1800s, but with the face of the actor playing The Mayor (a wealthy, corrupt politician who owns the mansion represented by the set) photoshopped into the portraits. In addition to The Scream, Harry Shaull (the actor playing the mayor) is also featured as the Mona Lisa, the angel in Manifest Destiny, and the center star in Starry Night. The gross overabundance of wealth is further exaggerated by the overlapping picture frames which cover the entirety of the wall; a deviation from realism that specifically leans itself to the bloated-ness of the Bouffon style.

However Wilson didn't stop at the picture frames. Bigger is not always better, however when it comes to portraying a highly wealthy and corrupt class through a theatrical style that is known for exaggeration, Wilson felt compelled to see how far I could push the size and scale of the design. He designed the set with measurements that would push the walls ever so slightly into the wings, and past the teaser height. This allowed for the set to be so massive that it took up the entirety of the background and completely (and intentionally) blocked the full view of the cyc, while still having enough dynamic play space to house sixteen actors on stage in a single moment with full visibility. He further exaggerated the nature of the mansion by making the crown molding at the top of the walls roughly four feet tall. These weren't just random choices either. Elaborate crown molding and exorbitant amounts gaudy picture frames were staples of wealthy Russian homes during the mid-late 1800s. From the number of entrances/exits (like the window) to the red and gold on the molding to symbolize wealth, power, and tension, every aspect of this set had considerable thought put behind it.

Perhaps Wilson's favorite decision with this production is with Kelestikov's door! The entirety of this play takes place in the home of The Mayor with the exception of one scene in a rundown hotel on the outskirts of town. He decided to place this scene in the pit as it had good visibility, served as a good literal representation of upper and lower classes, and simplified the ground plan for the Mayor's home. There was just one problem: The script called for a door in the hotel to come off its hinges after repeated use and fall on actor. This leaves three problems, how do you (1) put a door in the pit without obstructing the audience's view of the stage while (2) making sure it is still a perfectly functional door that can (3) come of its hinges at a planned time and safely appear to land on an actor? The answer Wilson came up with is, you don't. The scene at Spain Park opens With Kelestikov giving a monologue out to the audience and a Mysterious young man facing stage left; both men seem to be totally unaware of each other. Kelestikov's servant enters from stage left and walks up to the mysterious man and taps him on the shoulder. The man quickly turns a sharp 90 degrees to face the audience and shouts "I'm a door!" the servant passes through and while the audience erupts into laughter the door looks them dead in the eyes with a soulless deadpan scowl. The servant taps him on the shoulder, he quickly shouts "I'm a door!" and turns shut. This bit continues until, due to overuse and repeated instances of actors interrupting the door, the door turns around and "smacks" and actor in the face with most glorious "I'M A DOOR" yet. The actor opens a fake blood packet as chaos erupts on stage, and the door stares deadpan at an audience that can now no longer keep it together, as the actors run offstage in a flurry of laughter and applause.