In adapting the set for Henry VI, part 1 into Richard III, I was able to explore the distance between the beginning and end of Shakespeare’s War of the Roses. Noble battles and valiant heroes have given way to

sinister intrigue and shadowy plots. To emphasize this, we focused more fully on the skeletal set, now entwined with dead vines and roses, and added elements of shadow play to push us into a darker, more psychological history.