ABSTRACT
The Art of Theatrical Design: Elements of Visual Composition, Methods, and Practice, Second Edition, contains an in-depth discussion of design elements and principles for costume, set, lighting, sound, projection, properties, and makeup designs.
This textbook details the skills necessary to create effective, evocative, and engaging theatrical designs that support a play contextually, thematically, and visually. It covers key concepts such as content, context, genre, style, play structure and format and the demands and limitations of various theatrical spaces. The book also discusses essential principles, including collaboration, inspiration, conceptualization, script analysis, conducting effective research, building a visual library, developing an individual design process, and the role of the critique in collaboration. This second edition includes
- A new chapter on properties management and design.
- A new chapter on makeup design.
- A new chapter on digital rendering, with evaluations of multiple programs, overviews of file types and uses, and basic tutorials in Adobe® Photoshop® and Procreate.
- An expanded and revised chapter on traditional rendering, with the inclusion of new media, including watercolor, gouache, and mixed media, and updated exercises and tutorials.
- Revised and expanded chapters on individual design areas, including additional practices for conceptualization and collaboration, with new exercises for skill development.
- Additional exercises in all elements and principles of design chapters for investigation of each design principle and skill development.
- Revised and updated content throughout the text, reflecting current pedagogy and practices.
This book gives students in theatrical design, introduction to design, and stagecraft courses the grounding in core design principles they need to approach design challenges and make design decisions in both assigned class projects and realized productions.
The Art of Theatrical Design provides access to additional online resources, including step-by-step video tutorials of the exercises featured in the book.
Part 1: Beginnings 1. What is Design? 2. Form, Content and Context 3. Genre 4. Style 5. Structure and Format Part 2: Elements of Design 6. Line 7. Shape/Form/Mass/Space 8. Value 9. Color 10. Texture 11. Creating the Illusion of Depth on a flat Surface Part 3: Principles of Design 12. Unity and Variety 13. Balance 14. Repetition/Pattern/Rhythm 15. Scale and Proportion 16. Emphasis and Subordination Part 4: Core Principles for the Theatrical Designer 17. Collaboration 18. Analysis 19. Conceptualization 20. The Design Process 21. The Role of the Critique 22. Drawing as Our Common Language 23. Traditional Rendering Techniques 24. Digital Rendering Techniques Part 5: Individual Design Areas 25. Costume Design 26. Makeup Design 27. Scene Design 28. Properties Design 29. Lighting Design 30. Sound Design 31. Projection Design