ABSTRACT
Except in the smallest fringe productions whose rock bottom budgeting imposes a basically do-it-yourself approach, the designer's role in making sets, costumes and props is essentially one of supervision. It is a time when a designer is constantly pressed for instant decisions. There are days when the queue of specialist makers requiring immediate answers to alternative materials or methods seems longer than a multiple choice examination paper. How well the designer answers these questions will be one major factor in the successful realisation of the design. The other is watching progress and intervening positively when some aspect of the design is being misinterpreted.
