set design concepts for one song from the musical wicked

Project Objectives:
Project management is part of any business project, event, product launch, etc. Part of any theatrical production is consideration of the stage, the environment in which the actor(s) execute their production. Whether it is decorative or minimal, there is a purpose for choosing either path. The objective of this project is to understand the importance of stage in theatre production, process of project management, decision-making in a project, and presenting a concept to a client (in this case, the director/instructor).

Project Descriiption:
You are creating a project proposal for the director of the musical.
Deliverable: Set Design concepts for one song from the musical Wicked. This will include a:

Project Sheet describing the project and details about the set during the research and analysis phase,
Preliminary Sketches describing initial ideas and concepts,
Notes from the Design Meeting (in class or with a partner),
Mood Board with colors, examples, textures pictures on a page to set ideas for the look of the production,
Blocking sketch/diagram for entry, movement, and exit of the actor(s),
Drawing or Model (Diorama) of the final concept for presentation
Readings (download the Theatre text.doc for the text only from our readings):
Ch 1 (pgs 5-24),
Ch 3 (Process for Directing, pg 67-68, Ground Plan pgs 75-77, Quadrants Diagram pg 77),
Ch 4 (80-85, 92-108, photo on pg 112).

Fill out Project Sheet:
You can download either the MS Word Theatre Project Sheet fillable form.docx (which has fillable form boxes to fill in) or the Theatre Project Sheet pdf.pdf to print out, fill out and scan back in or fill in on an ipad.

Production Process to complete:
The production process follows a standard of development you will go through. Download the project directions to refer to (HUMA 1315 Theatre Project.pdf)

Start with Research and the Project Sheet: You will need to research and find a song from the musical that you will focus on. Try going to YouTube or Vimeo, listen and watch the song performed to choose and to understand the significance of the song to the play and character(s). Research the background of the play, the character(s), the song’s meaning, etc.
Readings, especially Ch 3 & 4 will help define how stage and production designers work in deciding the look, mood, style, etc.
Fill out the Project Sheet: The sheet may be altered as you make changes and final decisions about the design and concepts.
Analysis: After research, start with your initial reactions and interpretations. What is it about, what is important for the audience, what should be emphasized, what is unique?
Preliminary Sketches: Draw up your rough ideas in the form of stick figures and even just rough shapes for objects needed for the stage. You can use stick figure style for this and notes with your ideas on what different parts are in the rough.
Design Meeting: Taking place in class just after Thanksgiving break, or if you cannot make it to class, partner up with a classmate or grab a friend! This is a brainstorming session to look at the initial sketches and concepts, to refine ideas, get inspiration, make additions to the concepts. From these notes (yes, you have to take notes) you can make changes to the concepts and project sheet.
Mood Board: From your research, sketches, and design meeting, you need to gather visual imagery and examples for a mood board. This can be pictures and materials cut up and pasted to an actual board (which you will photograph for turning in) or digital imagery put into a document or presentation page.
Blocking: Make sure you read up on blocking in chapter 3, and about stage types in chapter 4. To present, it will be a diagram of the stage looking down and note where your stage props and backdrops are, where the actor(s) will be to start or come into the scene, where they might move in one or two places interacting with the set, and where they will end or exit.
Final Rendering or Model: You can create a drawing or model that can be photographed for turning in to blackboard with the other parts of the project. For either one, you can use tracing of objects, drawing with ruler, cut outs, actual materials, computer drawing, etc. to fulfill the set design concept, colors, style, metaphors, etc.
All the parts to the process can be put together as a pdf in one to upload, or upload images and documents each to Blackboard (you can upload multiple when turning in an assignment).

Theatre Project Sheet fillable form.docx
Theatre Project Sheet pdf.pdf
Theater readings.docx
HUMA 1315 Theatre Project.pdf