Open Forum

Hi,

When discussing the "Profession Backdrops" topic, I realized that many of us may have very different concepts of how we design and construct a show.

To that end I ask, "What is your design process?"

Are you using an inclusive design process or an autocratic approach.

So, I take a stab....

Safety is part of every discussion & every decision.

I have said that I embrace "any solution to theater design." Actually I stated, "Anything that works." 

I will now subject you to a short look at the process that may result in "any solution." The process does change with the people involved. So, this is not a final recipe, or anything like that.

My approach is sort of modeled on the Cirque du Soleil model of total team contribution. The idea is to involve the students in the making of art as much as possible. The more we do for them, they more they will let us serve them.

I should also mention that at my school Stage Crew is it's own thing. It is never a requirement to help on a set. If a student seems like they do not want to be at crew, they are asked to leave.

First, the play is chosen. Many people may weigh in on this decision, or maybe, the director just likes a particular play. If there is controversy, we may even consult the head of school. When there is no objection, or if we have a general consensus, we proceed into production.

The team meets - This usually starts with the adults, but soon includes all students who might be interested in shaping the project.

If the director is really good, he/she might be able to articulate a show concept in two sentences or less. Without this, the team needs to come close to that goal together.

The production side of the team collects images that support the concept as it evolves. If we are lucky, one or two images really capture what the team sees as the look and feel of our intent. If there is conflict, we usually defer to the director and what he/she might be dreaming. Then we get rolling with what might be possible.

I build a 1" scale model  of the empty space. BTW, even when I freelance, I build a model very early in the process.

Anyone with an idea can create and add any piece to the model. This can be for any scene or any part of the project. If two conflicting pieces emerge, we discuss, synthesis and alter the concepts as needed.

Usually, each piece will have a designer and ownership. That person, or group, will start building that piece. I they have needs, they talk to their friends and start solving the problems. 

Here is where reality sets in. If we need a forest in the background, and we have or can rent a forest drop, we might choose to  do that so we can direct resources to other parts of the project. It is all so fluid, I rarely know where it will go.

Yes, we often need to make changes, compromise and sometimes alter a piece in order to fit the build time/resources we have. The process has to stay dynamic.

Like other people on this list have mentioned - we have but one stage - so we can not paint drops for days. I can get a day, but then I have to hang the drops out of the way for the next activity. So, creating new drops has it's own issues.

We do have a shop with wood and steel capabilities. So, we can build a good deal of scenery. We do have stock flats, platforms, chairs and other furniture. We default to what we have we e can.

I can say for sure that, in the end, the students own the show. They designed it and they built it. They have gone into the basement to see what we have. They may even have gone to the rental house with me to get some of the stuff we could not build. It is all good.

I think I  have lasted this long in this field due to having such a fluid approach. I never know how it is going to turn out. I am always happily surprised. 

I can also that the more "autocratic model" never really appealed to me. Again, even on freelance, I much prefer to work with a co-desinger than to work alone.

John

PS. See the thread on "professional backdrops" for where this all got started for me.


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John Hauer
Hillsborough CA
-------------------------------------------

This is a interesting way to approach a production and I'd like to try it. I can be very controlling in some aspects and loose in others. 

What's the time line?
Is your Stage Crew part of a class?
Is this mainly design/tech participants or the entire team including director?



-------------------------------------------
John Perry
Drama Instructor
Atherton High School
Louisville KY
-------------------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 12-01-2014 14:09
From: John Hauer
Subject: Your Design Process for our theater?

Hi,

When discussing the "Profession Backdrops" topic, I realized that many of us may have very different concepts of how we design and construct a show.

To that end I ask, "What is your design process?"

Are you using an inclusive design process or an autocratic approach.

So, I take a stab....

Safety is part of every discussion & every decision.

I have said that I embrace "any solution to theater design." Actually I stated, "Anything that works." 

I will now subject you to a short look at the process that may result in "any solution." The process does change with the people involved. So, this is not a final recipe, or anything like that.

My approach is sort of modeled on the Cirque du Soleil model of total team contribution. The idea is to involve the students in the making of art as much as possible. The more we do for them, they more they will let us serve them.

I should also mention that at my school Stage Crew is it's own thing. It is never a requirement to help on a set. If a student seems like they do not want to be at crew, they are asked to leave.

First, the play is chosen. Many people may weigh in on this decision, or maybe, the director just likes a particular play. If there is controversy, we may even consult the head of school. When there is no objection, or if we have a general consensus, we proceed into production.

The team meets - This usually starts with the adults, but soon includes all students who might be interested in shaping the project.

If the director is really good, he/she might be able to articulate a show concept in two sentences or less. Without this, the team needs to come close to that goal together.

The production side of the team collects images that support the concept as it evolves. If we are lucky, one or two images really capture what the team sees as the look and feel of our intent. If there is conflict, we usually defer to the director and what he/she might be dreaming. Then we get rolling with what might be possible.

