Scenery for the Theater
S06
Michael Giannitti
Robert Edmond Jones wrote, “A good scene should be, not a picture, but an image. Scene-designing is not what most people imagine—a branch of interior decorating. There is no more reason for a room on stage to be a reproduction of an actual room than for an actor who plays Napoleon to be Napoleon.” Beginning with analysis of a play and considerable research, a designer develops a space in which staging and text may reveal dramatic action. Simultaneously, a setting needs to reveal certain details regarding the world of a play and the style of production. Play analysis, design considerations, theatrical styles, and types of theater spaces will be topics for readings and discussions. Presentation techniques including drafting and model making will be the basis for initial assignments. Three projects will follow, in which students develop and refine designs for the assigned plays and present their work in class for discussion.