An original play by India Henderson
Welcome to the official play website!
This website will follow the evolution of F.I.O. (Figuring It Out), a play-in-progress written by India Henderson. If you are visiting this page to view the play, see "staged reading." It is recommended that you view this reading first before exploring the other pages regarding research and design elements.
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Thank you for visiting!
about.
"From a young age, I have loved hearing and sharing stories—telling my parents about my day at school, learning about love and life through music, and most notably, portraying complex characters on the stage in plays and musicals. Today, that passion has translated into a desire to write and develop a story of my own, one that recognizes storytelling as a foundational part of the way we communicate with, engage with, and lead in a community.
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Over the course of my Senior Spring semester, I have engaged in a Leadership Studies Independent Study project with the support of my faculty mentor, Dr. Kristin Bezio. I attempted to research and write in a way that melded both my Leadership major and my life-long passion for theatre as it relates to performance, direction, and set, costume, and lighting design.
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The play, entitled F.I.O. (Figuring It Out), follows two women in their pursuit of truth, justice, and authentic freedom as they learn both the impact that their storytelling has on their own lives and on the community entrusted with receiving those stories."
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- India Henderson, playwright
initial research
+ design exploration.
Set design
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The play's main character, Nadine, opens the play with the words: "I solemnly and sincerely declare and affirm that the evidence I shall give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." While the setting is up to the interpretation of the audience member, the overall form and content I’ve selected for this play were inspired by the setting of an interrogation room. I appreciate the way that the “Hollywood” interrogation room (meaning, the serialized version) most likely only has one light source and features two chairs on either side of an open table. The intensity of this setup is intriguing, as well as the focus that a format like this provides for the action and dialogue of the scene. Although Nadine may not be in an actual interrogation room, this set design follows the idea that she is telling the story in a slightly more formal setting in which the stakes are high and her voice is magnified.
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However, the play also features a variety of scenes in which Nadine and her best friend, Jasmine, are in their shared apartment. This setting, which we visit in every other scene (switching between the "interrogation room" and the apartment), is more casual. This is the only space in which actual dialogue takes place and the setting where Nadine and Jasmine have the most internal growth. Without the action that takes place in the apartment, the other setting is rendered meaningless. For that reason, I want these spaces to be connected.
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My current vision is to have only the "essentials" in my set design--two chairs, one principal light source, and one table. This design will function as both primary spaces.
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The following images, found in Google searches, on Pinterest boards, and on Youtube, are the foundations of my research and the basis for my inspiration for my set design.
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Metal chairs. Adds to the "cold" and hard/harsh feeling of a legal space/police station/interrogation room/courtroom. Maybe they have pillows in the apartment scenes?
Stark, clean space. Intensity. Nothing can be hidden, and there's nothing else you can focus on except for the action and dialogue of the scene.
Enclosed, tight space. Brick walls, which could be effective in both spaces. Brick adds the feeling of being trapped, or that an escape could be difficult.
Having the chairs pulled out gives movement to space. Appears as if some action has taken place, or will in the future.
The walls here have texture, pattern. Seems as if the walls have stories to tell as well. The ceiling is also particularly visible here. A ceiling addition to the set design could be another interesting way to remind the characters and the audience members of the intensity and isolation of the themes in the play.
Table inspiration: These four pictures best represent the construction I imagine for a table that could work in the both the formal and informal setting. The legs of the table are pointed, which reminds me of the rigidity of a more serious interrogation room, but we can also see that it can function a modern dining room table, or even a desk in a home. Depending on the props that surround it, it can transformed quite easily.
Chair inspiration: The chairs in the row above all consist of metal bases. The first three chais also include a wooden seat. Metal is cold often you sit on it, so the chair on the far right would work well in the impersonal and bleak setting of the interrogation room, but the wooden seat addition adds a more "home-y", more casual feeling, almost as if one were in a café or sitting at a kitchen island. As young women in their first new apartment, they may not have the money to buy fancing dining room chairs as well, so the intentionally rusty, yet cheap metal look would have the appeal but also be cost efficient!
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The chairs in the row below also seem to have metal legs, yet the emphasis here appears focused on the wooden back and seat. This lighter wood look seems like it might cheaper, and again, more cost effective for the 20-somethings. The lighter wood color also pulls out the sturdy darker brown or black that covers the legs. The shape of the legs on that chair is also very interesting. It reminds me of a chair one might see in school. The darker brown translates as more mature and serious.
Lighting design
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Based on the inspiration of the “interrogation room” setting, the lighting design for this play would be very simple. Following the idea that this kind of room typically has one light source, a spotlight would focus on Nadine, the woman telling her story under oath. In addition, the lighting design would form shadows (created strategically by other light sources) on the walls to increase the intensity and the jarring, stark nature of the way the story unfolds. After each scene, as the action/dialogue becomes comes to a peak, the lighting would lessen in intensity and possibly spread across the space in a way similar to that of natural light (instead of light coming from one source). Almost as if the characters begin the play in a dark pit that feels inescapable, by the end of the play, the shadows have disappeared and the light becomes more natural, maybe even coming from a window instead of from the room’s single source.
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The following images, found in Google searches, on Pinterest boards, and on Youtube, are the foundations of my research and the basis for my inspiration for my lighting design.
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The blue/green video glow makes this space appear "eerie," which could be effective in getting across the idea of the precariousness of Nadine's story.
