Fulfilling the brief
When planning a design for a scripted performance, the designers need to consider two important factors:
- the playwrightSomeone who writes plays. intentions
- the artistic intentions, including the visuals for the production, decided by the director
These two intentions are sometimes the same, but they can potentially be quite different while still working well together. The designers have the responsibility of ensuring that the two intentions, or briefs, work together.
Initially, a designer needs to ensure that they understand the script and are interpreting it appropriately so that their decisions work well with the play’s:
- language (dialogueThe words said by a character in a story or play. )
- setting
- characters
They also need to understand how meaning is communicated to an audience through:
- genreThe type of story being told.
- theatrical conventionsThe rules or traditions that occur in that particular style or genre of theatre.
- structureThe way a text is built and shaped. Chapters, plot, acts, scenes, stanzas, narrative, verse form, rhyme and rhythm are all aspects of structure.
- formThe conventions or building blocks of the play that the playwright uses to construct it, eg monologues, flashbacks or mime.
- styleHow theatrical ideas are presented on stage.
Space is also an important consideration when planning a design. All designers need to consider how their production element will look within the available space. They also need to plan how this might influence the relationship between the performer and the audience.