Stage space

The use of stage space in Frost/Nixon was very effective, using a proscenium stage, it framed the action of the play. The picture frame created the illusion of a television screen, it is a T.V. show about the president. As the play opened we see the desk of the president in the oval office. This is an important aspect because the actions in the oval office prove to be very important in the Watergate investigation, being that Nixon's phone conversations were being recorded in that very location.

Then we have the television studio with Frost and Nixon facing each other, adversaries in the drama/comedy that unfolds before. It is as if we are watching the interviews all over again. The picture-frame stage is again giving us a view of a television. We as the audience are watching a giant screen T.V. The proscenium opening is a transparent glass wall/screen throug,h which we are viewing the action.
The wall in the back also continued the idea of a television screen, with all the monitors, displaying the action of what is happening on stage.

The proscenium stage also helps in realistic scenery, Frost's living room, the studio, even the illusion of being on an airplane. It gives us a strong focal point, we are witnesses to all the action on stage and we become involved as the story unfolds. It was very effective as it built to the conclusion of Nixon's ultimate downfall.

Nancy