Design4Stage

The individual 💡in each cube gives this some amazing contrast between the blue wash tone and the warm interior.

Scenic Design for Folger Theatre’s 2018 production of The Way of the World by Alexander Dodge with Lighting Design by Donald Holder. Photo by Teresa Wood.

Set Of The Day:

So much to love about the design work here. The varying width of the boards and their almost random placement gives a wonderful backlit silhouette and provides a spectacular canvas for some gobo breakups. The height of the set feels like it keeps going up forever, almost as if ascending to heaven (quite a paradox when you consider the content of the script). The stage left cross looms over the stage as if hanging over the heads of the actors

Set Design: Daniel Lettinger 

Production: The Crucible Towson University

Alright we’re gonna talk about this first. What’s the budget?

While it may seem tacky to get down to brass tacks right off the bat, knowing your budget before you begin your design is extremely necessary before several things happen:

You over-promise and under-deliver

You put a bunch of time into designing something that will never be built

You put yourself in a position to have to cut things later

So first things first, let’s have a chat with the Producer, or Production Manager, and figure out what kind of budget we’re working with on this show. 

What is the budget for Materials?

What is the labour Budget?

It is extremely important to make sure that the scope of the design fits the scope of the production. At first this can seem extremely limiting, but is an excellent opportunity to flex your creative muscles and come up with creative, and sometimes minimalist, solution to stage the play. 

With large budgets and lengthy build periods almost anything can be achieved. But with budget constraints and time limits, creativity has to come to the fore and inform all of your design decisions:

-Can I reuse any materials from previous shows and repurpose them?

-Is there a way to make a set piece serve double or triple duty in several scenes?

-What are the essential elements of the show, what do we really need?

So do some research, put on your thinking cap, and figure out the best way to serve your show at the budget you’ve been given.