Sets and Scenic Design

Scenic Crew

Carries out the painting of the scenery as envisioned by the scenic designer.

Set Crew/Carpenters

Crew members that help to build/create the sets and set pieces

Set Pieces

Furniture and other three-dimensional objects

Master Carpenter

Head carpenter in a set shop that creates and builds all sets and set pieces

Prism Set (Periaktoi)

In Greek theatre, vertical three-sided column that can be rotated to show three different scenic pictures.

Unit Set

Made up of several pieces or units, which can be rearranged to produce more than one setting. They are to useful in plays requiring many scene changes.

Backdrop

Painted cloth or set wall built to serve as a background for the setting on stage.

Downstage

The area of the performance space that is closest to the audience.

Upstage

The area of the performance space that is farthest away from the audience.

House

The area where the audience sits

Color Theory

The art and science of color interaction and effects

Atmosphere/Mood/Tone

The feeling of the story; the emotional effect of how the setting is portrayed or described

Stage Left

The left side of the stage (determined according to the actor's point of view facing the audience). Symbolized in blocking notation as SL

Center Stage

The middle point of the performance space, symbolized by CS in blocking notes.

Proscenium

The most common type of performance space, known for its framed arch that outlines the stage opening. To the audience, the stage looks like a picture in a frame.

Scenic Designer

The person responsible for creating the visual appearance and function of the scenic elements used in a production. They create renderings and plans based on a concept.

Stage Right

The right side of the stage (determined according to the actor's point of view facing the audience). Symbolized in blocking notation as SR

Setting

The time and place of a story

Arena / Theatre-In-The-Round

Type of performance space where the audience surrounds all sides of the stage.

Flat

a lightweight timber frame covered with scenic canvas, or plywood. They are used to provide a lightweight and easy to move and re-configure backdrop to a stage set. They sometimes have windows or doors built into them to provide extra flexibility, for use in realistic settings.

Stagehand

a person who moves scenery or set props before or during the performance of a play

Minimal set

a set made of two or three fold flats that create walls

Permanent Set

a set that remains the same throughout a play, regardless of change of locale

Neutral Colors

beige, ivory, taupe, black, gray, and white

Cool Colors

blues, greens, violets

Drops

decorated canvas or muslin curtains that form part of the scenery

Warm Colors

reds, oranges, yellows

Fly Master/Rigger

someone who operates the permanent weighted systems in theatres which are used to raise and lower scenery on stage

Backstage

the area in a theater out of view of the audience, especially in the wings or dressing rooms.

Stage Crew Chief

the person who decides how the set/scenery shifts will be done and assigns the crew their individual jobs

Curtain Set

A Set that uses a wall or drapery at the back of the set

Teaser curtain

A curtain that spans the width of the stage that helps define the height of the stage opening

Front-View Rendering/Elevation Sketch

A drawing of the set from the audience's point-of-view.

Floor Plan (Ground Plan, Plan View)

A drawing of the stage or set as seen from above or from a "bird's eye view". It shows where any scenic pieces or set props (such as furniture) are to be placed.The Scenic Designer creates it and the Director, Lighting Designer, and the Technical Director all use it.

Rendering

A perspective drawing of what a designer's idea is

Set

A representation consisting of the scenery and other properties used to identify the time of day, era, season, location, and psychological states of the characters (status, mood etc) of a dramatic production

Scrim

A thin, open-weave fabric which appears see-through (transparent) when lit from behind and solid (opaque) when lit from the front.

Scale Model

A three-dimensional miniature scene that represents a scenic design. It is built with the same proportions of the actual set.

Thrust

A type of performance space where the audience surrounds three sides. The stage "juts" into the audience area. Most fashion runways are this type of stage.

Box Set

A type of permanent set that is built on the stage to look like the interior of a house or room, having two or three walls (the wall closest to the audience is removed)

Raked

A type of stage that slopes downward towards the audience, built at a gradual angle. It is the basis for our modern stage directions.

Theme

A unifying idea that is a recurrent element in a literary or artistic work

Cyclorama (cyc)

A white wall or drop at the back of a stage, used for creating an illusion of unlimited space or distance in the background of exterior scenes or for obtaining lighting effects.