Scenic and Lighting Design of Dunlop and Dale's Scapino
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1979 Scenic and lighting design of Dunlop and Dale's Scapino Michael Robert Brooks The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Brooks, Michael Robert, "Scenic and lighting design of Dunlop and Dale's Scapino" (1979). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 3486. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/3486 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE SCENIC AND LIGHTING DESIGN OF DUNLOP AND DALE'S SCAPING By Michael Robert Brooks A.B. University of Calif., Santa Cruz, 1973 Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Fine Arts UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA 1979 Approved by Chairman, Board of Efamine Dean^ Graduate S#ibol Ù»" ! - 7^ Date UMI Number: EP34562 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. IJMT DteMTtatkm PubUsMng UMI EP34562 Published by ProQuest LLC (2012). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProOuesf ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 -1346 Brooks, Michael Robert, M.F.A., 1979 Drama The Scenic and Lighting Design of Dunlop and Dale's Scapino (69 pp.) Director: Richard H. James This thesis is concerned with the design of the scenery, light ing, and properties for Dunlop and Dale's play, Scapino, as pre sented by the University of Montana Department of Drama/Dance, November 8-11, 15-18, 25, 1978. The production was performed in the University's Main Hall at the Great Western Stage, a thrust theatre seating approximately 150 people. The thesis covers the creation and execution of the above elements, but is not direct ly concerned with the duties performed by the technical director, except as necessary for clarity, nor does it cover the costumes, makeup, or sound. It also discusses the design problems and sol utions created by the participation in the American College Theat re Festival, the most significant being touring and the need for conversion from the thrust stage to a proscenium stage. It provides the reader with needed background and an under standing of basic terms. An investigation of the literary as pects of the script and how they relate to production style, and the demands and needs of the script, and the production approach taken is covered. It formulates specific goals and needs for the scenery and lighting designs. The thesis also traces the processes of developing and refining appropriate design solutions. These sections document the pro cesses, through the use of both research and creative experimen tation in the areas of spatial needs, geographic and travel in formation, and historical scenic precedence. It also describes the specific solution chosen, that is, one of a semi-theatrical, yet realistically based multi-level set. The areas of design execution and modifications are also de tailed, but do not cover construction techniques in any detail. Finally, an evaluation of the success of the design approach and execution are presented. Included are comments from audience members, actor reactions, faculty criticisms, and director and designer comments. These views concentrate on the excellent movement patterns within the set, and problems of unity of style within the production. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ii CHAPTER I~INTRODUCTION AND DEFINITION OF TERMS 1 CHAPTER II—ANALYSIS OF THE PLAY . 6 CHAPTER HI—PRODUCTION APPROACH 13 CHAPTER IV—FROM PRODUCTION NEEDS TO DESIGN SOLUTIONS. 23 CHAPTER V—EXECUTION OF THE PRODUCTION DESIGN 36 CHAPTER VI—CONCLUSION 51 APPENDIX I—PROPERTY LIST 58 APPENDIX II—BUDGET 60 APPENDIX III—PHOTOGRAPHS. 61 APPENDIX IV—REVIEW 64 APPENDIX V—PROGRAM 66 BIBLIOGRAPHY 68 DRAWINGS 70 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND DEFINITION OF TERMS This thesis describes the design of the scenery, lighting and properties for the play, Scapino, as presented by the University of Montana Department of Drama/Dance, November 8-11, 15-18 and 25, 1978. It includes the creation and execution of those designs, but will not be concerned directly with the duties performed by the technical director, except as necessary for clarity. Additionally, it will not cover the design or execution of the costumes, makeup, or sound, except in so far as they relate directly to the project. In 1978 the University of Montana Department of Drama/Dance lost one production space, a theatre in the Venture Center building basement. This led to the opening of a new theatre space on the second floor of the original Main Hall building. Built in 1897, the oldest structure on the University of Montana's campus was to be a part of the birth of a new and exciting theatre. The new theatre was under the leadership of Alan Cook, Associate Professor of Drama, and was named the Great Western Stage Company. Professor Cook wanted to open the new theatre with a fun, playful production which would capture the audience. The play chosen was Scapino, a modern adapta tion by Frank Dunlop and Jim Dale of Moliere's farce, Les Fourberies de Scapin. One of the first problems was the design of the theatre itself. The second floor theatre in the old Main Hall was originally built as 1 2 a shallow proscenium stage,^ which was approximately 13 feet deep, 40 feet wide, and proscenium arch height of 15 feet. The seating was originally located on both the main floor and in a stepped bal cony. The change from the room's past conversion to quasi-offices to that of a functional theatre was to rest with the department's design/technical staff. This group, in conjunction with the depart ment's acting/directing faculty, decided to convert the space into a 2 thrust stage. The stage would extend 18 feet past the present stage lip and be 18 feet wide at its midpoint. The proscenium arch would be closed in from 40 feet to 30 feet. The seating for the new theatre was to be limited to only the main floor, which was estim ated to hold between 125 and 175 persons. Finally, it was further decided that this production would 3 be the department's entry in the American College Theatre Festival for 1978. Thus, all elements of the production had to be planned with the possibility of both touring and converting to a proscenium s tage. The production was to be directed by Professor Cook, the cos tumes were to be designed by the faculty costumer Richard Donnelly, ^Proscenium stage—the most common type of stage arrangement. The audience sits on one side of a rised area and views the stage through a picture frame opening. 2 Thrust stage—a stage form in which the audience sits on three sides of a peninsula-shaped performing space. 3 American College Theatre Festival—a theatre festival organized un der the parent organization American Theatre Association, consists of regional and national competition, also called A.C.T.F. 3 and the technical direction was to be by the staff technical director, Gary Fassler. The author was to be responsible for the design of the scenery and lighting, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Fine Arts degree in Drama. The following definitions will be used in this thesis: DIRECTOR—It is under his leadership that the production takes form, "The director is responsible for the interpretation of the play and the choice of style in presentation. It is through his work that the acting and directing are shaped to express the idea and the theme of the play. It is his responsibility to see that settings, costumes, props and lighting are in accord with the acting 4 and directing and that all express the idea of the play." SCENIC DESIGNER—"The scenic designer's moot significant func tion, then, is that of a manipulator of stage space in its relation ship to the human actor.It is with this background and an in vestigation of the definitions of Gillette, Jones, Parker and Payne^ that the author defines Scenic Designer as a collaborating artist concerned not only with the translating and reinforcing of the play wright's and director's approach to the play in visual terms, but A Gillette, A. A. Stage Scenery: Its Construction and Rigging (New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1972), p. 8. ^Payne, Darwin Reid. Design for the Stage: First Steps (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1974), p. 16. ^Gillette, op. cit., p. 8; Jones, Robert Edmund. The Dramatic Ima gination, (N.Y.: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1941), p. 78; Parker, W. Oren and Harvey K. Smith, Scene Design and Stage Lighting (N.Y.: 4 additionally seeking the higher goal of manipulating the stage space and performer into an appropriate environment. It is no longer enough to make a singular visual statement; design must also become a tool for an actor's communication. SCENERY—This is a visual three-dimensional environment for the action of the play.