Designer Library 4: Contemporary Stage Design

My fourth of five selections as an influential design book is Contemporary Stage Design USA published in 1975 by the Theatre Institute of the United States, Inc. It was edited by Elizabeth Burdick, Peggy Hansen and Brenda Zanger. As of this writing it is available used from Amazon.com. Two other collections have been published: American Set Design by Arnold Aronson (1985) and American Set Design 2 by Ronn Smith (1991). These also are valuable and include extensive interviews with the designers. I find myself returning most to the 1975 publication for inspiraton.

Creative juices are stimulated by seeing the possible. The challenge is to explore the possible in order to shape an end that seems to have an inevitability. Given the circumstances, the conditions and the requirements of a production, the "inevitable" design is the most artistically satisfying result. Once one becomes invested in a design it takes on a life of its own. The task is to prod it along and keep it on track. In the end it really wants to have a kind of unique perfection.

As a goal this approach has merit, but it can be a liability for divergent thinking. It asks for the logical result of dramatic connections, not the most interesting and provocative result, so the challenge is to provoke divergent thinking in exploring the possible. Looking at the designs of others can challenge an artist to consider the problems in different ways and imagine provocative alternatives.

In my own design experience, I need to see a way out of narrow ideas that feel easy and unimaginative. I'm always looking for a better answer. An imaginative possibility. A clever expression. Something arising from a different impulse. There are many creativity exercises one can use to explore approaches and unlock the expression of a play. I do use a few techniques to break out of conventional thinking but they can be time-consuming and can extend the incubation period beyond the calendar limit. A reasonable supplement for me is to look at excellent published production designs by others of all kinds of plays.

There were a couple books of designs put out by the International Theatre Institute that I had made a habit of consulting in the college libraries where I taught, including Stage Design Throughout the World Since 1960 by Rene Hainaux, and an older collection since 1935. These volumes of artful approaches to dramatic texts remain invaluable for exploring exciting and different visual ideas for designs. They helped me resist my tendency to design like a housing contractor rather than an artist. I started recognizing metaphor and cleverness in design, and my work became more conscious and focused.

Eventually, I began to find a few books of interesting new designs that I could afford and didn't have to keep rechecking from the library. One of the first in my collection and most influential is Contemporary Stage Design U.S.A. It is 140 pages of designs selected by the Institute, supported by 10 essays by designers. It remains a primary inspiration resource and the most frequently thumbed of the design collections I have since acquired. I recommend it highly.