The basis of theatrical art, let it be known to everyone, is based on two components: a professional play of actors and well-designed stage design. This is a very capacious term, which includes many concepts and is an integral part of any theatrical production.
Help from the current dictionary
Going to the theater is an excursion to another world, another dimension. Why do we reason this way? The blame is scenography - a special kind of creativity that deals with the design of the play and the creation of separate time and space within it. Everything that is surrounded by actors and the actors themselves refers to scenography. These are background scenery, props and various objects with which there is an interaction, costumes, masks and makeup. To accurately recreate the situation and the time in which the main action takes place, we use living attributes (flowers, animals), and real household items (genuine furniture, paintings), and the works of artists, that is, masks, outfits, picturesque imitations of streets and rooms .
At the origins of history
Scenography as an art began to emerge in an ancient society, which was still deprived of the scene as a special design, and the actors as a profession. Our ancestors had a small folklore heritage, the creators of that time also composed parables, stories and epics. Based on this material, some kind of costume productions were often made. In this way, the “genetic code" was determined, on which modern scenography is based. These are the three basic functions without which a theatrical production is unthinkable: character, play and determining the scene.
Prescenography and its characters
The term "pre-scenography" is used when it comes to the times following the onset of the era of antiquity, in which the theater was defined as a full-fledged art form. Cavemen, ancient pagans already had considerable experience in stage activity, only the productions were fundamentally different from modern ones. The scenography of the play at that time placed at the center of all events a certain character who was the main character. Initially, these were cave paintings, circular images (which symbolized the Sun as a Deity), various stuffed animals and totems. The performance was not a secular event, but a ritual in which the forces of nature were glorified, worship of deities and deceased ancestors took place.
Surprisingly, one of the ancient pagan performances is relevant even in the present time! If anyone has not guessed yet, it is a tradition to put a New Year tree in the house, dress it up and dance around it. In fairness, we note that our ancestors dressed up an eternally green tree in a slightly different way. On the branches hung totems and talismans, as well as parts of animals that were sacrificed. Fortunately, the darkest moments of this tradition are in the past, and only the most beautiful ones have reached us. So, if you want to clearly imagine what the ancient scenography of the performance looked like, just go to the central square of your city and admire the costume dance, dances, carols and other New Year rituals.
Game Function Development
We can say with full confidence that in the era of antiquity, full-fledged scenography, or theatrical and decorative art, was emerging. The theater is gradually becoming a secular event, the script is based not only on rituals and worship of gods, but also far-fetched life situations, and exclusively specially trained actors act on the stage. Accordingly, a new, game scenography appears - a special kind of theatrical art. The first sets are created that bring the performances closer to reality, the actors sew costumes and masks (far from make-up), the necessary lighting and minimal special effects are created. In this form, the theater passed not only through antiquity, but also through the Middle Ages.
Renaissance - the era of the revival of scenery
The XV-XVI centuries is not only the era of humanism that goes after the gloomy Middle Ages, but also the period during which scenography was thoroughly formed. This is the time in which the greatest artists, sculptors and architects, mainly Italian, created. They then became the authors of many elements of props, without which the current theater is unimaginable. It was decided to create a background for each performance, the same as the paintings by da Vinci and Michelangelo. For the first time, Donato Bramante, the great architect who built the theater perspective, dealt with the task. Actors in costumes were in the foreground, and backgrounds corresponding to the described scene were in the background. Later, Sebastiano Serlio, the theoretical architect, divided the scenery into three types: for comedy, tragedy and pastoral. After these practical and theoretical works, scenography, as art and production, is embodied in the Teatro Olimpico, which was built by Andrea Palladio in Vincenzo.
Keeping up with the times
For a modern person, the theater is instantly associated with the word “art”, but the inhabitants of the Renaissance era only got used to this innovation. It was from that time that performances began to follow the style dictated by artists and sculptors, and they also inherited the main directions in philosophy and ideology. Since we considered the Renaissance, we move on to Italian baroque and its features. Following the new ideology, theatrical set design ceases to be two-dimensional (actors in the foreground, scenery in the background). Now artists are surrounded by props on all sides, and the action itself can take place not only in the framework of comedy, tragedy or pastoral, but in the most incredible “worlds” (under water, under the earth, in the sky, in the clouds, etc.).
From the era of Classicism to the New Age
By the beginning of the 17th century, scenography as an art and production occupied an important segment in the sphere of life in all European countries. There were entire factories that were engaged in the production of theatrical scenery, so they have long become dynamic and plastic. A scene could consist of several stages or levels. On the ropes placed branches of trees, the moon or the sun, clouds, and even the actors themselves, if required by the script. An important find of the XVIII century was the curtain, the system of which was also painstakingly designed by designers. All these achievements were gathered into a single whole, improved and grew along with technological progress.
Due to the fact that scenography is a special type of art, and not just the production of sets and various theatrical tricks, it has been modified and stylistically adapted to each era. Like music or sculpture, it embodied the Rococo style and classicism, absorbed the main characteristics of romanticism, and later - realism. Until the first half of the 20th century, the theater and its scenery duplicated the main stylistic trends of the current eras, until people decided to turn to antiquity. Of course, our contemporaries did not return to the original scenery, on the contrary, the technical equipment of any, even the simplest theater, was becoming more and more perfect. But productions, places of action, heroes - all this was often a description of past eras. Today you can watch a performance about the life of the ancient people or about the achievements of the Renaissance society. There are productions in the avant-garde style, abstract and surreal, or they show us maximum realism.
