Research Guides: Drama: Scenic Design

ABOUT Scenic Design

Introduction to Set Design with Dipu Gupta
Previous Head of Set Design at the University of California Irvine, Dipu Gupta, explores the fundamentals of set design, asking everything from “what is set design” to “are set designers artists”. Gupta discusses methodologies for researching designs and creating set models. Moving beyond the individual work of a set designer, Gupta explores the network of relationships in theatre: between the performers and the space that set designers create, between the director and the designer, between the designer and the text, and between the legacy of past productions and new mountings of shows.
Edward Burbridge, Designer and Painter, interviewed by Clinton Turner Davis
Hear from Edward Burbridge about his life as one of the first Black scenic designers on Broadway, as one of the founding members of the Negro Ensemble Company, and experience teaching set design at UCLA.
Fundamentals of Scenic Painting
Improve student painting skills immediately with this detailed introduction to four basic aspects of scenic painting. Paints, Tools & Equipment, Basic Painting Techniques, and Student Projects. Award winning instructor Ron Ranson Jr. illustrates his time-saving painting program which gives students an instant vocabulary and teaches skills that will improve work immediately.
On Design: Colin Richmond
Designer Colin Richmond discusses his work on set and costumes for Nikolai Foster's 2013 production of Jonathan Harvey's seminal play Beautiful Thing. Working with a different director on each job and creatively resolving how to use a small space are just some of the challenges Colin describes as key to the multifaceted and hugely varied life of a theatre designer.
On Design: Francis O'Connor
Francis O’Connor was set and costume designer for Gemma Bodinetz’s futuristic reimagining of Macbeth. Giving in-depth insights into his creative process, O’Connor reflects on the importance of imagery, considers the role of collaboration with the director, as well as the acting company, and explains why sometimes you have to kill your darlings.
On Design: Merle Hensel
Set and costume designer Merle Hensel discusses the collaborative nature of the creative design process and how she developed the ideas that ultimately shaped the visual landscape of Lovesong. Describing her process in detail, Hensel considers her sources of inspiration - from installation art to contemporary architecture - and explains what it is like to work in close partnership with Frantic Assembly.
On Theatre Design: Max Jones
Max Jones was the set and costume designer on Phillip Breen's revival production of Sam Shepard's True West. Jones shares his experience of having a multifaceted role, explains how to identify practical design solutions from the original text, and details how the American road movie genre inspired him to produce a filmic aesthetic within a theatre space.
The Renaissance stage the idea and image of antiquity
Traces the early renaissance attempts to stage classical drama, shows the development of Italian drama, and how moveable scenery emerged.

This is a selection of physical and digital books available through UCI Libraries. Use the following subject searches in the library catalog to find other similar materials:

