HAVE you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at a theatre? Here is a brief look at the various specialists and the work they do.
The process starts several months in advance of the first performance when the director and the set designer and costume designer (frequently one designer does both) discuss the style and interpretation of the work to be presented.
Next, the director holds auditions to choose the performer with the best ability and stage presence for each role. For dance productions the choreographer fulfills the role of the director as well as creating the movements and formations that the dancerswill follow.
As the set designer develops design ideas, he or she makes a series of three-dimensional 1:25 or 1:50 scale-models of the scenery.
Next, the set designer or design assistant produces working drawings for the construction workshops to follow in building the scenery. Furniture and stage properties such as masks and sculpture are made by the props department.
The set model and drawings give the lighting designer a basis from which to start making decisions about the types and placement of lights as well as colour and effects to create the desired mood for each moment of the performance.