Stage Design E-Book

Gary Thorne

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

In Stage Design - A Practical Guide Gary Thorne, a freelance theatre set and costume designer, introduces the concept of art and design for performance, drawing on his considerable experience in a wide variety of theatres. The book begins from first principles, and assumes no prior knowledge of the subject. Each chapter contains clear, concise text and informative illustrations; and concludes with practical exercises to, ensure that the reader has got the most out of the book, and stimulating exploration in both two and three dimensions. The book includes examples of the author's work and that of others in the field, illustrating the methods adopted and practised in theatre schools and the more innovative theatre companies.

Leseprobe

CONTENTS

Title Page

FOREWORD

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

1 INTRODUCTION

2 MATERIALS

3 FOUNDATIONS OF DESIGN AND DRAWING

4 USING COLOUR

5 THEATRE SPACE AND TYPES

6 THEATRE SPACE DEFINED TECHNICALLY

7 SCRIPT ANALYSIS

8 THE THEATRE MODEL BOX

9 CONSTRAINTS

10 PRESENTATION OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL IDEAS

11 SPATIAL DYNAMICS AND SIGHTLINES

12 THE WHITE CARD MODEL, STORYBOARD AND MEETINGS

13 THE PRESENTATION MODEL AND DRAWING

GLOSSARIES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Copyright

FOREWORD

By Tanya Moiseiwitsch

My enthusiasm for writing this Foreword comes with having had a very full and exciting life in the theatre as a designer. In particular, designing with director Sir Tyrone Guthrie created opportunities which I think were so fortunate. I shared with Guthrie his belief in the collaborative aspects of theatre, for the ensemble of actors and community of technicians, artists and crafts people. From the architect through to the shoe maker, each shares a valued part of the whole whose focus is on actors and their relationship with an audience. My rewards come from a wide diversity of design spanning many years and include the pleasure of guidance and assistance through sharing responsibility with directors and the team.

The arena or open stage demands an economy of design. Striving for the essential meant keeping a sense of proportion. Through trial and error, patience and a critical eye, design is pared down to clarify. A guiding belief in ‘less is more’ prevailed, with neither too little atmosphere to lose effect nor an excess to overwhelm. Innovation and a unified, distinct visual style of design supports the actor.

To design, one needs to develop interpretative skills, to effectively follow a director’s point of view. What the director aims at needs to be understood and carefully considered. For all those involved, the collective aim is to support the play. The opening night is such a relief to the designer, it enables you really to enjoy the play. Theatre is ephemeral and the memory of the event is what one has to go on.

I have a memorable, great favourite of a performance which was on the open thrust stage of the Tom Patterson at the Stratford Festival in 1990, a shoe-string production called The Knight of the Burning Pestle directed by Bernard Hopkins and designed by Gary Thorne. A charming show with many innovative touches, the ensemble were in part senior members of the acting company together with the Young Company. It was on the opening night that a working friendship with Gary began which is still enjoyed today.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Grateful thanks to the Wardrobe, Carpentry, Property and Scenic Artist workshops, Production Management and Stage Management for each production herein represented. Their expertise has made possible this book.

