Chapter 7: Scenic Design
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 scenic
design should create an environment
for the play that is supportive of the
production concept
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
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
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
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
Theatrical Design and Production
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Historical Period of the Play
If the design style being used
is based in realism, then
period needs to be a
consideration
The scenic designer wants to
provide historically accurate
visual clues to help the
audience identify the period of
the play
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Historical Period of the Play
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
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
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 and their furnishings
When establishing
locale in the interior of
a building, a designer
should take into
consideration the time
period as well as the
socioeconomic
background
Decorative properties and floor treatments
can help create a believable environment
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Socioeconomic Level and Personality of the Characters
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
A living room decorated
with inexpensive yet
tasteful furnishings
suggests
one type
of
Decorative
properties
occupant.
and floor treatments
help
create a yet
Onecan
with
expensive
believable environment
gaudy furnishings
suggests another
Theatrical Design and Production
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Season of the Year
It is difficult for a scenic designer
to provide more than a cursory
indication of season
If the play takes place in the
summer, the designer can have
the doors open or use screens in
the doors and windows
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
Decorative properties
and floor treatments
can help create a
believable environment
Theatrical Design and Production
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Elements of Composition
Scenic 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
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Elements of Composition
Line
Line defines form
Dimension, quality, and character define
the characteristics of any line
Objects drawn with
strong, bold, angular
lines indicate
power, dominance,
and purpose
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 soft,
curvilinear, and lightweight lines
can indicate weakness
Theatrical Design and Production
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Elements of Composition
Form
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
Theatrical Design and Production
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Elements of Composition
Mass
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
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Elements of Composition
Value
Purity, truth,
and honor
Evil, dishonesty,
dishonor
Purity, truth,
and honor
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
Evil, dishonesty,
dishonor
Theatrical Design and Production
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Elements of Composition
Color
Although scenic objects are
normally painted to appear as
they are in life…
substituting an unexpected
hue can achieve interesting
results
The countryside
for Brigadoon
could be painted
in PLAID!
Theatrical Design and Production
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Practicality of the Setting
Any scenic 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
Theatrical Design and Production
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Practicality of the Setting
Needs of the Director
The set 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
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 director and scenic designer
discuss these directorial needs
during early production conferences
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Practicality of the Setting
Needs of the Actors
Windows that
won’t open
The set must function properly, efficiently, and as
planned
It must provide a safe environment
Doors that won’t
close
Slippery floors
Actors must be able to concentrate in order to perform
properly
The last thing they need is anything that would break
their concentration
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Practicality of the Setting
Construction Demands
A set’s complexity is directly related to
the intricacy of the design
The designer must be aware of
construction challenges and
determine how thesis pieces can be
constructed and rigged
Elements such as a
spinning staircase may
create construction
challenges that cannot
be solved by ordinary
scenic-construction
techniques
Before construction starts, the scenic
designer reviews the plans with the
lighting designer to make sure the set
can be lit effectively
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Practicality of the Setting
Time and Fiscal Budgets
The scenic designer is ultimately responsible for the timely
construction of scenery and properties within the budget allowed
In commercial theatre, the producer approves the plans and then
solicits bids for the construction
In regional, educational, and community theatres, where they
build their own sets, it is up to the scenic designer and technical
director to make sure they stay within the approved budget
Theatrical Design and Production
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs
Sketches
Thumbnail sketches are rough
drawings, usually in pencil, that
show the general composition of
the set but very little detail
Theatrical Design and Production
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs
Sketches
Renderings
Are finished color sketches of
the set
Drawn to scale
Complete in terms of type, style,
location of furniture, trim, and
decorative touches
Quality renderings also give
indications of lighting
Theatrical Design and Production
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs
Models
Functional models are the threedimensional 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
Theatrical Design and Production
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs
Models
Production models provide
a complete visualization of the
scenic designer’s concept.
Production models are built to
scale, fully painted, and
completely decorated with all
of the furniture, props, and set
dressing used in the
production
Theatrical Design and Production
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Visual Presentation of Scenic 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
Theatrical Design and Production
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs
Designer’s Plans
Sketches and models may give a clear
indication of the scenic designer’s intention
Ground Plan
Front Elevations
However, they do not give the technical director
Detail Drawings
or carpenters the information they need to build
the set
Full-scale Drawings
That information comes in a series of
Sight-line Drawings
mechanical drawings (designer’s plans) that
depict every detail of the set with exact
Painter’s Elevations
measurements of its components
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
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
Theatrical Design and Production
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs
Designer’s Plans
Front Elevations
These show a front view of the set as if it were flattened into a single plane
The main purpose of these scale drawings is to indicate all of the vertical
measurements that cannot be shown on the ground plan
Theatrical Design and Production
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Visual Presentation of
Scenic Designs
Designer’s Plans
Detail Drawings
Detailed pieces, such as an
elaborate fireplace or an
intricately designed stained-glass
panel, need to be drawn in a
larger scale
Theatrical Design and Production
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Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs
Designer’s Plans
Full-scale Drawings
A few of the smallest features of a set should be drawn in
full scale, or actual size
If the design is unusually intricate
or the object rather small, such as
a wallpaper pattern, it is easier
and faster to draw in full scale
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs
Designer’s Plans
Sight-line Drawings
A scale drawing of sightings that
extend from the extreme seats to any
position on the stage
Sight-line drawings are used to
determine how much of the stage
and backstage will be visible from
specific auditorium seats
Theatrical Design and Production
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs
Designer’s Plans
Painter’s Elevations
Painter’s elevations are front
elevations of the set, drawn on
watercolor board and painted to show
not only the colors but also the
painting techniques that will be used
in finishing the set
These are renderings that the scenic
artist and paint crew use when
painting the set
Theatrical Design and Production
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