Intense shadows. When characters stand, sit back down, and/or move around the space, they are followed by their own, or each other's shadows that give their bodies depth and add a feeling of the intensity/magnitude of the things they are sharing.
The hanging light creates a lower light, highlighting the lower half of the room and pulling your focus towards the action in the middle of the space. What if the hanging light raised slowly throughout the piece so that the entire space was well-lit towards the end?
The shape of this light is stark, industrial, adds to instensity.
The way this overhead light appears to go on and on is haunting.
Funky lamp/light source. Looks old-timey, which could reflect the sentiments/questions of the people in the "interrogation room" with Nadine.
An isolating top light, or spotlight, that showers a speaker in a light that they cannot run away from. This could be understood with a negative connotation, or in the sense that, by the end of the story, the women are able to freely and confidently share their own individual stories. Therefore, the light is not isolating, but rather, individualized.
Shadows appear beautifully on the ground here. The light is a sort of dim, soft glow, instead of with harsher lines. Another approach.
Costume design
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My costume design research has been an extremely thought-provoking process, one that is constantly changing as I continue to develop my characters and the storyline. Because of this, I have some general ideas noted below, but I expect that much of this will change as I further explore my characters and the evolution of the story regarding form and content. Below are some of my initial thoughts on how I currently understand my characters and how their personalities and backstories reflect the way they dress and see themselves in the world. ​
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Nadine
A 23-year-old woman who generally always seems to know and say what she wants. For this reason, a passerby may see her attire and believe that she does not put significant time or effort into her appearance. That being said, her life experiences, many of which are revealed throughout the text, point to her also having some deep-set insecurities, "inner demons" maybe, that remain salient in her daily life. Her style in many ways is then a representation of her continuous battle with herself to deepen, or extend, her outer confident spirit into an inner strength and authentic sense of self-worth. She rocks a sort of traditionally "boyish" look that I will call boyish chic--oversized, or baggy t-shirts and hoodies and traditional, wide-leg jeans or sweatpants in gray tones with an occasional pop of color on a graphic tee. Her shape is often not accentuated and she may sometimes appear to be drowning in her clothes.
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However, while I believe this is how Nadine dresses in her everyday life, she finds herself in a more formal setting of the "interrogation room" for much of the text. I am still pondering whether or not she would have two different distinct costumes for these scenes or if she would have a basic initial layer that she added a blazer or something to as the setting flips from formal to the informal dining room space. Therefore, what is pictured below represents Nadine at her core, but may not necessarily be what she will wear in the play.
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The following images, found in Google searches on Pinterest boards are the foundations of my research and the basis for my inspiration for my costume design.
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Jasmine
A 23-year-old woman who is reserved, introverted, a great listener. She has a quiet force about her. She is someone who may not always be seen but is always heard. Additionally, she is greatly influenced by her friend, Nadine, and the things she does/says. Because of these factors, I am debating whether or not Jasmine's style would have remnants of Nadine's from above. Considering that Jasmine is only ever physically in the dining room scenes that are casual, her role has the capacity to express some more of "everydayness" in her costume. I can see her color choices being muted in some ways as well, but also in more of a pastel palette.
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The following images, found in Google searches on Pinterest boards are the foundations of my research and the basis for my inspiration for my costume design.
Playwriting Resources
Daly, Timothy. 21st Century Playwriting: A Manual of Contemporary Techniques. Hanover, A Smith and Kraus Book, 2019.
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Davis, Rib. Writing Dialogue for Scripts. 4th ed., London, Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, Plc., 2020.
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Grace, Fraser, and Clare Bayley. Playwriting: A Writers' and Artists' Companion. London, Bloomsbury, 2016.
Greig, Noël. Playwriting: A Practical Guide. London, Routledge, 2006.
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Jeffreys, Stephen, and Maeve McKeown. Playwriting: Structure, Character, How and What to Write. London, Nick Hern Books, 2019.
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"Lauren Gunderson: On Dialogue." Youtube, uploaded by Marintheatre, 17 Apr. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8p1Q21Fih4. Accessed 2021.
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"Lauren Gunderson: On Structure." Youtube, uploaded by Marintheatre, 25 Apr. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OZROFvldzo. Accessed 2021.
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Letwin, David, et al. The Architecture of Drama: Plot, Character, Theme, Genre, and Style. Lanham, Scarecrow Press, 2008.
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"Paula Vogel Playwriting Craft Lecture | Sewanee Writers' Conference." Youtube, uploaded by Sewaneewriters, 17 July 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLqM2xXYbzU. Accessed 2021.
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Polsky, Milton E. You Can Write a Play! New York, Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, 2002.
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staged reading.
This staged reading of F.I.O. (Figuring It Out) was recorded over Zoom on May 6, 2021. It was read by the playwright, India Henderson, as Nadine, and Nai'lah Rowe as Jasmine. The play currently runs for approximately 35 minutes with no intermission.
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Synopsis: [T/W: sexual assault] Nadine and Jasmine's lives take a chaotic turn as the two young women grapple with the experience of sexual assault. As they navigate the fine line between their own internal expectations and the complexities of the norms and morals imposed on them by society, they find themselves asking age-old questions that push them to redefine truth and empowerment on their own terms.​
Contact
me
To access the script or ask me any questions, please email indiasimone12@gmail.com.
TELL
me
If you have read the script, seen my research and design work, and/or watched the stage reading, and want to give me some feedback, you can fill out this form.