Overview

Scenography – the manipulation and orchestration of the performance environment – is an increasingly popular and key area in performance studies. This book introduces the reader to the purpose, identity and scope of scenography and its theories and concepts. Settings and structures, light, projected images, sound, costumes and props are considered in relation to performing bodies, text, space and the role of the audience. Concentrating on scenographic developments in the twentieth century, the Introduction examines how these continue to evolve in the twenty-first century. Scenographic principles are clearly explained through practical examples and their theoretical context. Although acknowledging the many different ways in which design shapes the creation of scenography, the book is not exclusively concerned with the role of the theatre designer. In order to map out the wider territory and potential of scenography, the theories of pioneering scenographers are discussed alongside the work of directors, writers and visual artists.

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9780511816963

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Reviews

'The writing style is accessible and inviting; lucid, economic and reasoned, entirely suitable to the purpose of the book. For the undergraduate market the writing is appropriately academic and yet maintains a personable voice.' Fred Meller, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, Performance Design and Practice 'What makes [the book] successful is the range of scenographers it considers, from Appia in the early twentieth century to Robert Wilson in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. ... Each section is impressively documented with photographs and illustrations. The combination of text and illustrations makes the book complete, inviting, and a great introduction for students and their instructors.' Theatre Design and Technology 'This book is excellent as an introduction to the study of scenography for undergraduate students. It provides both an examination of the theories of key practitioners and a foundation in the techniques of critical analysis. ... the range of twentieth-century theorists and practitioners chosen and discussed by McKinney and Butterworth equips the student reader with an understanding of the emergence of scenography as both a way of thinking about how theatre is made and experienced, and as a set of related strategies and practices.' Rachel Nicholson, Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance 'McKinney's and Butterworth's textbook is a coherent and thoughtful examination of the subject that weaves together primary sources and contemporary scholarship as it maps out an understanding of how scenography works physically, technologically, philosophically and culturally.' Theatre Research international

Author Information

Joslin McKinney is Lecturer in Scenography at the University of Leeds. Philip Butterworth was formerly Reader in Medieval Theatre and Dean for Research at the University of Leeds.

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