Ever since ancient times, designers of earliest theaters and great outdoor amphitheaters know well that establishing maximum communication between the stage and the audience was essential. Going back to places like ancient Greece, Turkey and Italy, theater was the place where citizens gathered to hear vital issues discussed, declaimed and dissected. Those huge amphitheaters accommodated literally thousands of spectators who came to see, hear and share the onstage action that was so important to their daily lives, without the audio amplification that we now take for granted. Mark N Tompkins is an established film and theater painter and scenic artist. As he explains, the actual set design of these early sets was minimal, using only a few painted backdrops. For the most part, the actors’ voices, music and dance carried the story. Costumes were chosen for maximum visibility for the actors. It was in fact the Italian Renaissance that brought life to set design using the development of perspective painting to create depth and different elevations for the action on stage.
The modern concept of design and the emergence of designers developed during the twentieth century, although it was not until the 1920’s that scenic design was listed in the theater programs as a production role. Nowadays, scenic or set design is a vital part of any theater or film production, as almost every show has some sort of set, no matter how minimal. Through their sets, which can be abstract, highly realistic, or anything in between, designers get to showcase their interesting concepts, new techniques, and unusual materials. According to Mark N Tompkins, the primary function of a set is to provide the audience with some context for the play, but it can also be a chance to create something stunning to draw in the audience.
As a set designer, the most important thing Mark N Tompkins learned was how to be innovative and original, draw inspiration from almost anywhere or anything, and never stop thinking about creative ways to help tell his story. Being a set designer means you have to create a concept that is in line with the director’s vision, and at the same to decide how it will be built, painted, and decorated. In other words, the set designer creates a design concept, which extends the director’s production concept into a complete plan for the visual aspects of the production. The look of the stage as a whole is the scenic artist’s responsibility, which means it can be as interesting as his or her imagination and ingenuity can make it. The set designer creates the primary visual environment for the theater production.
Mark N. Tompkins 