Set DesignBY: AJA WALKER

The Scenic Environment

• The scenery provides the visual world in which a performance takes place• The scenic designer looks first at the script and analyzes the world the characters inhabit

(how they speak, how do they move, in what kind of setting do they function in, what are the goals and objectives, what do they wear, and does their life seem cramped or free)

• Bus Stop takes place inside a street corner restaurant in a small Kansas town about 30 miles west of Kansas City

• The restaurant also serves as an occasional rest stop for the bus lines in the area• Bus Stop takes place in March at 1 a.m. in the morning • There is a near blizzard raging outside the restaurant

Mood and Style• A stage setting can help establish the mood, style, and meaning of a play

(happy, sad, frightening, or uplifting)• The mood of the play is very chill and it is set during a blizzard, so the

style of the stage setup would be dim and not very many bright colors would be used

• Outside the windows it would also be very dark because of how late the play takes place and because of the blizzard that is taking place outside the restaurant

Realistic and Nonrealistic Scenery

• The play Bus Stop would be set up in the style of Realistic Theater• Realistic Theatre is a setting that looks very much like its counterpart in real

life• Bus Stop is set in a street corner restaurant so because it is a realistic play it

will only show a partial setting• As the set designer I will make the furniture in the play look real• I will also make the interior of the restaurant look realistic by making the

floor and walls look like they were real to the audience

Locale and Period

• The stage set up should be able to tell the audience where and when the play takes place

• Bus stop is set in a dingy establishment with only few modern improvements

• There are only 2 lights that hang from the ceiling so it isn’t very bright in the restaurant

• There is also an old fashioned Franklin stove • The restaurant has an old fashioned wall phone behind the counter• I would make the stage set up to look like a small restaurant that was from

the mid 50’s• The kitchen that is behind the counter would also have appliances that

would correspond with the time era of the mid 50’s

The Design Concept

• This is a unifying idea carried out visually. It is usually important when the time and place of a play are shifted

• The design concept of the play is closely related to the central image/metaphor of the play

• Since the metaphor for the play is the color red the design concept would work around that

The Central Image or Metaphor

• The stage design not only must be consistent with the play but it should also have its own integrity. The elements of design (lines, shapes, and colors) should add up to a whole, so in many cases a designer tries to develop a central image or a metaphor. • As the set designer I would have the central image/metaphor be

the color red used throughout the play. I would make some of the set red• I would use the color red because it would symbolize the theme

of the play which was love

Coordination of the Whole

• The set should be designed to engineer the construction in such a way that the visual elements are not compromised but can still safely and effectively support the stage action

• Since the play is set in the earlier days, the set will not be designed to look modern

• The kitchen items will be of an older style• The construction of the restaurant will also have an old looking

style to it on the inside, like checkered tile floors and wooden walls for the inside of the restaurant

The Physical Layout• The playing area must fit into a certain stage space, and, more important, it must accommodate the

performers• Bus stop is set inside a street corner restaurant that also serves as an occasional rest stop• There are several tables with chairs• There is a counter with 6 stools• Behind the counter are the usual restaurant equipment (coffee percolator, dishes, glasses, hot plate, sink,

and an electric refrigerator) • There’s a magazine stand and rack of paper back books close to the outside entrance door• 2 benches lie right next to the magazine stand and above that is a great window• Close to the upper end of the counter is the rear door for the restroom• Close to that is the door to Grace’s apartment and a closet is below that• Behind the counter is an old fashioned wall phone• After reading the play, as the set designer I would realize that the play wouldn’t need to be on a very big

stage • I would have the play take place on a proscenium stage space