LibGuides: Performing Arts: Scenography & Stagecraft

Image courtesy of Callboard Performing Arts Club, Barstow Community College, Library Archive Collection

BCC Classes

TART 13A - 13B Musical Theatre Production

This course series provides instruction and supervised participation in the rehearsal and performance of a musical. This class provides an opportunity for students to perform in a Barstow Community College musical production as a member of the cast and/or crew. It includes applied study and the practice of script analysis, acting techniques, singing, choreography, and other performance skills. All actors are required to audition for roles.

TART 5A - 5D Contemporary Theatre Production

This course series provides instruction and supervised participation in theatre rehearsal and performance. This class offers an opportunity for students to perform in their first role in a Barstow Community College production as a member of the cast and/or crew. It includes applied study and practice of script analysis, acting techniques, technical theatre, and other performance skills through preparation and performance of a contemporary, non-musical theatre production. All actors are required to audition for roles.

TART 3 Theatre Appreciation

This survey course will foster a student's appreciation of theatre and the performing arts. The course examines the duties and responsibilities of the various creative artists such as directors, actors, designers, and playwrights and the process of creating live theatre.

Films on Demand

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What is Scenography & Stagecraft?

Scenography (inclusive of scenic design, lighting design, sound design, costume design) is a practice of crafting stage environments or atmospheres. In contemporary English usage, scenography is the combination of technological and material stagecrafts to represent, enact, and produce a sense of place in performance. While inclusive of scenic and set design techniques, scenography is a holistic approach to the study and practice of all aspects of design in execution.

Stagecraft is a technical aspect of theatrical, film, and video production. It includes constructing and rigging scenery, hanging and focusing of lighting; design and procurement of costumes; make-up; stage management; audio engineering; and procurement of props.

Online Resources

American Association of Community Theatre Job Descriptions
These pages provide a broad perspective on the duties and responsibilities of each position. Because theatres vary greatly, it is impossible to provide a single job description that can be used in all cases. If you are writing or revising a job description for your theatre company, use the information provided here to help clarify what your theatre requires.
Geneseo College Costume Design Series
Hearing the Difference
This article discusses the nuances of what being a sound designer can entail.
Intro to – Sound Design for Theatre
This first installment is a general overview of what’s involved in designing sound for theatre, and a look at the differences between sound design for theatre and sound design for film and television.
Lighting Design – The Process
his page describes the stages that a theatre lighting designer should go through when taking on the role.The lighting design process is broken down into a number of stages, which require different types of engagement with the project, from completely creative (reading the script and coming up with ideas with the director) to completely technical (drawing the lighting plan).
35 Awesome Theatre Lighting Design Resources
A gem of a resource with just about everything you ever needed to know. Includes an introduction to stage lighting, general design methods, applied design methods, lighting procedure, stage lighting fixtures, stage lighting mechanics, and lighting design education.
READ, RENDER, REALIZE A step-by-step guide to set design
A scenic designer uses many tools to create a set: a visual script analysis, thumbnail sketches, detailed sketches or renderings, and scenic models. Below is a breakdown of one approach to the creative work of scenic design. Not everything works for everyone. These steps are a guide to help you develop your personal process.
Scenography Today
Scenography Today is a non-commercial initiative whose mission is to report on current productions, bringing to the audience insights on a carefully curated selection of set designs and scenographies.

Books Available at BCC Library

Stage Rigging Handbook, Third Edition by Jay O. Glerum
Call Number: 792.025 G558

ISBN: 9780809327416

Publication Date: 2007-04-18

Succinct and jargon free, Stage Rigging Handbook remains the only book in any language that covers the design, operation, and maintenance of stage-rigging equipment. It is written in an at-a-glance outline form, yet contains in-depth information available nowhere else. This fully indexed third edition includes three new parts: the first, an explanation of inspection procedures for rigging systems; the second, a discussion of training in the operation of rigging systems; and the third, essential information about the operation of fire curtains.
Stage Design and Properties by Michael Holt; David Mayer (Editor)
Call Number: 792.02 S337H

ISBN: 0028713435

Publication Date: 1991-05-01

The quality and quantity of design work devoted to a production depend on the script, the size and nature of the theatre company and its budget. This book explains fully the diverse functions and responsibilities of a designer. With a comprehensive glossary, an eclectic bibliography and even an up-to-the-minute list of suppliers and stockists, it can be used by amateurs and professionals alike as a guide and resource for arriving at imaginative stage design solutions.
Scene Design and Stage Lighting by W. Oren Parker; R. Craig Wolf; Dick Block
Call Number: 792.025 P244

ISBN: 0155061143

Publication Date: 2002-11-14

SCENE DESIGN AND STAGE LIGHTING, Eighth Edition, continues its tradition of being the most detailed and comprehensive text available in the scenic and lighting design and technology fields. Much of the scenery design and technology section has been re-worked with an emphasis on modern technology. Changes in the lighting section reflect current practice and technology. The authors have placed an emphasis on collaboration in all sections of the new text. "Designers at Work" interviews with professional lighting and scenery designers are a new addition to the Eighth Edition. In addition, the entirely re-written section on sound for the theatre reflects the digital age we live and work in.
Theatrical Design and Production by J. Michael Gillette
Call Number: 792.025 G479T

ISBN: 0072562625

Publication Date: 2004-11-01

Preface 1. Production Organization and Management 2. The Design Process 3. A Brief History of Theatre Architecture and Stage Technology 4. The Stage and Its Equipment 5. Style, Composition, and Design 6. Color 7. Scenic Design 8. Tools and Materials 9. Scenic Production Techniques 10. Scene Painting 11. Stage Properties 12. Lighting Design 13. Electrical Theory and Practice 14. Lighting Production 15. Projections 16. Costume Design 17. Costume Construction 18. Makeup 19. Sound Design and Technology 20. Mechanical Drafting 21. Perspective Drawing 22. Drawing and Rendering Appendix A: A Revised Standard Graphic Language for Lighting Design Appendix B: Tape Decks and Production Tape Layout Glossary Selected References Index
Stagecraft Handbook by Daniel A. Ionazzi
Call Number: 792.025 I-64

ISBN: 1558704043

Publication Date: 1996-10-15

This manual covers every aspect of scenery c onstruction, with information on shop organisation, tools, s afety, scaled drawings and materials as well as construction techniques. A wealth of illustrations help show how to make quick, inexpensive scenery. '