With special thanks to each theatre company and the following individuals: Neil Fraser (Head of Lighting Design), Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London; Peter Dean (Deputy Director of Technical Theatre) and Clive Timms (Head of Opera Studies), The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, Albert Herring 1998 Director Thomas de Mallet Burgess, Lighting Kevin Sleep, Photography Roger Howard; Sebastian Hall and Staff at Polka Theatre for Children, A Patchwork Quilt Director Michael Miller, Lighting Neil Fraser, StarlightCloak Director Vicky Ireland, Lighting Neil Fraser, Beowulf Director Roman Stefanski, Lighting Neil Fraser, Wizardof Oz Director Roman Stefanski, Photography Roger Howard; Pop-Up Theatre, London, Michael Dalton, Jackie Eley, Jane Wolfson, Penny Bernand, Boogie Woogie Bug Band, Pop in a Box,Spilt Milk,Cuckoo Time,MarjorieDaw; Arts Educational Drama School, London, House of Blue Leaves, Vieux Carré,The Linden Tree, Blood Wedding, TheMatchgirls, Directors David Robson, Adrian James, John Perry, Ian Goode, Lighting Di Stedman; The Lyric Theatre London and Pop-Up Theatre, Hansel andGretel Director Jonathan Holloway, Lighting Ace McCarron; Alberta Theatre Projects Canada, Letticeand Lovage Director D. Michael Dobbin, Lighting Linda Babins, Zastrozzi Director Bob White, Lighting Harry Frehner, Search for Signsof Intelligent Life in the Universe Director David Latham, Lighting Brian Pincott, SixDegrees of Separation Director Bob White, Lighting Brian Pincott, Hunter ofPeace Director D. Michael Dobbin, Lighting Harry Frehner, Johannesburg Director Ronalda Jones, Lighting Harry Frehner, Tuck Tuck Director Bob White, Lighting Harry Frehner, All Fall Down Director Mary Vingoe, Lighting Harry Frehner, all photography Trudie Lee; Mercury Theatre Colchester, Murder in theCathedral Director Zoe Hicks, Lighting Jim Bowman; Stratford Festival Canada 1988–1993, The Knight of the BurningPestle Director Bernard Hopkins, Lighting Kevin Fraser, Twelfth Night Director Bernard Hopkins, Lighting Harry Frehner, Entertaining Mr Sloane Director David William, Lighting John Munro, The Importance of Being Earnest Director David William, Lighting John Munro, Love for Love Designers Stephanie Howard and Ann Curtis, Three Sisters andThe Shoemaker’s Holiday Designer Debra Hanson, Comedy of Errors Designer Patrick Clark, Kiss me Kate Designer Brian Jackson, Photography Terry Manzo, David Cooper, Andy Foster; The Grand Theatre London, Canada, Dial Mfor Murder Director Derek Goldby; JCT Productions, Operation KRT Director James Tillett; Banff Opera Centre Canada, Albert Herring Director Colin Graham, Designer Neil Peter Jampolis, Design Intern 1988 Gary Thorne; Forest Forge Theatre Company, The Nightingale Director Karl Hibbert.

Special thanks to Tanya Moiseiwitsch, Percy Harris of Motley Theatre Design Course, Bryan Lewin, Alison Chitty and David Montgomery Design Studios, David Neat, Atlanta Duffy, Michael Jennings, Annie James, Leni Hall, Annetta Broughton, Ruth Finn, Simon Doe, Lucy Ackland, Zoe Buser, Bianco Mesko, Tara Saunders, Tessa Scott, Saskia Monty, Rachel Postlethwaite, Keith Baker, Louisa Mansfield, Ylva Grefberg, Tara Baum, Rachel Schwartz, Christine Bradnum, Elena Toumassova, Moe Casey, Andrew Burke, Emma Dowden, Rachel Mellors of CeL, and the participants of ‘Design an Opera Project’ Blackheath Community Opera; at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Conor McGivern, PJ Booth, Sue Thornton, Soozie Copley, John Philips, Sharon Fergus, Alex Madden, Duncan Clark, Andy Wilson, Sue Hudson, Susan Hooper, Philip Owens, Anna Graf, Bela Romer, Jude Boutland, Michael Rothwell, Graham Parker, Maxine Foo, Michael Shaw, Adrian Croton, Simon Pugsley, Gui Mendonca, Stuart Tucker, Anna Barnett, Sophie Leach, Jo Dench, Cally Mansfield, Steven Smith, Richard Johnson; Jane Riches of ‘Art in Architecture’ University of East London.