I build a 1" scale model  of the empty space. BTW, even when I freelance, I build a model very early in the process.

Anyone with an idea can create and add any piece to the model. This can be for any scene or any part of the project. If two conflicting pieces emerge, we discuss, synthesis and alter the concepts as needed.

Usually, each piece will have a designer and ownership. That person, or group, will start building that piece. I they have needs, they talk to their friends and start solving the problems. 

Here is where reality sets in. If we need a forest in the background, and we have or can rent a forest drop, we might choose to  do that so we can direct resources to other parts of the project. It is all so fluid, I rarely know where it will go.

Yes, we often need to make changes, compromise and sometimes alter a piece in order to fit the build time/resources we have. The process has to stay dynamic.

Like other people on this list have mentioned - we have but one stage - so we can not paint drops for days. I can get a day, but then I have to hang the drops out of the way for the next activity. So, creating new drops has it's own issues.

We do have a shop with wood and steel capabilities. So, we can build a good deal of scenery. We do have stock flats, platforms, chairs and other furniture. We default to what we have we e can.

I can say for sure that, in the end, the students own the show. They designed it and they built it. They have gone into the basement to see what we have. They may even have gone to the rental house with me to get some of the stuff we could not build. It is all good.

I think I  have lasted this long in this field due to having such a fluid approach. I never know how it is going to turn out. I am always happily surprised. 

I can also that the more "autocratic model" never really appealed to me. Again, even on freelance, I much prefer to work with a co-desinger than to work alone.

John

PS. See the thread on "professional backdrops" for where this all got started for me.


-------------------------------------------
John Hauer
Hillsborough CA
-------------------------------------------

Hi John,

You bring up some good questions.

We have an 8-10 week production cycle. But, for our musical that runs in mid-March we are already talking about designs now - in December. So, that might be considered a 4-month cycle - even though we don't really start to build it until mid January.

 

I think the whole thing is hardest on the directors who tend to want more control. The director is part of the whole process, though. So, in weekly meetings the director has direct input. It is just that the adults need to listen to the students more than we are usually accustomed to doing.

 

We have an upper school of 225 students. I have 2 stagecraft classes and a Stage Crew club. We also have a thespian troupe. The classes are small this year with about 14 students. The crew club has 60 students signed up, but only about 25-30 regular participants. The thespian troupe is about 22 students. The thespian troupe provides more of an "esprit de corps" rather than actual production. There is some crossover between the groups, but not that much. No actor is ever required to participate in the build, but they will.

 

One key element is that, yes, there are many people who will produce scenery once they are given the license to do so.  I found out that when I bossed them around too much, fewer people participated. When I let the reigns go looser, more got done.

 

The first step in this process, for me, was to never have a "work day." We now have "theater fun days." They are food themed (like the "BBcrew," BBQ).

 

I have also developed a strong mentoring system where seniors are the leaders, and the underclassmen know that they are in a learning/seniority system. They know that they can really focus on a piece. Then when they hit a snag, there are others around to bail them out.

 

All that said, we would still cut pieces. If something does not come together in time, any piece can get cut. 

 

Just imagine what you really need and then work from there. For example, in order to block, you will need a floor plan rather early in the process. What you don't need right away might include what the final background looks like.

 

Advice to the director in you:

 

The big issue is letting go and trusting that everyone wants a good show.

 

One snag we have run into is with new directors who reject design ideas outright. We have had some good solutions go undeveloped because of a "no, not that's not it" approach as opposed to a "yes, good idea, and maybe you can try this" approach. I know this sounds "new age-y" but, seeing a kernel of truth in an effort goes a lot further than rejecting an effort outright.

 

A director who can make a clear thesis statement - in 2 sentences or less- gets better results.

 

Also, a director who can keep a priority list of the top 5 or so items that he/she really cares about can help direct the energies. The phrase "I care about it all, everything must be perfect" is rather meaningless.

 

Personally, I have had directors who tell me exactly what they want and how to do it. I usually do that and they get what they think they wanted. Most often those shows suffer from a lack of creative input.  

 

John

 

 

 

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John Hauer

Hillsborough CA

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Hello John, and John, and everyone else.
This is a great discussion and I wholeheartedly agree with the concept and practice of letting the kids do just about everything. With appropriate mentorship of course, especially in the area of safety versus "art."

I just wanted to add/contribute to the conversation via a couple of articles I wrote for dramatics a few years ago. These specifically deal with options for lighting designers to be able to create their design and then bring to the table visual representations along the same lines as set designers and costume designers can.

Here is a link to a folder that contains many featured articles from dramatics.
EdTA Dramatics Design/Tech Articles
Two of my three articles are archived here."It was a dark and stormy night..."  and "Lights, and..." are from 2009 and 2010 respectively.

