Ideate & Design Staging
Last updated
Last updated
Think about the theme or topic... What words come to mind? What visuals? What historical periods or cultural elements? What verbs or adjectives? Start in this phase of "just letting your brain steep." After you dump a bunch of words and ideas out onto a paper or whiteboard or document, begin to do some research. Research for stage design can be formal, in the case of historical events, or very informal, like scrolling the web for image inspiration. Collect anything that catches your eye and save it for later. (These don't have to be stage designs; for example, saving a photo of a plant or a fanart sketch is totally valid! This is about what inspires you.)
Thumbnails are quick-and-dirty sketches that help stage designers express their ideas. Using some of the you collected, put together 3-5 sketches of different stage designs. How can you take some of your ideas and put them on a stage? Think outside the box! Don't worry yourself with technical details.
Here's some resources to get you started:
Now that you've drawn some thumbnail sketches, collaborated with your team, and got feedback... it's time for Making a Model!
Buskirk-Chumley Tech Specs
BCT stage dimensions and more
Proscenium Thumbnail Template
Use this for "traditional" proscenium theatre layouts
Thrust Thumbnail Template
Use this for thrust theatre layouts