1

INTRODUCTION

The audience arrives and prepares to take their seats for the evening performance. Unintentionally and most naturally they bring along with them the day’s ups and downs. They have come for drama that most notably concerns action and exercises communication. Perception is through the mind of the viewer. There are codes of social behaviour applied to this experience, especially with respect to the audience. What happens on stage, however, is very much a different matter.

Story-telling takes on many forms. It is affected by tradition and culture, but more by language. The act of performing may be scripted, improvised or experimental. The play’s language may well challenge an audience.

The experience is shared, it is a social event – a gathering of groups or individuals from society. On-stage the actors, dancers, singers or performers are illusions of characters from the writer’s mind. The convention presents a context for portraying relationships of people in society who have something to say. Represented are collaboration and teamwork, trust and respect, managerial and organizational structuring, leadership and direction, decision-making, aesthetics, values, beliefs, opinion, principles and ethics. The experience reflects commitment. That which is presented has been structured through a process. All aspects and effects will have been exercised, shaped, moulded and constructed into a disciplined time frame. This is a ‘live’ event and with it goes an element of risk. This heightens the level of anticipation and interest. The audience involves itself through application, reaction and reflection.

What draws an audience to a performance? Answers may be as varied as the ideas found to be presented on-stage, yet something has been circulating in society and has caught their attention. Perhaps it is as obvious as being part of a festival or celebration. Perhaps the audience has tried to find a play which interests them. For the audience the drama begins long before curtain up. Anticipation carries with it expectation, hype, controversy, excitement, intrigue.

Hansel and Gretel dressrehearsal with actorsAlastairCording and DanielHarcourt.The flown showcloth with focused lightingcreates a cameo scene setcentre-stage.Director:Jonathan Holloway; Lighting:Ace McCarron. Pop-UpTheatre.

Marjorie Daw, asmall-scaletouring setin a neatblack-box.Animated setwith floorcloth and properties.Director: Penny Bernand. Pop-Up Theatre.

As the curtain goes up, so too do all levels of attention. The focus is narrowed down to specifics. What each viewer sees is of particular concern. Being live makes it all the more engaging. The attention is on the acting area, nothing else should distract, or draw attention. The level of attention very much depends on how professional those on-stage and off-stage are at doing their job.

The numbers of people working behind the scenes will vary with theatre type and scale. On the larger scale show planning may go on several years in advance. Smaller venues may schedule plays late on, often making decisions within the season. The play wants selecting so a ‘director’ will most generally be contracted first. It may well be the director who chooses the play. Directors normally request a ‘designer’. However, in repertory there is often a financial advantage in having a resident designer. The director and designer establish aims and intentions. They will consider the more immediate concerns of limitation and constraint imposed by space and budget. ‘Publicity’ may have already begun marketing images.

Alongside the director and designer at an early stage is the ‘production manager’ and/or ‘technical director’. They handle all matters concerning the organizing and scheduling of technical preparations and production. Most importantly they handle the budget and see to its allocation. A well-experienced production manager familiar with the theatre or space technically is of the greatest asset. Other equally important members of the team are the ‘lighting designer’, ‘sound designer’, ‘show composer’ and ‘choreographer’.

NeilFraser,lightingdesigner, and designermeeting with a proposedlighting plot. Beowulf. Polka Theatre.

Preliminary productionmeeting with plans anddrawings.Polka Theatre.

Lighting designstudents at RADAworkingas a teamto plota groundplanfrom the model box.Peter Harrison,JonRouseand GwenThomson.

Throughout the design process, workshops involve themselves by a representative. They offer advice, expertise and opinion. The workshops include: the wardrobe department, and subsidiary departments of the dye room, bijoux or jewellery, decorators, boots and shoes, millinery, the buyers; the wig and make-up department; the carpentry workshop; the property shop; the scenic paint shop.

‘Stage management’ involve themselves at model presentations to enquire into the ‘working’ of the show for the rehearsal process and in preparation for on-stage. The ‘stage crew’ which see to the running of the show once on-stage consider how trucks, cloths, scenic units and properties might be managed and organized into their on- and off-stage positions. Theatres which have repertory demands, involve masterful juggling acts.

