Alice Through the Proscenium: more scenic set design

With humor and wide experience, Alice Through the Proscenium explains the strange world of theater (and a bit of TV/film) from a designer's view, with step-by-step explanations of the design process, from the first production meeting, right through Opening Night to Strike:

---- Reading the play
---- Designing - research, design methods and elements
---- Documenting that design through drawing and modeling
---- Building, painting, furnishing, and dressing a set

Alice also includes: a fast illustrated romp through style history; lists of helpful tools, materials, and books; a glossary; and sometimes life-saving advice like how to paint with a gorilla. Or how to deal with critics (more dangerous than mere gorillas).

Written by an architect and theater designer for beginning and developing designers, Alice Through the Proscenium explains in a step-by-step way the set design process from first reading the play; through "design" proper - including research and design methods and elements; to documenting that design through drawing and modeling; to constructing, painting, furnishing, and dressing your set onstage; right through Opening Night to Strike.

by joseph11 - on barnesandnoble.com
Posted March 18, 2011, 11:32 AM EST: I have both a hard copy, signed, and a iBook copy. I am a set designer and this book is a true, what to expect, helpful guide for new and veteran designers. You get advice in this book that school text books can't give you. I own many books like 'How to Design Stage Scenery volume 1 of 2' yes, those books are helpful and I do read them but this book has real life examples and advice that you can apply towards your project(s). The charm in this book are the quotes used from Alice in Wonderland like "Don't go splashing paint over me like that!" "I couldn't help it." The handy thing about the Nook or iBook copy is you can reference this quickly when you are on set. I myself have pulled out my iPad and problem solved on the 'To Kill a Mockingbird' set just the other week. So what are you waiting for get your copy, paint, draw, learn and remember to have fun!

Prologue page 5
Chapter 1 - Reading 7
Chapter 2 - Resources 9
Chapter 3 - Restraints 15
Chapter 4 - Design Process 21
Chapter 5 - Design Elements 37
Apologia 52
Chapter 6 - Documentation 53
Chapter 7 - Construction 61
Chapter 8 - Paint 68
Chapter 9 - Furniture 75
Chapter 10 - Set Dressing 78
Chapter 11 - Join the Tea Party 82
Chapter 12 - Aftermath 95
Chapter 13 - Post (Theatrical) Production 97
Chapter 14 - n' More 104
Epilogue 105
Amalgamated Home & Field Kit 106
Glossary & Index 107
About the Author 115

Never underestimate the set.

A theater set does more than define period or place. It is the play's world. A play-ground for actors. It can be an actor. It defines characters, colors mood, hints at themes, and helps set a production's quality. A poor design can hijack a show, lurching into inappropriate, over-whelming, or - dull.

There's more to scenic design than just a built set: lighting can create place and mood without walls or furniture. And, while the physical set usually reacts slowly to changes in the story, light can react to every mood and moment. Lighting and scenery together - with sound and props - create the acting environment.

When the author first dived into the strange world of theater, she couldn't find many guidebooks: most were meant for aspiring actors, not would-be designers, and the few "Tech" books tended to be too this-is-a-hammer-ish, more about building than design. Her best guide turned out to be Alice in Wonderland.

So she jotted notes as she stumbled around onstage - mapping her missteps and successes - and these notes grew into chapters and the chapters grew into this guide to scenic design. Not a textbook, but a roadmap and traveler's tale. Perhaps it can help other newcomers and amuse the experienced, who will recognize a few of the trip-hazards underfoot.

Take a brief look-both-ways before leaping..!

(More sample pages are on the Lulu.com, B&N, and Amazon sites.)

But if you buy a copy of "Alice Through the Proscenium" you CAN get an actual signed-by-the-author bookplate that I just designed in honor of my first long-distance (and long-standing, bless 'em!) readers. Purchase through Lulu.com and you'll get a thank-you email: respond with a bookplate request and an address and then snail-mail will bring one your way.

If you see me in person, I'll be happy to sign a book or a bookplate.

Or, I suppose, if you buy the e version... I could send you pixels?