The OP presents a good question, but there's a huge difference between "a set" and "pieces of scenery."
The best "set" I've ever seen was at the Royal Shakespeare Company's theater in Stratford-on-Avon one Summer when they were doing the four Henry plays in rotating rep. Now here's a company with an international reputation, deep pockets, and all the artistic support they want, and they chose to do all four plays on the same "set:" a bare stage that stretched to the back wall of the theater. No drops, no masking, no legs, no borders. But when those actors came on in their gorgeous costumes and makeup and started telling us their stories, we were grabbed and shaken. I was still shaken two weeks later.That wasn't just the best "set:" that was the best piece of "theater" I've ever seen.
Years later, at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC, I saw a production of "The Merchant of Venice" in which the set was just a series of tapestries which flew in and out in various configurations. Not a flat in sight.
The London production of "The Woman in Black," which has been running for over 25 years, has little more than a scrim just behind the proscenium opening. Behind it are a few well-chosen pieces of stock scenery, like a practical door, and various pieces of furniture. This works really well because the story takes place in an empty theater, but it would have been so easy to get carried away with this one.
The original design by Howard Bay for "Man of La Mancha" was relatively simple and didn't use a single flat, stock platform, wagon, revolve, or any of the usual choices. It rocked. Later productions have introduced levels, ramps, doorways, windows, and, for all know, the kitchen sink. And lots of flats. Many of them didn't rock.
There are many more examples. Whenever possible, I tend to avoid using stock scenery as much as I can, just to keep things fresh. You can see some samples on my web site at the link below, and read about how a lot of us approach set design on my blog, also linked below.
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George F. Ledo
Set designer
www.setdesignandtech.wordpress.comwww.georgefledo.nethttp://astore.amazon.com/sdtbookstore-20------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 02-01-2018 10:41
From: Crit Fisher
Subject: Set design in most unfortunate situations
Good morning,
Wow...such great ideas. I had a similar situation and we essentially designed the set and built it in a modular fashion and secured it with c-clamps. We could set it up and take it down in 30mins.
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Crit Fisher
Lighting/Sound Designer
New Albany High School
Original Message:
Sent: 01-30-2018 06:33
From: Lana Thompson
Subject: Set design in most unfortunate situations
Okay all you people I'm so jealous of, owning your own theaters and performing spaces...here's one to stew on and help with...I teach at a small school where our stage is in the cafeteria. The fun starts there. It's a K-12 school, so we share the space for everything. We have chapel for two of the levels every Wednesday, with the musicians and speakers meeting onstage, so any set I have, I have to break down on Tuesday afternoons and put back up on Thursday mornings. My backstage space is small, of course. I know I'm fortunate to have a stage, as many don't, but my brain thinks in a bigger world.
I have numerous flats I paint and reuse, a backdrop lift I purchased to rent backdrops for, a UIL set, and I know the whole periaktoi deal. My question is, do you or do you know any theatre teachers who are able to build amazing sets within the same kind of situation? I struggle with set design and creating different worlds aside from using backdrops, flats and periaktoi when I have to build things that push behind the curtains and break apart. Thanks for any ideas, tips or contacts!
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Lana Thompson
Sugarland TX
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