“The scenery does not have to, and even should not, function only as the location…it has much more important and alluring functions to perform, such as the function of locating emotions, conflicts and the dynamics of the action.” (Kantor, 2010, p.212)
The stage set for When You See It reflects one word and that is: simple. Taking the role of set design was definitely a bit daunting for me, I have never really involved myself in anything that happens back stage or on the technical side. As I am also performing in the show I decided to put the idea of set design to the back of my mind until I had some scenes to work with as an idea.
In some ways, I believe that the design of the set makes an impact on the overall performance, by having something spectacular it instantly grabs the audience’s attention. On the other hand, it draws the attention away to what is happening on stage. The idea I had was “not to make a set the actors can play on, but one they can create with” (Keiley, 2012, p.54) allowing the actors movements and actions to be the priority of the performance. The idea is to keep it minimal with two rosta that create levels on stage, a tv and a screen to project anything visual that would aid the performance and a couple of chairs that were to be added to needed scenes. Adding props to the set will dress it and will be visible to the audience throughout the whole performance which also means that the performers will constantly remain on stage as they have no need to go off stage to collect their props.
Keiley mentions that “we theatre practitioners excel at igniting imagination” (2012, p.54), the aim is not to create and represent something with the set, our set doesn’t represent anything until the performers add their actions or narrations to them, it simply just outlines the space in which the performance is going to happen.
Kantor, T. (2010). My Idea of the Theatre. In: J. Collins and A. Nisbet, ed., Theatre and Performance Design: A Reader in Scenography, 1st ed. Oxon: Routledge
Keiley, J (2012). ‘Igniting Imaginations with Actor-manipulated Design’, Canadian Theatre Review, 150, pp. 53-55