Course Goals and Objectives

This course serves as an introduction into the language and interpretation of theatrical design through an exploration of design elements and principles as they relate to scenic, costume & lighting design. Everyone who works in the theatre needs to have a basic foundation in each of the various areas so that when you are working with other directors, designers, stage managers, technicians, and actors, everyone can speak the same language and be sensitive to each other’s responsibilities and talents. At the end of this course, students should have:

• Learned the fundamental principles and philosophies used by designers in the theatrical design process
• Learned to apply course material in the exploration of methods used by designers (to improve critical thinking and creative problem solving)
• Gained a strong sense of design terminology, processes, and methods
• Gained a familiarity with the elements and principles of design
• Developed creative capacities through exploration of how the design process works to support the ideas, themes, issues and values expressed in dramatic literature
• Respect for and increased understanding of the contributions of designers to a theatrical production

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Week One in Review

We began with the principles of good design, by Dieter Rams.  These principles are universal and easily applied to all forms of design.

This great website better elucidates the concept.

We have also explored the concepts of line, shape, form and space.  Students were given the following list and asked to illustrate the emotions using line:

Angry
Ecstatic
Sensual
Assertive
Feminine
Childish
Masculine
Somber
Lonely
Hesitant

Line is the term given to the extension of a point in space.  
Shape is the definition of space by enclosing it with line.  
Form is what the shape describes.
Space is the 2 dimensional or 3 dimensional expanse in which objects exist or are placed.

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