ABSTRACT

Innovating the Design Process: A Theatre Design Journey explores the process of designing for theatre and details how each part of a designer’s own process, no matter what their design specialization, can be innovated and adapted for a more confident journey and for better outcomes.

The book observes and deconstructs the processes used by theatre designers, uncovers and explains the structure and concepts behind those processes and shows how they can be easily reassembled for better results and to meet different situations. It uses innovative real-world practical examples from all the fields of theatre design taken from shows throughout the author’s career. The processes covered in this book are split into two sections – design development and design implementation – with an additional chapter covering design presentations. Written in an engaging and informative style, this text opens up a designer’s ability to innovate within the design process to optimize reproducibility, resilience, personal fit, confidence, collaboration and audience engagement.

Innovating the Design Process is a next level book for both MFA theatre design students and early career professionals who wish to develop their craft further. Seasoned professionals will also find within its pages concepts to reinvigorate their own design process.

The book includes access to an online guide to using Microsoft Word for Mac to mirror content in two separate documents.

chapter 1|6 pages

Introduction

Innovation and Creativity

chapter 2|8 pages

Prototyping as Design Process

chapter 3|6 pages

Words as Pre-Prototype

chapter 4|7 pages

Script as Machine

chapter 5|8 pages

Symbols, Narrative and Vocabulary

chapter 6|5 pages

Granularization

chapter 7|6 pages

Purpose, Meaning, Reason and Research

chapter 8|11 pages

Word-Based Prototype Template

chapter 9|7 pages

Simplicity, Syncing Up and Annealing

chapter 10|8 pages

On-Ramp, Quest and Warm-Up

chapter 11|6 pages

Meet & Greet

chapter 12|4 pages

Designer Run

chapter 13|8 pages

Next Morning

chapter 14|7 pages

Fade Ins and Outs

chapter 15|6 pages

Designer as Chef

chapter 16|6 pages

Content, Distribution, Environment

chapter 17|4 pages

Quiet Time

chapter 18|7 pages

Tech

chapter 19|7 pages

Observing

chapter 20|7 pages

Ending Safely