Scenic Design
Animal Farm (the Musical)- George Orwell
University of Houston
Stage Design for Educators
Fall 2016
I went through each step of the design process to create thumbnail sketches, renderings, and a scale model for Animal Farm: The Musical.
After dabbling with different concepts and looks on the thumbnail sketches, I chose to go with a stationary set. The challenges I faced was drafting the set because it was a skill that I had not used and to create set dressings that would fill the space. In the end, I sacrificed a lot of the set to the worry that it would take up too much acting space.
Things I've learned from this experience:
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Watch out for flat sets! Adding dimensions and levels would help make the story more dynamic.
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A 20'- 23' acting space is more than enough. I kept trying to move the barn upstage because I was worried about the acting space, but moving it too far back could be detrimental for sight lines as well.
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When drafting, you have to indicate individual platforms with Xs. If there is empty spaces on a structure, indicate that space with Xs.
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Be original, creative, and adventurous. I feared being wrong so I played it safe--too safe. Start big and subtract, just like in acting.