The third entry of the trilogy covers software designers use to create the paperwork needed to communicate from the lighting designer to the crew. This article can be found on my site via this page: HSTech Lighting "Design" Software

 surprisingly enough, it's the paperwork that sets a program free. All too often, I've seen programs where the adults in charge keep everything in their head and doles out little bits of information at a time. Thus, in my opinion, they are keeping the students from reaching the level of "pride of ownership." Without being able to be proud of their own contributions, true dedication and commitment simply doesn't happen.

Now why does the paperwork work? If you have a light plot, tech drawings, to do lists, etc. that you can hand off to student and say "this is your job, let me know if you have questions along the way," they will almost always rise up to the occasion. There are exceptions of course. I remember one such young person who wanted the responsibility, but his/her actions spoke otherwise. S/he was given a task to be in charge of and then one day decided that s/he was going to take a particular afternoon off. Upon return two days later, s/he found that absolutely nothing was done on the project.  Slightly panicked that the project was now late, s/he inquired as to why nothing was worked on. My reply, "this part was yours and without you here, we had no leader." We went on to work on other things. This particular student never missed another day and grew into a very strong leader. Once this particular part of the project was done, his/her pride could not be contained.

Well, I guess I went on to a little bit of a rant. Sorry about that. I hope people find my articles helpful. 

Have a great day, Scott

-------------------------------------------
Scott Parker
Lighting Designer
Scott Parker Lighting Design
Elkins Park PA
-------------------------------------------

I have no one size fits all answer because each production is different. I have to make a lot of decisions based on what resources (physical or intellectual) are available. Most of the time I do a lot of stuff at home because I have stuff here that I can use. I don't have a sewing machine at school, but I have my own personal one here. I have power tools here, but none readily available at school. And our designs are often based on what we can feasibly do within our budget, with our resources, and within the amount of time we have. ------------------------------------------- Jennifer Simmons Lexington SC -------------------------------------------
Original Message: Sent: 12-01-2014 14:09 From: John Hauer Subject: Your Design Process for our theater? Hi, When discussing the "Profession Backdrops" topic, I realized that many of us may have very different concepts of how we design and construct a show. To that end I ask, "What is your design process?" Are you using an inclusive design process or an autocratic approach. So, I take a stab.... Safety is part of every discussion & every decision. I have said that I embrace "any solution to theater design." Actually I stated, "Anything that works." I will now subject you to a short look at the process that may result in "any solution." The process does change with the people involved. So, this is not a final recipe, or anything like that. My approach is sort of modeled on the Cirque du Soleil model of total team contribution. The idea is to involve the students in the making of art as much as possible. The more we do for them, they more they will let us serve them. I should also mention that at my school Stage Crew is it's own thing. It is never a requirement to help on a set. If a student seems like they do not want to be at crew, they are asked to leave. First, the play is chosen. Many people may weigh in on this decision, or maybe, the director just likes a particular play. If there is controversy, we may even consult the head of school. When there is no objection, or if we have a general consensus, we proceed into production. The team meets - This usually starts with the adults, but soon includes all students who might be interested in shaping the project. If the director is really good, he/she might be able to articulate a show concept in two sentences or less. Without this, the team needs to come close to that goal together. The production side of the team collects images that support the concept as it evolves. If we are lucky, one or two images really capture what the team sees as the look and feel of our intent. If there is conflict, we usually defer to the director and what he/she might be dreaming. Then we get rolling with what might be possible. I build a 1" scale model of the empty space. BTW, even when I freelance, I build a model very early in the process. Anyone with an idea can create and add any piece to the model. This can be for any scene or any part of the project. If two conflicting pieces emerge, we discuss, synthesis and alter the concepts as needed. Usually, each piece will have a designer and ownership. That person, or group, will start building that piece. I they have needs, they talk to their friends and start solving the problems. Here is where reality sets in. If we need a forest in the background, and we have or can rent a forest drop, we might choose to do that so we can direct resources to other parts of the project. It is all so fluid, I rarely know where it will go. Yes, we often need to make changes, compromise and sometimes alter a piece in order to fit the build time/resources we have. The process has to stay dynamic. Like other people on this list have mentioned - we have but one stage - so we can not paint drops for days. I can get a day, but then I have to hang the drops out of the way for the next activity. So, creating new drops has it's own issues. We do have a shop with wood and steel capabilities. So, we can build a good deal of scenery. We do have stock flats, platforms, chairs and other furniture. We default to what we have we e can. I can say for sure that, in the end, the students own the show. They designed it and they built it. They have gone into the basement to see what we have. They may even have gone to the rental house with me to get some of the stuff we could not build. It is all good. I think I have lasted this long in this field due to having such a fluid approach. I never know how it is going to turn out. I am always happily surprised. I can also that the more "autocratic model" never really appealed to me. Again, even on freelance, I much prefer to work with a co-desinger than to work alone. John PS. See the thread on "professional backdrops" for where this all got started for me. ------------------------------------------- John Hauer Hillsborough CA -------------------------------------------