Preliminary model in modelboxwithout side masking. Albert Herring. Guildhall School of Music andDrama.

A preliminary designrendering with coffee stain. Operation KRT. JCT Productions.

Property drawings. Starlight Cloak. Polka Theatre.

Furniture anddressing sketch for anintimate scene. Zastrozzi. Alberta Theatre Projects.

In preparation for production the designer needs to accomplish many tasks. There is the theatre model to build, then the preliminary model or sketch model. An abundance of research and countless drawings and sketches need to be produced. With the finished model go technical drawings of the detailed set as shown on-stage in section, elevation and on plan. Further technical drawings include the scenic units and all properties and furniture to be built. Costume drawings follow with detailed drawings for wigs, shoes, hats, jewellery and accessories. Copious notes accompany the drawings. Copies of drawings and photographs of the model are distributed to departments. Files or bibles are kept, documenting all material purchased, costs, sources and their in-house treatments.

Property maker AnnettaBroughtonand directorRoman Stefanskidiscussingthe animated armature for Beowulf monster headandhands.Polka Theatre.

The props departmentspraying through stencilsontofabric for the costumedepartment. Beowulf.

Production commences often long before actors come to rehearsal. Measurements of actors are taken in advance with fittings often prior to rehearsals. Workshops plot and schedule deadlines particular to the needs of each item. Workshops are more often than not widely spread out making communication difficult.

Each set item passes through stages to its completion. Each step could involve another department. Allowing time in scheduling for this is of critical importance financially. Materials are shopped for well in advance of their being needed. Fabrics for drapery and upholstery need sampling first. They are then subject to being dyed. If samples dye successfully, orders for the full measure of cloth need to be placed and purchased. Order and delivery may involve days, weeks or even longer. Once dyed they may be handed to decorators for hand painting or appliqué. Eventually they arrive in the ‘soft properties’ department, to be sewn and draped into the design.

The actor’s first day is with the commencement of the rehearsal process. It may be the first meeting for the cast and many of the departmental staff. Model and costume drawings are viewed for the first time. From this moment on, the emphasis is on the director, the company of actors, and stage management. Each department makes direct reference to what is accomplished in rehearsal. This process concerns getting the play ‘up on its feet’. Stage management schedule and run this period with masterful skill in management and organization, note-taking and communicating with all departments. The director and designer become focused on the actor, the movement and relationships. Completed set and property constructions will need attention so as to relate to whatever demands are being made upon them in rehearsal. The remaining build requires the same attention. Ideas on paper may need rethinking. For example: a designed property-puppet may have to adapt itself to the abilities of the three performers who manipulate its movement; a throne’s cavity beneath the seat may be too small for the actor to hide within, as was originally proposed, in which case the actor may need to visit the workshop for a throne fitting; a sofa may need to be much more solid and securely set, now that it is to withstand an actor’s weight as he steps onto the back before leaping over it.

Actors PaulRyan,MilenkaMaroshand WalterJamesin a rehearsal trial runwith skeleton structure andmock-upcostume, Beowulf. Polka Theatre.

There are new and very real demands throughout the rehearsal period. The designer is often wanted in several places at once. The unexpected always crops up. Initial planning with emphasis on priority-built items and units needs to anticipate all these factors. The closer to being on-stage the more the demands for ‘thinking on one’s feet’. Being prepared and thorough in design means making a keen and concentrated time investment early on. Production time is never enough. Planning ahead is essential.

The ‘get-in’ and ‘fit-up’ on-stage lead through to the various technical rehearsals involving lighting, sets, properties and costumes. Any ‘special effect’, costume ‘quick-change’, set ‘scene change’, along with every ‘lighting cue’ and ‘sound cue’ need working through. They are worked through until perfection is achieved, all timings being recorded and strictly adhered to. Stage-crew and stage management working the show, require precise cues for every action, all of which are practised and plotted. There is a tight time frame for each action on-stage. Safety, however, is never compromised.

