a very versatile piece of scenery. The two sections of the staircase are on moveable treads which means they can be re-configured into different formats depending on the action taking place on stage. They also come complete with lots of hidden elements like trap doors, cupboards and peep holes which help move the story forward!

What can you tell us about the costumes?

We all have a certain idea of what The Addams Family look like, either from the original Charles Adams cartoon sketches, the TV series or the subsequent movies. As much as we want to be faithful to all of these incarnations, we’ve also tried to leave a bit of room for innovation within the designs. In the case of Wednesday, Fester and Grandma in particular, we really wanted to play around with people’s expectations of the characters. For example, everyone is familiar with Fester’s big, black coat but not necessarily the type of clothes that lie beneath! There’s lots of scope to be creative and have fun there!

Do you have any fiendish fashion tips to pass on to audience members who may feel like dressing up themselves?

Black is the new black!

So, what happens next?

Well – the next stage is preparing the technical drawings for the scenic artists. Once that’s finished, we set about turning this gothic ‘doll-house’ into a full blown set, which involves a lot of skill and talent! The same goes for the costumes. Once the final costume designs are signed off, myself and our Wardrobe Supervisor will start the process of fabric shopping and sampling in preparation for a first fitting with the actors and actresses.

Then, it’s o nto the big fit up in preparation for the first night of the UK Tour in Edinburgh. It’s amazing to think that everything will come together, lighting, sound, scenery, costumes – all in the space of a few days during a fit-up but, somehow – the show always goes on and everything comes together!

You can catch the entire Addams’ clan here in Birmingham from Tues 6 – Sat 10 Jun in the UK premiere of The Addams Family starring Samantha Womack as Morticia, Les Dennis as Uncle Fester, and Carrie Hope Fletcher as Wednesday!