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Creating Worlds The Objectives of Scenic Design

Scenic Design: Creating Worlds The scenic designer’s primary job is to create the visual world of the play. We all are surrounded each day by elements that create and help us identify the spaces we use (bedroom, office, classroom, etc.). The difference between those real-world environments and the environments created by the scenic designer is that everything in a scenic design has been included for a very specific (and often symbolic) reason. Nothing in a scenic design is there “just because.” Each design has several objectives that it is attempting to meet, and we will examine those here.

Shown here is a set for A Streetcar Named Desire. The play takes place primarily in an

apartment in New Orleans. This set does

not look like a real-world apartment in New Orleans, but the designer has conveyed

the critical parts needed to tell the story: a kitchen, a bedroom, an upstairs balcony.

This designer has chosen these items

specifically, for their face value AND their symbolic value.

Objective 1: Create an Environment for Performers

The first goal for a scenic

designer is to create an environment for the

performers and the performance. A play needs to have a visual

representation of the world that the characters

inhabit. Scenic designers create that world; without it, our characters would

exist in a vacuum.

Set for a production of Amadeus

Objective 2: Set the Mood and Style

A major part of the

designer’s job is to establish

the mood and style of the

production. In a nutshell,

we should be able to get a

sense of whether this play is

going to be cheerful and

uplifting or dark and gloomy

based on the way the set

appears. A play that has a

set in all greys and black will

probably not give us the

feeling of a romance or

comedy.

This is a rendering of a set design. The bright colors should give you a

clue to the fact that this is for a musical comedy—something fun

and lively.

Objective 3: Establish Realistic vs. Non-realistic

Realistic Non-realistic

A scenic designer works to show us if the play we are watching is meant to be realistic or non-realistic. However, in a realistic scenic design, a

designer will not necessarily attempt to create an exact replica of a real- world space. Instead, he may chose selective realism, where only

critical elements are included and realistically represented.

Objective 4: Establish Locale and Period

An effective scenic design should let the audience know WHERE and WHEN the play is set. The visuals of the set should convey this information to the audience so that they can more easily make sense of the events and behaviors of the play. Because, as we all know, the expectations and norms of other times and places are different than our here and now.

Look at this set: does it look like a

modern room?

Objective 5: Develop a Design Concept

The design concept is the

designer’s equivalent of the

director’s directorial

concept. It is a unifying idea

expressed visually. A strong

design concept is especially

important if the director has

come up with an unusual

concept for the play. The

design concept should help

the audience grasp the main

idea of the play, and mesh

well with the concepts of the

director and the other

designers.

An image of the set for Metamorphoses,

a play based on ancient Greek

legends.

Obj 6: Provide a Central Image Designers will often work to develop a central image. A central image serves to visually anchor the scenic design. An example of this would be the Joad family’s car in The Grapes of Wrath, or the wagon in Mother Courage. These central images work to visually reinforce the main idea of the play, or to convey something about the world of the play to the audience. For example, the Joads’ car in Grapes helps to underscore the transient nature of the family’s life.

Objective 7: Coordinate with Other Design Elements

This may seem like an obvious goal, but the work of the scenic designer should mesh well with the designs created by the costume and lighting designers. If the designs do not complement each other, the visuals of the play will send mixed messages to the audience instead of helping the audience to understand the play better.

Clearly, this set DOES NOT go with

these costumes. They have very

different time period and feel: the set

looks like it belongs to a drama, while

the costumes look like they should be part of an upbeat musical.

Obj 8: Solve Practical Problems This is another fairly obvious

goal for the scenic designer.

What he designs must work

with the space available on

the stage (a huge set will not

fit on a tiny stage, while a tiny

set on a huge stage will look

ridiculous.) If a play requires

room for a sword fight or

dance number, the scenic

designer must accommodate

that. If a play requires doors,

or stairs, or an easy route

behind the set from one side

to another, the designer must

accommodate those needs.

Here are two views of the set for Noises Off. This set

requires two levels, lots of doors, and the ability to rotate it during Act II to show the “backstage” view of the set. These are practical problems inherent to this

play that a designer must deal with.

Summation The scenic designer works to create the visual world of the play. In order to do this successfully, he has several objectives to meet:

1. Create and environment for performers/performance

2. Help set the mood and style of the play

3. Help distinguish between realistic and nonrealistic theatre

4. Establish the locale and time period of the play

5. Develop a design concept (with the director and other designers

6. Sometimes, provide a central image for the play

7. Ensure that scenic design coordinates with other designs (costume and lights)

8. Solve practical design problems