AutoCAD for Theatrical Drafting by John Keisling
ISBN: 9781351264365
Publication Date: 2021-04-28
*ebook*
AutoCAD for Theatrical Drafting provides an introduction to the software AutoCAD, specifically focusing on how to navigate the commands most commonly used when creating design, construction and installation drafting plates for theatrical use. Beginning with a step-by-step tutorial of how to download the program and a review of theatrical drafting standards, the text details commands used in 2D drafting and 3D modelling and how to create theatrical drafting plates using AutoCAD that meet those drafting standards. It also provides guidance on how to transition from 2D drafting to 3D modelling, how to use 3D models to create camera views and animations, and how to use 3D models for production and engineering purposes. Intended as a resource for the beginning and intermediate AutoCAD user, AutoCAD for Theatrical Drafting provides easy-to-follow instructions that readers can refer to while using the AutoCAD software
Ming Cho Lee: a life in design by Arnold Aronson
ISBN: 9781559364614
Publication Date: 2014-12-09
*physical book*
Ming Cho Lee is considered to be the most influential stage designer in the United States in the past forty years, and one of the most respected designers in the world. His work with theater, opera, and dance companies in the 1960s, particularly the New York Shakespeare Festival, the New York City Opera, and the Joffrey Ballet, transformed the very nature of the design in America and introduced a scenic vocabulary and spatial aesthetic that underlies scenographic styles to the present day. Lavishly illustrated with over five hundred images in both color and black and white, this book chronicles Lee's career from his early training as a water-colorist in China, his designs for over three hundred productions, and his esteemed forty-year career at the Yale School of Drama as a mentor to an entire generations of scenic designers.
The Model As Performance: staging space in theatre and architecture by Thea Brejzek; Lawrence Wallen; Joslin McKinney (Series edited by); Scott Palmer (Series edited by); Stephen A. Di Benedetto (Series edited by)
ISBN: 9781350095908
Publication Date: 2018-11-01
*physical book*
The model as performance' investigates the history and development of the scale model from the Renaissance to the present. Employing a scenographic perspective and a performative paradigm, it explores what the model can do and how it is used in theatre and architecture. The volume provides a comprehensive historical context and theoretical framework for theatre scholars, scenographers, artists and architects interested in the model's reality-producing capacity and its recent emergence in contemporary art practice and exhibition.
Progressive Perspective Drawing for Theatrical Scene Design by Dunsi Dai
ISBN: 9781003016779
Publication Date: 2021-03-21
*ebook*
Progressive Perspective Drawing for Theatrical Scene Design provides theatrical scenic designers with the tools to create quick and precise perspective drawings. The book explores three methods of perspective drawings at progressive skill levels - the Grid Method, the Frame Method, and the Freehand with Reference Method - allowing scenic designers to build on their drawing technique consistently. Replete with discussions on pencil techniques, step-by-step instructions, and set sketches from professional set design projects, this volume guides readers from the basics of the cube system to the more challenging freehand drawing. Progressive Perspective Drawing for Theatrical Scene Design is an excellent resource for students of Scene Design, Scenography, Stagecraft, and Design for Theatre, as well as an accessible self-study guide for those with an interest in scene design.
The Routledge Companion to Scenography by Arnold Aronson (Editor)
ISBN: 9781138917804
Publication Date: 2017-11-22
*physical book*
The Routledge Companion to Scenography is the largest and most comprehensive collection of original essays to survey the historical, conceptual, critical and theoretical aspects of this increasingly important aspect of theatre and performance studies.Editor and leading scholar Arnold Aronson brings together a uniquely valuable anthology of texts especially commissioned from across the discipline of theatre and performance studies.Establishing a stable terminology for a deeply contested term for the first time, this volume looks at scenography as the totality of all the visual, spatial and sensory aspects of performance.
Scenic Automation Handbook by Gareth Conner
ISBN: 9781138850262
Publication Date: 2018-04-18
*ebook*
Scenic automation has earned a reputation of being complicated and cantankerous, a craft best left to the elite of our industry. Not sure of the difference between a VFD, PLC, or PID? If you have dreamed of choreographing scene changes with computerized machinery, but get lost in the technical jargon the Scenic Automation Handbook will guide you along the road to elegant automation. Adopting a pragmatic approach, this book breaks down any automation system into five points, known as the Pentagon of Power. Breaking down a dauntingly complex system into bite- size pieces makes it easy to understand how components function, connect, and communicate to form a complete system.
Stage Design: four centuries of scenic invention by Donald Oenslager
ISBN: 0670666793
Publication Date: 1975-01-30
*physical book*
Susan Benson: art, design and craft on stage by Patricia Flood
ISBN: 9780228101772
Publication Date: 2019-04-19
*physical book*
A compelling and lavishly illustrated exploration of the work of one of Canada's most outstanding Theatrical Designers, this book is a detailed look at Susan Benson's illustrious career and approach to design for the stage. It includes 'behind the scenes' commentary, production photos and designs from many of her most significant productions over five decades in both Canada and the United States. These include: A Midsummer Night's Dream with Jessica Tandy and Maggie Smith, The Woman with Martha Henry, the National Ballet's Romeo and Juliet, Madam Butterfly and The Golden Ass for the Canadian Opera Company as well as the Stratford Festival's legendary productions of The Mikado, The Gondoliers, Iolanthe and many more.

Performing Arts Periodicals This link opens in a new window
A good place to go to find both scholarly journals and trade magazines in the world of theater. It indexes and has full text for periodicals like:

Art and Architecture Source This link opens in a new window
An excellent starting point for all visual arts research! This database covers all periods and media (historical and contemporary, decorative and commercial art, various areas of architecture and architectural design). It includes scholarship starting from the 1930s to the present, is international in scope.

Online Collections:

Alexander Adduci: Historical Scenic Design * (access requires VPN) - almost 3,000 images of elements from almost 90 opera settings, with hundreds of backdrops and borders, and thousands of framed scenic units, as well as maquettes.
Darwin Reid Payne Theatre Collection - browse images of set models and actual stages designed by Prof. Payne throughout his career at Wake Forest University and the North Carolina School of the Arts
Joseph Urban Stage Design Models - a selection of models at Columbia University designed by Joseph Urban from 1914-1933 at various theatres in NYC, Ziegfield Productions, and the Metropolitan Opera.
NYPL Digital Collections - this is a very broad search in the freely available NYPL archival collections for scenic design. Explore around more to find many other images from historic Broadway shows. Specific sub-collections to investigate include:
- Jules Fisher collection of Jo Mielziner - scenic designs from the 1920s-1960s for theatre, ballet, and opera
- Vandamm Theatreical Photographs, 1900-1957 - very large collection of photographs of live NY theatre and in-studio portraits of actors
Playing with Scale - an online exhibit from the National Theatre that explores how designers use scale models through seven different productions from 1970-2018

UCI Libraries Books:

