Theatrical Design

Book description

Theatrical Design: An Introduction is a guide for designers, creatives, and artists to create a design idea for a project and then audio/visually interpret and communicate that idea.


Emphasizing story analysis, creation, and interpretation specifically for designers and artists, the narrative describes a method to release meaning and design inspiration from story. After interpretation, the artistic elements and principles of design - the skills necessary to create the design - are laid out in clear terms. Concepts are illustrated with examples from theatre, film, art, architecture, and fashion that explore professional and historic use of conceptualization and metaphor. Theatrical Design: An Introduction imparts the tools all designers, in all pursuits, need to innovate off the page.


A textbook suitable for Art, Architecture, Exhibitions, Interior Spaces, Culinary Presentation, Design, Film, and Theatre university courses, general readers and hobbyists will also find the methodology can be applied to any creative pursuits.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half Title
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. Table of Contents
  6. Preface
  7. About the Author
  8. Acknowledgements
  9. 1 – Introduction
    1. What Is a Design Concept?
    2. It’s the Script
    3. What is the Piece About?
    4. What Is the Piece Like?
    5. Scripts and Stories
    6. Romeo & Juliet
  10. 2 – What’s a Metaphor?
    1. Metaphor Defined
    2. Written or Verbal Metaphor
    3. A Brief History of Metaphor in Art
      1. The Greeks
      2. Fine Art
      3. Cubism
      4. Art Nouveau
      5. Art Deco
      6. Contemporary Architecture
      7. Contemporary Art
      8. Fashion
      9. Asian Art
      10. Music
      11. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
      12. Fanfare for the Common Man
      13. Memories of East Texas
    4. Metaphor in Theatre and Performance
    5. Dierks Bentley Riser Tour
  11. 3 – Analysis
    1. Where to Begin
    2. Sketch, Doodle, Collage
    3. Develop the Design
    4. Beyond the Reading
    5. Record Your Thoughts
    6. React
    7. What If There Is No Script?
    8. Burnham Got Game
    9. What Are You Reading to Learn?
    10. Character or Situation?
      1. Characters
      2. Situations
    11. What Is the Dramatic Question?
    12. Where and When
      1. Place
      2. Time
    13. Text and Subtext
    14. The Daily Show – Austin
    15. Morals
    16. Language
    17. Scene Breakdown
    18. Dramatic Structure
      1. Aristotle
      2. Plot
      3. Exposition
      4. The Inciting Incident
      5. Rising Action
      6. Climax
      7. Falling Action
      8. Denouement
      9. Style
      10. Action
    19. The Author
    20. Angelica
    21. Message or Theme
    22. So Where Are You Now?
    23. Now It’s Personal
    24. The Dramaturge and Dramaturgy
    25. Précis
    26. Nuclear Cowboyz
  12. 4 – Communication
    1. Why You Draw
    2. The Designer’s Sketchbook/Journal
    3. Maintaining a Library
    4. Working with Color
    5. Collage
    6. The Illusion of Space
      1. Position and Scale
      2. Value
      3. Chiaroscuro
      4. Depth of Field
      5. Atmosphere
    7. In the End
    8. Ballet Deviare
  13. 5 – Research
    1. Internet Research
    2. Library Research
    3. The Joy of Research
    4. Study
    5. What to Research
    6. Act One
  14. 6 – Choice
    1. Means of Choice
    2. When to Choose
    3. How to Choose
      1. Pros and Cons
      2. What Were You Thinking?
    4. Visual Language
    5. What Is This Place?
    6. Using Metaphor to Choose
      1. The Elephant Man
    7. Choice and Metaphor
    8. Move Forward
    9. Falling For Eve
  15. 7 – Conceptualization
    1. Putting the Pieces Together
    2. Getting There
    3. Let Your Ideas Percolate
    4. Presenting Your Concept
      1. Personal Brand
      2. Fonts
      3. Page Layout
    5. The Scottsboro Boys
  16. 8 – Elements of Design
    1. Line
    2. Form
      1. The Figure-Ground Relationship
    3. Mass
    4. Texture
    5. Color
      1. CMYK
      2. RGB
      3. Pigment
      4. Color Evokes Emotions
      5. Color Is Cultural
    6. Thoroughly Modern Millie
      1. Art and Color
      2. Color and Metaphor
    7. Guys & Dolls
  17. 9 – Principles of Design
    1. The Principles
      1. Unity and Variety
      2. Balance, Emphasis and Rhythm
      3. Symmetry
      4. Asymmetry
      5. Proportion and Scale
    2. Taste and Style
    3. Space
    4. Mise-en-Scène
      1. Composition
      2. The Rule of Odds
      3. The Rule of Thirds
      4. Simplification
      5. Limiting Focus
      6. Chiaroscuro
      7. Color and Interaction
    5. Gestalt
      1. Prägnanz
      2. Similarity
      3. Continuation
      4. Proximity
      5. Closure
      6. Common Fate
    6. Does it Work?
    7. A Midsummer Night’s Dream
  18. 10 – Collaboration
    1. Processes
      1. The Open Theatre
      2. Viewpoints
    2. Working Together
    3. ACORD Studio
  19. 11 – Evaluation
    1. Metaphor, Criticism, and Feedback
    2. Negative Criticism
      1. Check Your Reaction
      2. Always Be Non-combative
      3. Make an Effort to Understand
    3. Do Unto Others
      1. The Seven Deadly Sins of Design
    4. Back to the Metaphor
    5. The Rivals
  20. 12 – The Business of Show
    1. The Work
      1. Getting Work
      2. Unions
      3. Sell Your Skills
      4. What to Charge?
      5. Location, Location, Location
      6. Agents
      7. Taxes
      8. Kit
    2. Presentation
      1. Visual Identity
      2. Business Card
      3. E-Mail Template
      4. Resume
      5. Documentation
      6. Portfolio
      7. Invoices
    3. Précis
    4. Wonderland

Product information

  • Title: Theatrical Design
  • Author(s): Kevin Lee Allen
  • Release date: September 2016
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781317559061