The fire escape has come to be seen as one of the major icons for West Side Story as it takes place in Manhattan’s west side; a place where almost every building has a fire escape. It is from this fire escape that the concept of this design came. The background is covered in fire escapes that play at different distances up to down stage and can be lit to isolate light on certain escapes based on the scenic elements that appear on stage. The show has a constructivist feel with the breakaway fire escapes that carry through the I-beam framing on all of the other scenic elements. The use of stark isolaton of light is used to allow the scenic units and flys to have focus as the rest of the set fades away into blackness. The feel is cool, angular, conflicting, yet allows for the warm and intimate.