Johannes Schütz: Models and Interviews by Johannes Schütz (Artist)
ISBN: 9783775741651
Publication Date: 2017-02-28
*physical book*
Celebrated German stage designer Johannes Schütz (born 1950) creates radical miniature models of his designs. This substantial volume compiles photographs of these models alongside fascinating interviews with the set designer, allowing readers full immersion into the stage spaces and the approach that informs them.
Spectacular! Stage design by SendPoints (Created by)
ISBN: 9789881383488
Publication Date: 2015-05-01
*physical book*
Apart from the vision of their creative directors and designers, stage productions involve the complex interplay of numerous individuals and technologies working in tandem to produce a memorable show. From set and lighting design, to audio and video content, choreography, fashion and robotics, the tools available to enhance a production are numerous and oft employed. The results are contained within and include some of the most captivating shows of recent years. Chapters include Concerts: Justin Timberlake, Beyonce in the Superbowl halftime show, Jay Z, Madonna and Lady Gaga's Monster Ball and Coachella, Events: Academy Awards, American Idol and the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics, and Theater: From The Master and Margarita to the much talked about Kinky Boots. Concept sketches, plans and credits round out this volume and make it one of the most comprehensive and diverse books on stage design yet
Stage Design: concerts, events, ceremonies and theater by Song Jia (Editor)
ISBN: 9781584235187
Publication Date: 2013-05-01
*physical book*
Stage designers must create an immersive and engaging environment that lasts only hours or days but is remembered for a lifetime. Whether its Jay-Z at Carnegie Hall, Radiohead on a world tour, Celine Dion in Las Vegas, Nelson Mandelas 90th birthday, a dramatic production of Hairspray, or the launch of McLarens latest Formula One race car, every situation demands memorable staging that works in perfect harmony with the central event. Lasers, computer driven visuals and gigantic props are well and fine, but worthless without a strong concept and well-organized infrastructure.
World Scenography 1975-1990 by Eric Fielding (Editor); Peter McKinnon (Editor)
ISBN: 9789299006306
Publication Date: 2012-03-30
*physical book*
A lavishly illustrated record of the work of major theatre designers from across the world; designers whose work has shaped and defined some of the most successful and important productions of the past thirty years.
World Scenography 1990-2005 by Eric Fielding (Editor); Peter McKinnon (Editor)
ISBN: 9789299006344
Publication Date: 2014-11-01
*physical book*
This is the second volume of the World Scenography book series that documents for posterity a collection of significant and influential theatrical set, costume, and lighting designs.

Online collections:

ARTstor * - A digital library with over one million images. Images are keyword searchable or can be browsed by geographic area, classification (e.g., decorative object, painting, fashion, etc.), and date. Majority of images tend to come from museum collections.
Digital Public Library of America - Cross searches many of the publicly available materials that have been digitized by libraries in the United States. You might be amazed by the some of the small town finds you find here...
Trade Catalogues and the American Home * - Full color scans of American consumer catalogs from 1850-1950. Use it to find pictures and descriptions of tons of household objects such as washing machines, vacuums, lighting, clothing, home decor, toys, etc. A veritable treasure trove of information (both visual and written) on how Americans lived during this 100 year time span.
VADS - a collection of almost 150,000 freely useable images from British museums and other heritage repositories. Of particular interest might be the sub-collection from the Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture, which includes many images of "ordinary" homes from the early and mid-twentieth century.

UCI Libraries Books:

Natural Surfaces by Judy A. Juracek
ISBN: 0393730816
Publication Date: 2002-04-17
*physical book*

The photographs catalog images of nature used in art and design, with detailed views of natural elements, plant portraits, and pictures of landscape installations, gardens, and scenic vistas. Horticultural pictures are captioned as to botanical and common names. Images are coded and cross-referenced in the index and on the CD-ROM, making the book a compact picture file for illustrators, landscape architects, designers, and graphic artists. With an illustrated glossary, resource sections, and interviews with professionals in landscape design and botanical illustration, this is a great book for students.
Surfaces by Judy A. Juracek
ISBN: 9780393730074
Publication Date: 1996-11-17
*physical book*
Each section offers general views of the material, a gallery of commonly used or manufactured samples, and hundreds of specimens showing types and finishes in architectural settings. Captions provide information about the physical properties, dimensions, construction techniques, specific varieties of the material, and types and styles of treatments. Interviews with eight design professionals provide practical advice on how they approach visual research, and a comprehensive glossary of visual and technical terms offers a vocabulary for professional communication.
Architectural Surfaces by Judy A. Juracek
ISBN: 0393730794
Publication Date: 2005-12-17
*physical book*
This new collection contains over 1,400 high-quality color photographs capturing a range of details and surfaces, organized by architectural elements: walls, facades, windows, doorways, ceilings, roofs, floors, pavements, columns, and arches.
Soft Surfaces by Judy A. Juracek
ISBN: 0393730336
Publication Date: 2000-04-17
*physical book*
Shows how hundreds of varieties of fabric look up close and in interior and exterior applications. Juracek (scenic artist in film, television, theater, and opera) presents about 1,200 color photographs that group fabric by structure, surface, treatment, style, and application. They include window treatments, upholstery, awnings, tents, and floor coverings, and show specific materials ready to be used in design presentations, as backgrounds, or for general visual information. Interviews with outstanding design professionals describe how they use textiles in their work.