The Craft and Art of Scenic Design

Acknowledgments

In the midst of trying to create a book that aspires to teach a craft and art that I have practiced for 40 years and taught for 10, I think about how many people have been involved in my own education.

At 15, I fell down the rabbit hole to find myself working as a volunteer in a professional theatre. The first play I ever saw was one I had worked on: Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. I sat in the dark theatre and saw magic created with the lights I had hung and the scenery I had painted. With even more unbelievable luck, I fell under the tutelage of the company’s resident set designers, who saw something in me that I didn’t know existed. I thank them for their insight, their kindness, and those early lessons.

I was on fire. I inhaled ...