After much engineering and a lengthy installation, set designer Lucy Osborne’s watery vision for the play became a reality. Actors could walk down a set of stairs to be completely immersed, and also wade and splash about in an area just eight inches deep.

Chicago Scenic built the platform and risers made of sealed cedar planking that stood in and above the water and enabled actors to walk and climb on dry land.
The large set piece at the rear of the stage, formed by two 22-foot-tall pieces, was comprised of hundreds of cedar planks that were cut to size, sealed and carefully pieced together on site. Fully assembled, the set pieces represent two halves of a heart formed from the remnants of a shipwreck.

CSSI has worked on many productions at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, including “Hamlet,” “Troilus and Cressida” and “Cymbeline”.