Project for Tech Class.

 

This project is being used to introduce you to the process of design used for theater.  The process that we will go through can be used in other areas of creation, however we will use the lens of a theatrical production for our purposes.

 

Overarching Project:

To develop a design concept for a play from the list below and to share your research and design work for an area of interest.  Those areas include:

• Set Design

• Lighting and Sound Design

• Costume Design

 

Project Steps:

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Read the synopsis of the following plays and pick the one you are interested in:  

• Death of A Salesman

• You Can’t Take It With You

• Romeo and Juliet

• Midsummer Night’s Dream

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Synopsis and Plays can be found by clicking the button below.

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Choose a scene from the play and use the following 7 steps.  Think about the parts of the steps as a checklist to help your through the process of what questions need to be answered.

 

Analysis

First Read Through

• Read for fun.

• Find out character relationships.

• Gain an understanding of the storyline and its basic themes

• Learn about the environment in which the characters live.

 

Analysis

Second Read Through

• Look for moments in the script that stimulate your imagination.

• Look for clues to: time of day, time of year and the place the characters live.

• Remember no idea is insignificant at this point.

 

Analysis

Third Read Through

• Look for mechanical information.

• Scene Changes.

• Doors, Windows, Rocks, and Trees.

• Special Effects.

• Consider budget.

• Ask Questions.

 

Research(Historical)

• Look for social and cultural norms of the time period.

• Important dates from the time.

• Painting, Sculpture, and photographs.

• Magazines and advertisements

• Clothing and people.

• Other theatre’s production photos.

 

Research(Conceptual)

• Finding multiple solutions for the problem.

• Develop a conceptual approach to the play

• Creating an idea from a feeling.

 

Incubation

Allowing time for your ideas to grow.

• Set aside your work and let the ideas you have gathered develop.

• You must employ good time management and do not procrastinate.

 

Selection

The sifting process.

• Taking all the ideas and solutions and making the best choice for the production.

• The selection process is finished when the director feels your ideas fit the concept.

 

Implementation

Stop planning and start doing.

• This is the point when designers create:

• Renderings, Mechanical Drafting, Paint Elevations, Scale Models costume concept boards

• Lighting and Sound Plots.

 

Critique /Evaluation/ Revision

This is the time to review your method and your choices.

Not a time to pat yourself on the back, but instead a time to make the connection between what worked and what did not.