Morgan Nimtz's profile

The Adding Machine Set Design

Set Design for The Adding Machine by Elmer Rice. Concept was based on blueprints of adding machines and accounting ledger paper. Unit set with shifting furniture to indicate locations. I went with architecture more suited to an office than a home, and a clock on the wall indicated the relentless and rhythmic pace of the dialogue. The sculpt of the adding machine pieces on top was less successful than I would have liked, so it is hard to tell that the dials on top all read '0'. I made a bars-like piece to lay across the top (pictured below) to affect the lighting, but that would really be done with a gobo. This illustrates the sense of being trapped as well as mirroring the schematics of an adding machine. The walls and floor are plastered with ledger paper. While I definitely did not want to try and render this set with thousands of pieces of in-scale ledger paper, I actually think that this scale is a stronger creative choice. I think it works with the expressionist/non-realistic set and play, as well as reading better from a distance.
The Adding Machine Set Design
Published:

The Adding Machine Set Design

Published: