The Designers
Stage designing should be addressed to the eye of the mind.
ROBERT EDMIOND JONES(1887-1954)
According to an old theatrical legend, a small, second-rate theatrical company once toured Ireland with a production of Christopher Marlowe's The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus. The script involves a medieval scholar who sells his soul to Satan for twenty-four years of power and earthly delights.In the last scene time has run out for Faustus, and the jaws of Hell gape open before him. In a small town one evening, the play limped to its conclusion as the actor playing Faustus thundered through his last speech:
Ah, Faustus,
Now hast thou but one bare hour to live.
And then must be damned perpetually!
and so on to the closing lines:
My God, my God,look not so fierce on me!
Adders and serpents, let me breathe awhile!
Ugly hell,gape not!Come not,Lucifer!
I’ll burn my books!Ah, Mephistophilis!
During the last four lines,Faustus started to sink below the stage soot, by means of an elevator-like trap,into red lights suggesting Hell. Unfortunately the trap stuck about three feet down,leaving Faustus's upper torso above stage level with no place to hide.The audience greeted this development with stunned silence,Then a beery voice from the top balcony roared out,”Hallelujah,boys,Hell’s full!”
Anyone working in the theatre will amass a storehouse of such anecdotes about stage doors not opening,mustaches dropping off costumes splitting, scenery collapsing,curtains
refusing to open or close, lighting or sound effects coming at the wrong time, properties missing, and the like.These moments may offer great hilarity in retrospect, but they seldom amuse those involved. The cast sees hundreds of hours of work destroyed, and audiences feel uncomfortable as the company loses control of its production. Everyone anticipates a certain number of accidents during rehearsals, when the people responsible can remedy them, but the live theatre allows for no out-takes.
Such accidents suggest the importance of designers and technicians in modern productions. Designers and technicians can contribute richly to the success of a production. In modern theatre the design and execution
of scenery, lighting, costumes, properties,makeup, and sound effects have grown into fully developed professions and specialties. Examination of each can expand the theatregoer's understanding and appreciation of the various designers' contributions.
The Design Process
Stage designers work for years creating a process that yields the best results during performance. Although the design process may differ from artist to artist and production to production, most designers agree there are several distinct phases to their creative process.As design theorist J. Michael Gillette has noted, these steps may include:
1.Engagement. The designer is appruachW with the possibility of handling the project. A host of issue play out in the final decision, but the main influences tend to be both
financial and artistic. if the designer decides to accept
the Challenge of the position, he or she must commit all energies to the project.
2.Analysis.The designer scours the script for information on the world of the play.Production style,concept,and thematic concerns emerge as the designer evaluates what will be useful to the decisions that must be made.
3.Research. Historical research is important in order to create a complex and living stage production.This step in the process involves much reading and many trips to libraries,arch
ives,and museums.Even modern periods must be researched to discover the multiplicity of choices available in the design.
4.Incubation.After the designer has worked intensely on collecting materials,a cool-down period may be needed to allow the designer to gain some distance on the design and see its shortcomings and its strengths.
5.Selection. The designer must decide what is appropriate for the production and what must be dumped. The director will often enter this process with the designer to help solidify the production's conceptual framework.
design翻译6.Implementation. Models, plots, sketches, and all other types
of paperwork are finished during this step,and the design is built
Constant adjustments are made during this process as unforeseen problems and insights arise
7.Evaluation. Although evaluation is a major component in each previous step, a final period of evaluation is beneficial to the designer. What seemed appropriate at the time may look awkward once the designer has gained even further emotional and intellectual distance from the project. As Gillette observes, back patting is not the main goal of the final evaluation. The designer should critically evaluate the methods and materials used during the process.

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