What is special about a modern theater?
In these years it will not be enough to say that scenography is a special kind of art, because this industry has come to the fore in the theater. In a way, it even overshadowed the importance of acting (may the great Maestros forgive me) and got a new name - stage design. In large productions, a lot of money and effort is spent on assembling the scenery, stage design and creating the necessary atmosphere. Leading designers and builders can take part in the process, and all these efforts are only for the sake of one performance. Stylists work similarly on actors' images - costumes and makeup are carefully selected.
Types of scenography
You can observe how far the modern theater has stepped forward by the number of workers who work on creating the scenery for each individual performance. If earlier, in order to create the right atmosphere, a universal professional was invited, so to speak, who in a short time embodied costumes, props and background of production in reality, now this task has been divided into many industries. So there were various types of scenographic art, and about what they are and who works on them, we will now figure it out.
- The spatial scope of the play. In other words, this is the basis of any production that requires one or more backgrounds, decorations, as well as scaffolds, and auxiliary devices (stairs, ropes, safety mattresses, etc.). It is easy to guess that such work goes to architects and planners.
- The appearance of everything that the performance consists of. Here all responsibility lies with the production designer and make-up artists. Costumes are sewn, life is breathed into a props, a scene is made out and the necessary spatio-temporal atmosphere is created.
- The third type of scenography is directing. She is responsible for the stage design, adjusts the alignment of actors and sets in various scenes of the performance and coordinates all movements.
A modern person can say that the number of workers in the theater, as well as the quality and realism of all the scenery are clearly inferior to cinema. But in fairness, we note that this work is also colossal. And it is unlikely that our ancestors, who were content with the director, architect, director and dresser in one person, suspected that over the centuries their efforts would develop into something beautiful.
Theater - the work of professionals
You can learn the art of creating performances in theatrical universities, but this specialty is not intended for applicants who have just graduated from school. The faculty of scenography includes people who already have practical experience in the theater or cinema industry, or they are representatives of art professions. The selection criteria are such that a person who does not have a certain creative base behind him simply cannot pass the entrance exams and, most importantly, he will not join the course, because it is assumed that the basics of all students are already familiar. We can say that within the framework of training, scenography is a narrow specialization that expands the possibilities of any representative of the art sphere, or, conversely, directs those who are in search of their “I” in the right direction.
Course subjects
There is nothing superfluous at the stage design department, but the list of disciplines is still quite extensive. Teachers argue that this is a necessity, thanks to which graduates will have a full range of knowledge and will be able to cope with further work in this field in a non-standard and unique way. Among the items we list the following:
- The history of the theater.
- History of styles.
- The history of dance.
- The basics of light.
- The basics of sound.
- Installation Basics.
- Directing and acting.
- Modern Art.
- Theatrical design.
- Costume and makeup technology.
It is also worth noting that the faculty takes into account the interests of students as much as possible. Many students already have work in the theater or cinema, or in parallel receive other specialties. Therefore, classes are held in the evening, or are postponed to the weekend.
Touch with architecture
From the outside it seems that the profession of an architect belongs to the exact sciences and only remotely affects the field of art. But graduates of construction universities often fall into the stage design department, and here's why. The fact is that in the theater it is almost impossible to do without an architect. Only he can competently design the scene, taking into account the mass and size of the stage, actors, sets and furniture. What is important - he will do it all in strict accordance with the artistic idea. Architects in the theater also often play the role of designers, design the stage and pay special attention to every small detail.
Note to applicants
To become a student of the stage design department, you do not need to prepare for tests or detailed written answers. Since the specialty is exclusively creative, entrance exams, or, as they like to say, an interview, will be laid-back. It is important to provide the commission members with a portfolio testifying to your experience in one of the creative areas.
You should also prepare for impromptu questions. Teachers will be interested to know what serves as a source of inspiration for you, why you decided to enter their faculty, how you see your future in the field of scenography, and whether you are ready to deal with the issues that are most important in the theater.
The third prerequisite for admission is a creative assignment. It is necessary to create a sketch of the scenography of a work, poem or epic. Choose any technique for this task, it is absolutely not important. Your creativity, ability to present material will be evaluated. The individuality of your work will also play a role, therefore it is better to sweat over its exclusivity and become the author of a brilliant idea. Sources of inspiration are attached to the work, as well as a short story about why you decided to depict this particular production and what inspired you.
Graduate perspective
After receiving the coveted diploma, you can become a representative of one of the following professions:
- Production Designer.
- Costume Designer.
- Event Designer.
- Scenographer of fashion shows and concerts.
- Scenographer of exhibitions and other museum events.
- Work in the field of contemporary art - artist, designer, etc.
As you can see, having this education, you can get a position not only in the theater. It all depends on your creative skills, imagination and tastes.
Undoubtedly, theater is an art on a grand scale and chic. It is not to everyone’s taste, but only into the hearts of true connoisseurs of beauty. It is saturated with the spirit of the past and that is why it creates an incredible atmosphere of celebration and celebration.