Scenic Design by Leigh Henderson

Carnegie Mellon School of Drama (Pittsburgh, PA), February 1998

By Steve Gooch

Directed by Ingrid Sonnichsen

Set in the 19th century, Female Transport follows a group of women, convicted of petty crimes, being taken on a ship to a British penal colony in what is now Australia.

The central platform confines the women to a small space, in contrast to the wide expanse of the beams above. A slight curve at the edge of the platform subtly evokes the shape of a ship. At the end of the play, as the ship reaches its destination, the large sails in the back of the set fall, revealing the open expanse that awaits them.