The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of Charenton Asylum Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade
	by Peter Weiss set designed by Nettie Wasowski costumes designed by Christine Arazi-Carlson lighting designed by Andrew Wilder make-up and hair designed by Amy Harmon musical direction by Joshua DeWitte directed by Nolan Haims movement by Birgitta Victorson Northwestern University With Marat/Sade, Peter Weiss charted a theatrical jungle and promptly took away the map. Before beginning rehearsals for this monumental play (a play that one critic said, “buries” director), I spent close to a year researching the history, dramaturgy, philosophy and theatrical styles of Weiss’ work. After drawing on everything from Foucault to Commedia dell’Arte, I arrived at three controlling ideas upon which to focus: The brutality of the Charenton Asylum; the madness of theatre itself; and the presentation of a hyper-theatrical event utilizing an extensive array of theatrical styles. The creative staff and I spent an exhaustive three months brainstorming, analyzing and developing the style and substance of the production in a highly collaborative atmosphere. One question which I always asked in relation to design was, “How would this show look if it really was produced by Charenton’s patients?” This led to mock candle footlights (giving the lighting a decidedly grotesque look), ripped and filthy dressing gowns built by hand, and a performance space created out of the asylum each night with a piece of chalk. There were to be no complex props or modern theatrical conveniences: The whole of Paris, for example, along with the guillotine, a tumbrel and the National Assembly were created with nothing but two poles and a bed sheet. The rehearsal process was an intense one involving extensive character work. The primary challenge here with the cast of thirty-five was to create a collection of distinct and real characters, many of whom were left undefined or just slightly defined by the playwright. We utilized Laban movement, mask work, Commedia, animal work, rhythms and other physical explorations in rehearsal.