 Notable scenic designers of today
Added: 01/31/2006 |
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To become a notable stage designer a specialist should enjoy paying particular attention to details and have an imaginative approach to work. It goes without saying that stage designers should be able to work as a part of an artistic team and at the same time have an interest in performing arts, ability to express him- or herself. What is really important for notable designers is to have profound knowledge in historical periods and literature of different countries.
Scenic design is considered to be a rather competitive area of modern life. For many people it's a job where flair, talent and reputation are considered to be the main factors determining promotion and success.
As a matter of fact, a great number of notable scenic designers are self-employed and work on a freelance basis. In spite of the fact that many theaters all over the world have their own productions and offer a lot of opportunities for scenic designers, only larger theaters or production organizations can provide designers with an opportunity of promotion from the position of a scenic design assistant to a senior and notable scenic designer.
Nowadays, a line of notable scenic designers include Adolphe Appia, Howard Bay, Barry Kay, Franco, Zeffirelli, Peter Waxler, Gordon Craid and others. As it has already been mentioned, to stand next to notable scenic designers a combination of knowledge, skills and appropriate experience is required. The majority of the above specialists have completed higher education in stage design, art, interior design, sculpture or even 3-D design, etc. However, qualification of notable scenic designers isn't as important as their skills, imaginative approach to work, deep knowledge of history and literature, experience in scenic design and of course contacts with influential people. Many scenic designers who have no certain qualification in the field of scenic design have attended reputable courses of training for scenic design.
It's worthy admitting that some notable scenic designers have attended the relevant theatre-related course such as apprenticeship in carpentry in the special theatre setting or in some cases - through gaining that proper experience in the fringe theatre.
It's very important for any scenic designer to have his or her portfolio of design work for demonstrating his/her achievements to the prospective employer. Any beginner in scenic design can gain significant experience by being involved in a wide variety of productions (for example, at college, in a local fringe companies or within the regional community). It goes without saying that scenic designers must be immersed in theatre visiting and reading plenty of plays and books as well.
Thus, most notable scenic designers have obtained their training by working as design assistants and helping them in models and drawings preparation. For example, this was the way in which Franco Zeffirelli started his career. Nowadays, stands aside from other notable scenic designers in the way he projects and carries out the productions. He believes that this should be done on the extensive scale. He is always on the ambit of great performances which usually brings him closer to the world of Italian opera and other well-known lyrical performances. Another notable scenic designer whose influence on the stage design development was considerable was Gordon Craig who first worked as an actor for the company of Henry Irving and later became more interested in art. In 1987 he went into the scenic design and succeeded in this activity greatly.
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