Scenery

Scenery provides the physical environment in which the dramatic action comes to life. Two important functions of scenery are to create a visual world for the dramatic action and to provide an interesting space for actors and director to use in creating physical action onstage. Scene designers use style. color, mass, form. line, and texture within a defined space (usually a stage) to create the world of the play. When analyzing scenery in a production. consider the following topics:

• Environmental conditions: What does the scenery convey about time of year, weather. geography. or other environmental conditions?

• Movement potential: How do actors enter and exit the stage? Are there staircases. spiraling ramps. large open spaces. or other features that suggest specific movement patterns?

• Style: Does the scenery create a realistic sense of time and place? Or is the space symbolic or abstract? Does the scenery employ scenic conventions from a different time or place? Japanese Kabuki staging. for example, or painted scenery in the style of 18th century England?

• Color, texture, Hue, and rhythm: Does the scenery use bright or subdued colors? Rough. jagged, soft, or silken surfaces? Smooth, undulating lines or rectilinear forms? One door or many doors? What atmosphere or mood do these choices create? Size and scale? How large or small are the scenic elements in relationship to the actors and the audience? What might scenic scale imply about the action of the play?

• Scene changes: Does the scenery change, how often, and why or why not? How do the scene changes influence the overall rhythm of the action?

• Relationship to audience: What relationship between the audience and the perfonnance does the scenery suggest? Do scenic elements blend into audience space? Is the audience separated from the performance space by a spatial or physical bather?