Art and Design Commons^™

The Scenic Design Of "A Little Night Music", Kathleen Holmes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A Little Night Music by Hugh Wheeler and Stephen Sondheim was produced by the University of Arkansas Department of Theatre in 2018-2019 academic school year. The scenic design process entailed a series of private meetings, design meetings, independent research, and analysis that all culminated into a full scenic design package. The show itself has many locations that quickly transition into one another. It was my challenge as the designer to cohesively design the scenery so that it could be transitioned easily and in time with the music. The major themes of the show that I based the design around were …

Female Leaders Navigate The Arts, Post 'Me Too', Peyton Kennedy

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

As the lights dim and the curtain rises on a theatrical production, there are roles to fill onstage and off. Perhaps the most important roles in modern theatre are those of leadership. Leaders in the arts have the power to influence company communication, shape the culture of the rehearsal room and navigate through a crisis. However, leadership and power can be manipulated, as the world witnessed through the ‘me too’ movement. As allegations rose against prominent leaders, the push for change strengthened. We are now three years past Hollywood’s ignition of the ‘me too’ movement, which prompts the question: have …

Exploring A Qualitative Approach To Arts Advocacy And Evaluation, Lycette C. Belisle

Undergraduate Theses

The quantitative impact of the arts has become an increasingly important factor in determining the overall value of a project, and is often used to determine acceptance of submissions, public recognition and funding disbursement. This project evaluates current understandings of how the arts function within society, popular methods for determining the value of the arts and explores how qualitative reasoning can be utilized to communicate the value of supporting artistic endeavors. While placing a numerical value on the arts based on data collection can be important, this project will aim to evaluate the implications of relying so heavily on facts …

The Magic Circle: An Essential Experience Through Virtual Theatre, Brandon Roye

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the similarities of video game design elements within the world of theatrical scenic design. Using my 2019 scenic design of Marc Camoletti’s bedroom farce Boeing Boeing as the backdrop, I discuss the core concepts of game design. I then describe the scenic process of the production and the journey from concept all the way through to a virtual reality recreation of the design. The study of game design in theatre has the potential to open a wide new world of opportunities in the scenic design industry. This paper examines how the theatre can benefit from game design …

Designing A World: A Foray Into Scenography And Settling, Nathan David Ynacay

LSU Master's Theses

This work examines the design process as taught and what was practiced during Louisiana State University’s production of LMNOP the Muzical.

This will examine the design process as typically taught to undergraduate theatre students in all aspects of the discipline. The collaborative nature of the design process as taught to cast members, directors, and production team will be examined. After this examination, the design process for Louisiana State University’s production of LMNOP the Muzical will be used to compare and contrast the actual process with the theory of a collaborative design process. After, there will be an evaluation of …

The Work Of Living Art, Empathy, And The Creation Of An Aesthetics Of Perception In The Early Twentieth Century, Sarah Peil Winstead

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Adolphe Appia (1862-1928), theorist and pioneering voice of the New Stagecraft Movement in twentieth century theatre, was a transformative influence on the history of scenic design. This paper looks at the links between Appia’s theories in theatre scenic design and contemporaneous German aesthetic theory. At the time German theorists like Adolf Hildebrand and August Schmarsow developed an aesthetic theory, Einfülung or empathy theory, based on the connection between the human body and perception. I will argue this theory influenced not only Appia and his contemporaries it also shaped the landscape of mid-century theatre design. Appia’s own theories revolved around three …

Implementation Of Lighting And Projection Into Metamorphoses By Mary Zimmerman, Loren Haynes

Honors College Theses

On March 4, 2015, Metamorphoses opened its doors to the public. The cast, crew, and production staff had been working on this masterpiece for many months, but the night was finally here and the production was finished. The end product was a transformative work of art that took the audience through many of the old Greek myths through song and dance and words.

In order to help accomplish this, the lighting and projection elements were designed to accent each story and give the audience a clear sense of place, time of day, mood, and other aspects of the world. This …

Projection Based Design: A Collection Of Acquired Knowledge, Max Brown

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

The application of new technology in a classic medium, such as theatre, can be a strong force in creating a unique experience for both the audience and the designer. At first, introducing new media techniques may seem like a novelty and easily dismissed as a gimmick. The fact is the modern audience is more familiar with information displayed in video format and will find projected video elements implemented into the scenic design as another way to access the story the performers on stage are trying to convey. It is our duty as designers to utilize every tool at our disposal …

Digital Illustration: The Costume Designer’S Process For East Tennessee State University’S Spring Dance Concert 2012, Christine Michele Waxstein

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper's objective is to document the research and developmental processes of creating East Tennessee State University's Spring Dance Concert 2012 costume designs and renderings. This thesis describes design creation from research stage to idea formulation to the conception of costumes using inspirational images, illustrations, and performance photos and videos. The show was a challenging undertaking because it involved the collaboration of many in a compressed timeframe: 1 artistic director, 9 choreographers, 20 dances, 46 performers, 10 lighting designers, 1 costume designer, and 3 weeks to put it all together. Incorporating digital technology into the rendering process saved time, expenses, …

Connecting One And Many - Reinventing The Procession Of The Cinema Experience, Kelly H. Sekely

Theses and Dissertations

In the past, going to the movies was an event. The grand lit marquee made a statement, ushering you inside. The elaborately decorated lobby transported you to a place in your dreams where riches and opulence abound. The curtained screen marked the start of a true storied spectacle as you sat close to your friends and neighbors dressed in their Sunday best. There was no denying that the cinema was the place to see, be seen and to socialize. In contrast, today’s movie-going can be classified as more of a singular experience. You wait in long, solemn cattle lines to …

Design And Construction Of The Audrey Ii Puppet Series For The Play Little Shop Of Horrors., Chad David Fraley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project's objective was to design and build 4 stages of the Audrey II puppet for the East Tennessee State University production of Little Shop of Horrors (Ashman, 1982). The puppets were to be created with consideration for the production space, budget, and operator ease, along with audience impact. This paper will present the design and construction in a step by step-bystep fashion using illustrations and photographic examples.

Each puppet in the series was originally conceived using references to living plants and animals combined with an artistic vision of the designer. The puppets were built with light, modern materials using …

Twelve Representative Patterns Of The Period 1920 Through 1945, Henry Charles Swartz

Theses and Dissertations

The twelve patterns presented in this collection represent the period 1920 through 1945. It is in no way a complete study of the period, but a representation of garments throughout this period in sketch and pattern form. The patterns presented are complete working patterns in full scale with no seams allowed. The garments have been dated according to research into the period. In addition to the pattern, sketch, and description of each garment, construction notes are included to aid in the building of these garments. Hopefully this collection will be useful for theatre costuming or where ever there is a …