Design: Sets

The types of scenery used for a play depend upon the stage facilities, the available technicians and crews, the play’s budget, and the time available for making scenery. Regardless of the setting a set designer chooses, it must meet the following requirements.

First, the setting should provide a suitable background for the play’s action. There must be adequate space for movement, including several areas or levels to provide variety and interest and to motivate the actors into using the whole stage in the course of the play. There must be adequate doors, windows, and stars. Furthermore, the color of the setting should contrast with the actors faces so that the actors will be readily seen.

Second, the setting must communicate adequate information about the play. The locale, the time and the period, the cultural, social, and economical status of the characters must all be revealed in the set.

Third, the play’s style and mood must be suggested. From observing the scenery with its particular color and line design, the audience should immediately be able to tell at the rise of the curtain whether the play is comic, tragic, fantastic, realistic, etc.

Fourth, the setting must be technically practical or usable. Doors and windows must open if they are to be used. Stairs, platforms, and ramps must be built firmly if they are to bear the actor’s weight. If there are set changes, scenery must be planned for quick shifts.

Fifth, the setting should be aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Thus, all elements must be unified. In tragedy, the setting may be heavy and massive with dark and somber colors. In comedy, the scenery may be frivolous with curved lines and light colors. The setting must also be balanced. If there is a big fireplace on one side of the stage, there should be something on the other side to convey equal weight.

(Introduction adapted from Basic Drama Projects by F. A. Tanner, 1982)

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