1. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Only in the past 100 years has scenery evolved into its present form Beware of any “rules” of design. There are principles, but no hard and fast rules. The only guideline is that the whatever the design is it should support the production concept

2. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Mood and Spirit of the Play Mood refers to the dominant emotional quality of the production Spirit refers to the production concept—the way the director and designers have decided the play should be presented

3. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Mood and Spirit of the Play The designer needs to incorporate some elements that suggest the emotional characteristics of the play A gentle romance should use soft curves and delicate colors An intense tragedy should have hard lines, sharp angles, and dark colors

4. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Historical Period of the Play If the design style being used is based in realism, then period needs to be a consideration The designer wants to provide historically accurate visual clues to help the audience identify the period of the play

5. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Historical research can be looking at actual pieces from the play’s period OR researching pictures of those pieces in the library Understanding the general motifs and idiosyncrasies of the period is most important. You do not have to duplicate every variation and nuance Historical Period of the Play

6. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Locale of the Play If the design style being used is based in realism, then locale needs to be a consideration Geography and climate have a significant impact on the design of buildings, furnishings, props, and costumes A designer should take into consideration the time period as well as the socioeconomic background Decorative propertie, floor treatments, fabrics and accessories can help create believability

7. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Most realistic sets give some indication of what sort of characters will inhabit the environment of the play The designer normally uses set and decorative props as tools to achieve this effect Decorative properties and floor treatments can help create a believable environment A living room decorated with inexpensive yet tasteful furnishings suggests one type of occupant. One with expensive yet gaudy furnishings suggests another Socioeconomic Level and Personality of the Characters Is shown through scenic, lighting and prop design

8. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Season of the Year It is extremely important for the costume designer to show the season of the year. If the play takes place in the summer, the scenic designer can have the doors open or use screens in the doors and windows The sound designer can also add sounds to indicate the season of the year The selection of colors and fabrics can also help create a feeling of season; however, the projection of season is usually left up to the lighting and costume designers

9. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Elements of Composition Designers must be able to draw freely and easily Taking art classes is the best way to become adept at drawing and painting Manipulation of the compositional elements is the root of any design Line Form Mass Value Color

10. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Elements of Composition Line Line defines form Dimension, quality, and character define the characteristics of any line Cartooning is almost always based on the principle of line simplification Simplifying or altering the line within a scenic design creates character definition Objects drawn with strong, bold, angular lines indicate power, dominance, and purpose Objects drawn with soft, curvilinear, and lightweight lines can indicate weakness

11. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Elements of Composition Form refers to the space enclosed by a line The evocative characteristics of the line defining the form will dictate the emotional qualities of the form The character of the line will create a perceptual key that helps explain the psychological nature of the object depicted Form

12. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Elements of Composition Mass is the three-dimensional manifestation of an enclosed form The exaggeration of either form or mass can be used to stylize a design By exaggerating height, width, or depth, we can change the character of the object Mass

13. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Elements of Composition Value refers to the relative lightness or darkness of a line, form, or mass The emotional reaction to the value of an object has become ingrained in the core of Western thought Value Purity, truth, and honor Evil, dishonesty, dishonor Purity, truth, and honor Evil, dishonesty, dishonor

14. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Elements of Composition Although scenic objects and often costumes are normally painted to appear as they are in life… substituting an unexpected hue can achieve interesting results Color The countryside for Brigadoon could be painted in PLAID! Also clans can be recognized by their plaid!

15. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Practicality of the Setting Any design must fulfill utilitarian functions before it can be considered anything more than a pretty picture The designer must take into consideration the needs of the director, the needs of the actors, the demands of construction, and budgets of time and money

16. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Practicality Needs of the Director The design must follow the production concept of the director The design must also accommodate the blocking and other stage business that the director has in mind The director and designer discuss these directorial needs during early production conferences If the director wants the heroine to make a grand entrance down a flight of stairs, the designer must place the stairs in a prominent position, the lighting should have a special for those stairs and the costume must be able to be walked in easily!

17. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Practicality of the Setting Needs of the Actors The set, costumes and props must function properly, efficiently, and as planned The environment must be safe. Actors must be able to concentrate in order to perform properly. The last thing they need is anything that would break their concentration. The designer’s job is to make that happen for the actor.

18. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Practicality of the Setting and other design aspects. Construction Demands Complexity is directly related to the intricacy of the design The designer must be aware of construction challenges and determine how pieces can be constructed Before construction starts, the designer must meet to discuss design ideas, specific needs and deadlines of all involved.

19. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Practicality Time and Fiscal Budgets The designer is ultimately responsible for the timely construction within the budget allowed

20. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Visual Presentation of Designs Sketches Thumbnail sketches are rough drawings, usually in pencil, that show the general composition of the set but very little detail

21. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs Sketches Renderings Are finished color sketches Drawn to scale Complete in terms of type, style, location of furniture, trim, and decorative touches Quality renderings also give indications of lighting

22. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs Models Functional models are the three- dimensional equivalents of a thumbnail sketch. Their purpose is to help the design team visualize the basic composition of the scene design. The functional model is built to scale, quickly constructed, and rarely painted

23. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Visual Presentation of Designs Computer Presentations Every traditional medium used to create scene design sketches can now be produced with a computer. Most drafting programs have a three-dimensional component, and animation programs an provide time-based visualizations of scene shifts

24. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs Designer’s Plans Ground Plan It is a scale mechanical drawing showing the top view of a setting in its proper position on the stage The location and measurement are given for all architectural features of the set, onstage and off

25. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. The Design Project –Scenic design Draw a floor plan for a unit set with multi-scene settings (in other words, for The Lost Boy – use one setting with different locations.) Use the scrim just in front of the 2 nd electric so that all “fantasy” action takes place US of the scrim and all “reality” action takes place DS of the scrim Use a series of platforms for the “fantasy” action Create a scene by scene breakdown (a list) of what furniture is needed in each of the scenes and where that furniture will be placed Think simple is better

26. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. The Design Project –Lighting design Using the given floor plan and design symbols draw a lighting plot for The Lost Boy Use the scrim just in front of the 2 nd electric so that all “fantasy” action takes place US of the scrim and all “reality” action takes place DS of the scrim, light this accordingly A series of platforms will be used for the “fantasy” action Create 12 acting areas on the stage –1-8 is on the apron/in front of the scrim –9-13 is used upstage of the scrim on the platforms –Use two lights in each area at 45 degree angles (McCandless theory) –Use specials as you believe are needed –You do not need to label circuits on your plot, but you do need to label the acting areas

27. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. The Design Project –Costume design Choose four different characters, two from Neverland and two from the current day of the play Design one costume for each character –Sketch the costumes with pencil (no color) –Do a color rendering of each costume –Write a paragraph justifying your choices for each character

28. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. The Design Project –Property design Create a chart (typed) of every prop in the show –Include Act/Page number/Whether it is a set prop or a personal prop (if personal, who uses it) Choose one major prop used in Neverland and one major prop used in the current day of the show –Sketch the prop as you would design it (no color) –Do a color rendering of each prop –Write a paragraph justifying your choices for each prop including any research you did and how you would build it (including materials you would need.)

29. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. The Design Project –Publicity design Find a “gimmick” for how you would sell the show (it can be an event, a graphic that would be used in every element of marketing, a product that could be sold or given away…) –Write a statement describing your gimmick and how it would be used to “sell” the show Create and print a full color poster –Include the information on the following slide

30. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Liberty High School Patriot Players present THE LOST BOY A drama by Ronald Gabriel Paolillo (must be 50% of the title) February 19-21 at 6:30pm February 20 at 2pm (Special Patriot Matinee $5 general admission) Liberty High School Theatre 3700 Liberty Heights Avenue Henderson, NV 89052 Tickets $10 Adults $8 Students and Senior Citizens tickets available online: www.showtix4u.com Produced by special arrangement with Playscipts, Inc. (www.playscripts.com

31. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Sound Design –Research sounds/music from the time period –Write a list, scene by scene of every sound effect needed for The Lost Boy noting the act and page number –Find four sound effects from each act –Find a selection of music for the opening, intermission and closing of the show –Create a CD of your sound effects to present to the class

32. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. The Design Statement –Type in 12 point font, double spaced, properly formatted paragraphs a design statement including the following: A statement detailing your unique approach to the play, what you want your design to convey to an audience, and the response you hope to receive. Relate your design to “The World of the Play”, the given circumstances, the time period, the action, the playwright’s intent, the theme, mood and director’s concept of the play. Justify the choices you made in your design based including describing the choices you made using the elements of design: color, texture, shape/mass, line, form, and volume.

33. Theatrical Design and Production Theatrical Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Presentation You will present your finished project to the class in a 3-5 minute oral presentation –Include a visual element in your presentation (this can be done in the form of a PowerPoint or your actual design drawings/renderings DUE DATE: January 8 th -- we will begin the oral presentations on this date –this is your first semester exam final project and presentation. This part of your exam is worth 100 points. A rubric will be available on my.ccsd.net before the holiday break