How do you bring out past and present scenes in a play?

Question

Im doing a school play and in my script, im hoping to move from around the past and present in alternate scenes. We move from the main character's past, and then to the present where and event is currently occuring.However, im quite clueless as to how i can bring out this element in my play to make it clearer to the audience, without resorting to the running across the stage with a large piece of paper saying " PAST", or "PRESENT".

I've had this idea of changing the lighting, such as having a yellow lighting for the past and white to show the present, but some of my members are quite skeptical about the feasibility of this.

Any ideas?

Thanks guys (:

Answer 1

you can do the lighting change... i think that is good* different colour for future and past.. but you can also use a projector to show a date on the back of the wall... and another idea is..with the future, you can have leaves blow over the set.. ^.^

Answer 2

You have nothing to worry about. The audience is far more intelligent than most directors admit.

Just play the scene.

When we did "The Night Thoreau Spent In Jail", circa 1987, we were worried whether the audience would get the shifts in time and space, Thoreau moving from behind a jail window to Walden, Emerson suddenly becoming President Polk...

They got it! No lighting tricks, no skulduggery with props.

Just stay true to character. The rest falls into place.

Answer 3

The lighting change will absolutely help the audience, but something in the dialog should point out that we're in the "past" the first time you do it. Once the pattern is established, the audience will have no problem following along.