21M.734 Design For the Theater - Scenery, Spring 2003

This course examines scenic design as practiced currently and historically, including the use of performance space in western and other cultures, and the audience-performer relationship. Four plays and/or one act operas are designed, accompanied by a study of the social, political and artistic conditions attendant upon their creation and their relevance to a modern audience. Students develop, present and orally defend designs in a variety of two- and three-dimensional media in open studio with an eye to developing a self-critical ability. The final project is a fifth design of the student's choice, consisting of a written concept statement, script analysis and a colored model or renderings.