The mainstageduring a get-inand fit-up weekend. Beowulf. Polka Theatre.

Stage managementmeasuring from the groundplanto positionscenicelements on-stage. Beowulf. Polka Theatre. 

On-stage setdressing.Designer:Neil Peter Jampolis. BanffOpera, 1988.

The process for design does not stop until the official opening. Decision-making and changes go on until it is right. When masking for off-stage is looking less than ideal then it is a matter to be solved. When objects draw the eye in by being too bright, they go back to either the dye room or props for further breakdown. Low lighting may successfully illuminate a scene yet the aged quality of some set properties may still read as too new. Highlights on a carved head may appear with impact to one section of seating, yet not be enough for others. Tightening up the elements to harmonize and unify becomes a major focus for the designer once into the lighting states on-stage. A critical eye is continually required.

The audience will rarely pardon the faults. They remember disasters or incidents that distract from the play and its content. Poor masking that renders visible movement of actors and stage-crew outside the acting area can distract enough to disappoint. A well-presented show is always commented upon and will most likely be remembered. Focus should always be on what is being said, by whom to whom, with clarity of idea communicating itself to all seats. The actor never stands alone.

Highlighting with goldleaf,RuthFinnusesspray adhesive then brushes on the metallicsheets.Polka Theatre. 

Louise Poole clearly defined and well located. Albert Herring. Director: Thomas de Mallet Burgess; Lighting: Kevin Sleep. Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Photo: Roger Howard.

2

MATERIALS

THE SCRAPBOOK

Commence a scrapbook for the accumulation of cuttings. Begin collecting and assembling images with reference to natural, handmade and manufactured design. Label with name, year, place of origin and source. Create several ongoing scrapbooks. Include photographs, magazine images, newspaper cuttings. Surrounding us daily is a substantial library of free throw-away reference material. Categorize these images under specific titles. Begin with hairstyles, shoes, furniture, foliage and trees, flowers, fencing, ethnic costuming, traditions and rituals, lighting, building materials and so on. Archival scrapbooks become an excellent reference.

SKETCHBOOKS AND PAPER

Hardcover sketchbooks for project work, exercises and as a diary prove ideal. The artist’s sketchbook is available in various size formats. Sketchbooks serve many purposes and their portability adds to their practicality. A sketchbook that is smaller than A4 is perhaps more suitable for the pocket, for daily sketching and recording ideas while on the move.

Thoughts are bound together in the hardcover format. The presentation of ideas portray a process in thinking through and discovering. The larger formats encourage a bolder creative approach. Paste, write, sketch, draw and paint into your sketchbook. However, watercolour is best suited to the heavier-weight paper sketchbooks. Build up on the pages imaginative ramblings. Apply the foundations of design. Sketchbooks should exhibit an inquisitive mind, searching and exploring, and be brimming with ideas. Sketchbooks fulfil a purpose.

Sketchbook quality differs so as to serve a purpose. Since paper quality varies significantly with manufacturer and book type, it is important to choose something suitable for your intended task. Paper is manufactured in various ways for specific purposes – for example, for drawing, painting, printing or construction. Paper sample packs from specialist art shops offer an introductory range. Keep a record of sample papers, the manufacturer’s name, intended use, price, size and surface characteristics.

A sketchbookcollage for Spilt Milk, small-scaletouring.Pop-UpTheatre.

Sketchbooks

Hardback books, acid-free cartridge paper, for drawing. Gsm 90–140.

Watercolour Sketchbooks

100 per cent cotton rag paper, acid-free, mould-made, HP, NOT or Rough surfaces available. Gsm 140–638.

Paper

The three main surfaces types are: HP, NOT and ROUGH.