Decor or Space: Architectural Stage Design and the Contemporary Theatre

Abstract

Has our theatre found itself yet, or are we still tumbling in a madhouse of eclecticism and delusion? Much of the confusion about design and its place in contemporary theatre derives from an inadequate sense of what, and how, a designer contributes to the overall effect of a given piece of theatre. These artists, let's call them by their proper names, are typically asked to follow rather than lead the artistic process. Yet they create what in many respects is the most determined aspect of the performance: its space. The particulars of theatrical space condition the eye of the spectator to the atmosphere of the action and directly control the performer's movements which express that action. Just exactly how a theatrical space is developed is a complex issue that transcends the simply artistic and touches upon the most essential underpinnings of the entire enterprise. As both Gordon Craig and Adolphe Appia discovered nearly one hundred years ago, any serious reform of scenic practices requires the reexamination of the entire art form. Their seminal work in the analysis of theatrical production seems largely forgotten today as contemporary scenic practices lapse ever deeper into the old nineteenth century emphasis on spectacle for its own sake. Any theatre that aspires to the status of artistic integrity will have to take the unavoidable step of reconsidering the intimate relationship between space and action and voice.