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Unfortunately, there are very few basic principles involved in designing a set. But the basic idea is that the set should look nice and there should enough space for the actors to act in. Fortunately, the director will very often have detailed ideas about what they want the set to look like. This can occasionally get annoying. But some basic principles to consider:
- Sight Lines
This involves being awfully ugly things - Acting Spaces Entrances and Exits
- two main parts - left and right; up and down. The basic principle is that the audience should be able to see everything that is happening on stage. If this is not the case, either you are avant-garde or doing it wrong. Large, opaque items should therefore go at the back of the set. chairs, stools, potted plants that aren't too tall, are often nice to have in front.
A slightly more subtle part of this is that the audience member is not all in the center. So angled set pieces can block sight lines for some audience members but not for others - Acting Spaces
Directors are really obsessed with the idea of levels. This is bound up with the idea of acting spaces. Directors will often have different parts on the stage that are supposed to represent different areas, or that different actors are supposed to use in different times. These can often be quite distinct, and perhaps the central problem of set design is to unify all of these desperate areas into one unified stage picture. Directors also like the idea of levels, so that actors can seem to be much higher than others. Places to sit are also often useful. To consider: a good height for one step is 8.5". - Entrances, Exits, and Tormentors
Another important thing to consider is where the entrances/exits are on stage. In La Sala, this is usually controlled by the setup of both the set pieces and the black curtains (also known as tormentors). You control (in conjunction with the technical director) the hanging of the blacks. They must be on pipes, but other than that can be anywhere. Also important to consider is the path from West Lounge to wherever you want the entrances to be. There are lots of options, but be aware of sight lines. The Kitchen Doors, the many entrances into La Sala, and judicious use of blacks are your friends.
\h5 Drafting/Presenting
Before Auditions
The set designer should read the play and come with some general ideas for feel of the set and how the actors will interact with the set. They should then meet with or talk to the director about the director's concept for the set, and agree on a basic atmosphere as well as major set pieces (platforms, pilliars, or other such things that will need to be blocked around).
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