An adaption of Dune for the theater requires determining the scenes that tell the story and giving them a presence on stage that the actors can use to tell their story and are buffered by.
The story of Dune is the story of Paul Atreides, the son of Duke Leto, and heir to House Atreides. The family is ordered by the Emperor to leave their home planet to manage the planet Arrakis, a.k.a. Dune. Arrakis is a planet with a valuable resource, spice, found no where else in the universe. This order is a death sentence and automatically throws the Atreides into a war they cannot win.
Paul must join the natives of Arrakis, the Fremen, and learn to survive and thrive as a renegade house.
Cast
Many of the actors from the film are being recast in the play. Many of the Fremen are being replaced by middle eastern actors as Arrakis is inspired by Iraq in the book.
Paul Atreides
Duke Leto
Lady Jessica
Chani
Inspiration
The home planet of Caladan is a planet rich with water. Many important scenes happen here before the family embarks for Arrakis. Paul's humanity is tested in Lady Jessica's sitting room, the Duke accepts the fateful orders of the Emperor.
Scenes
Caladan - Pauls birth planet - Exterior
Caladan is a planet-paradise. The Fremen of Arrakis do not believe the other-worlders when they speak of oceans.
Outdoors on Caladan, Paul walks with his father, the Duke Leto, before the Duke accepts the fateful move to Arrakis that the Emperor demands.
The yellow sun, green plants, and water as far as the eye can see set up a stark contrast to Arrakis.
Concept Sketch
Stage Model
Caladan - Pauls birth planet - Interior
The Lady Jessica’s sitting room is the scene of Paul’s test of humanity with the Bene-Gesserit as well as other scenes of importance.
The Atreides family palace is rich with ornamentation, large windows, and unique green stones - showing off the Atreides family color.
A throne is placed in the palace - the blackness of the throne is a foreboding for events to come.
Concept Sketch
Stage Model
Arrakis - the desert planet called "Dune"
The wind and the light are coming from stage right. Dunes are 30 degrees on slip face, lesser angle on wind face.
The sun is white-silver.
Patches of spice would show up as darker red areas among the dunes.
On stage right black rocks can be seen. The rocks are safety from the sand worms and also represent the location the Fremen - the desert dwelling natives - call home.
Concept Sketch
