The scenic design for Uncle Play started with a desire to incorporate the reality of a familial living room with a theatrical Golden Age flair. This mirrors the two worlds that our characters feel themselves pulled to: the family they were born into and the family they found through their gender and sexual identities. The oftentimes performative nature of the relationship between Uncle and Niece and their shared love of theatre help inform the flashy side of the set. The gold and red outer front wall is inspired by elegant false prosceniums and marquees. The inner world, the real world of Uncle and Niece, is the living room of Uncle’s brother and Niece’s father. Elements of this part of the set were chosen with the intention of making the characters feel like they are almost at home, an echo of the discomfort they sometimes feel around their family due to their differences. The frames on the living room wall feature three types of images: water in nature, a recurring theme throughout the piece; artistic renditions of common small words used in writing; and silhouettes of members of the Uncle Play team. The set cradles and follows the characters as they weave in and out of their two worlds, trying to find a way to grapple with impossible realities.