Stage designers create the visual and auditory elements of a theatrical production. There are four main design roles: scenic, costume, lighting, and sound designers. Designers first read the script to understand the plot, characters, genre, style, themes, and meaning. They then conduct research and develop initial design ideas through brainstorming and meetings with the director. Designers collaborate to finalize the production concept and technical designs, which are communicated through drawings, models, storyboards, and technical specifications. The designs are then realized in the theatre through construction, technical rehearsals, and performances.

1. Stage Design
• Designers create the
visual and aural
elements of a
production
• Four major designers
– Scenic Designers or
Scenographers
– Costume Designers
– Lighting Designers
– Sound Designers

2. What do designers do?
• Accept offers to design
• Read the script for ideas
– Plot
– Characters
– Genre
– Style
– Theme
– Meaning
• Research the world of the play
– The Fuddy Mears world is distorted
– Victorian England
• Develop initial design ideas
– “unpacking”
– “brain storming”
– First production conference or first production meeting
• Collaborate in developing the production concept
– Director’s concept or interpretation
– Developing the Production Concept
• What the play will look and sound like

3. First draft of visual and aural
designs
• Scene and costume
designers
– Sketchs
• Manually
• CAD or Vectorworks
– Scale Model
– White model
– Model Box
• Lighting Designers
– Storyboards
• Sound Designers
– Existing sources
– Build

5. Soft Scenery
• Flat scenery
– Drapes
– Hanging Fabric
– Backdrops
• May be painted to look
three dimensional

7. Soft Scenery
– Cyclorama or “cyc”
• Huge white or light
gray, tightly stretched
curtain attached to
pipes at its top and
bottom place at the
back of the stage

8. Hard Scenery
• Flat scenery
• Flats
• Flats can be put together
to create
– Walls
– Doors
– Windows
– Fire places
– Arches
– Anything that must sustain
the illusion of a constructed
surface

9. Dimensional Scenery
• Non flat scenery
• Staircases
• Ramps
• Platforms
• Columns
• Tree trunks
• Any three
dimensional scenery

10. Further development
• Solidify the Production Concept
– Second production conference
• Finalize Designs
• Communication
• http://www.stanford.edu/group/rams-head/arch

11. Technical Drawings
• Complete technical drawings, charts and plots
• Manually to scale
– Scale ruler
• CAD or Vectorworks
– Ground Plan
• Looking down on the set
– Elevation
• Looking from the front
– Cross Section
• Looking from the side
• http://dolphin.upenn.edu/~pacshop/graphics.html
• http://www.goodmantheatre.org/About/Production.as

12. Costumes
• Costume Drawings
• List
– What the actor will
wear
• Plot
– What order the
costumes are worn

13. Lighting
• Light plot
– May use the
• designer’s plans
• Theatre’s plans
• Draw his or her own
• Instrument Schedule
– What light
• Color media
– How the lights will be
gelled
• Cue sheet
– All the light changes and
when they happen in the
script

14. Sound Designers
• S o und Plo t
–W here are the
speakers to be places
–W hich channel are
they connected
–M icrophones
• Cue S he e t
–W hen is each track to
be played
–W m
hat icrophones are
used and w hen

15. Technical Director
• Supervisor of the
scene shop
• Supervises
– Budgets
– Schedules
– Personnel
– Construction and
installation of scenery

16. Supervise realization of designs
• Scene designers consult
with technical director
and scene painter
• Costume designer
– Fittings
• Lighting Designer
– Master Electrician
– Technical Director
• Sound Designer
– Sound board operator

17. Load in or Move in
• Stage manager
• Focus the lights
• Technical Rehearsal
• Dress Rehearsals
• Preview
• Opening

18. Final Rehearsals
• Technical Rehearsal
• Dress Rehearsals
• Preview
• Opening