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CURTAIN CALL
The “Meat mincer” setting, designed by Varvara Stepanova, in Vsevolod Meyerhold’s 1922
production of The Death of Tarelkin, by Alexander Sukhova Kobylin. Stepanova referred to her
sets as “acting instruments”, designed to enable vigorous physical limitation.
-Tadeusz Kantor in A Journey Through Other Spaces: essays and manifestos, 1944-1990, ed. and tr. M.
Kobialka (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993), 217.
The Polish director Tadeusz Kantor’s interest in theatre reflected his interest
in space. For him, theatre was considered a medium where ‘objects and
places counted for as much as the human body” (Wiles: 13) Theatre is an
artistic medium that reflects changes in society. Dramatic expression and
theatrical production must be constantly re-examined and invigorated to
reflect changes in the social, political and cultural landscape.
Students in this studio paper will be required to design a stage set for a play
of their own choosing. You are required to undertake extensive research into
the play. This will include analyzing different productions of the work, and
critically examining writings and interpretations of the play and its
performance.
After having found a play, you will need to determine a venue for it to be
performed within: this will be an existing performance space within Auckland
or you may propose an alternative location (but this must be in consultation
with your studio tutor). You will need to consider how the specific attributes
of this venue can contribute to your design proposal. For example, what
existing features might you accentuate/diminish through the use of strategic
lighting or prop placement? How might you go about establishing degrees of
openness or containment within the space where the play is being
performed? How can the spatial container contribute to the dramaturgical
qualities of the performance?
Recommended Readings
Parker, W., Wolf, R., Scene Design and Stage Lighting, Orlando: Harcourt
Brace College Publishers, 1996. Call number 792.025 PAR
Gaj Sitarz, Paula, The Curtain Rises V II: A history of European Theatre from
the Eighteenth Century to the Present, Ohio: Betterway Books, 1993. Call
number 792.09 SIT
Schlemmer, Oskar, Moholy-Nagy, L., et. al., The Theatre of the Bauhaus,
Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 1961. Call number 792.025 SCH
Weeks 1 - 8
Week 1
Project Introduced, Wed 27 Feb 9.30 –12.30pm Rm 2144
Research undertaken
Week 2
Presentation of research Mon 3 Mar 9.30 –12.30pm
to date, new sub-brief
delivered, theatre experience
Week 3
Pin Up: Detailed analysis Mon 10 Mar 9.30 – 12.30pm
of play, spatial diagrams
and models, new sub-brief
delivered.
Week 4
INTERIM CRIT Mon 17 Mar 9.30 – 12.30pm
Pin up: Sketches,
Models, Design
Development,
New sub-brief delivered.
Week 5
Design development EASTER BREAK: Self Directed Study
(No Classes on Monday or Tuesday)
Note: It is critical that you attend all studio sessions. It will be important to
demonstrate full engagement with the brief. This includes undertaking
thorough research, detailed exploration of your ideas, and design
development to a well resolved, carefully considered and beautifully
presented final project outcome.
ALL stages of the work you undergo during the eight-week programme
should be retained as they will be evaluated and will contribute to your final
grade.