The Craft and Art of Scenic Design

Chapter 1The Nature of the Craft

Design for the theatre is a very special field. In the chapters that follow we will attempt to look at it through the prism of its individual aspects: work with the director and with the text, research, the design idea, and using theatrical space. In this first chapter, however, it seems necessary to look at the craft and art as a whole and attempt to define what is at its core: the nature of the craft.

This is not easy.

Each project the scenic designer undertakes has its own demands, ranging wildly in style, period, and intent. His work is in collaboration with others whose work he affects and who’s in turn affects his. He may go from a large stage to a tiny one in a variety of architectural forms. The style ...