Hello,

I am new into the set designs for a jr theater. We are doing a production of The Wizard of OZ. I am wondering if there are any design plans for this play. I need all the help i can get. If you have any suggestions I would appreciate the help.

Thank You

Let me offer a couple of suggestions - not specifically about Oz but issues that might get you.  Most plays other than musicals have a sketch of the set in the back of the script.  This is a good starting place.   I can't tell you how many times I have asked an actor why he or she moved and heard the response:  "Its right here in the script - crosses left."  With tongue firmly in cheek, I don't think actors should get any more stage directions in their script than Shakespeare uses:  Enters, exits, dies.  I say this because it affects how I, as a director, want the set.

When I did Arsenic and Old Lace, I flipped the set right for left because the actors were slavishly following the blocking instructions in the script.  Of course there was no set that early in our rehearsal process and our set needed to be very different due to stage considerations.  I also wanted the front door to be closer to the green room for convenience.  When I directed The Female Version of The Odd Couple, I wanted the first Trivial Pursuit game played in the living room rather than at the kitchen table.  The set designer had fits trying to fit two large playing areas on the stage but it worked very nicely and was interesting to look at.

I always look on the internet for pictures of other productions.  If I know another theater that has done the show - even if several years ago, I ask for some pictures.  They help a lot - not that I follow them exactly but they always give me some good ideas.

Each stage has some specific attributes that dictate much about the set.  How much off stage temporary set storage space do you have?  Is the stage a true proscenium or does it have a large thrust (3/4 in the round)?  How high is the acting space?  (Can you have a two story set?)  Is the play to have a realistic set or just suggested?  Are multiple levels called for (risers, ramps or boxes)?  All of these dictate how the set will look. 

The play itself will dictate to varying degrees how the set will look.  Doors, windows and play specific needs are usually easy to find in the script.  Once you have a concept of how the set will look, set the doors.  How many?  Which wall?  How will you support them so the walls don't shake when they are opened or closed (doors create a blast of air if they are opened or closed rapidly which can move the fabric in a flat)?  Which is used most often for entrances and exits?  Will the door open in or out?  Do you want the audience to see what lies beyond the door?  Will the hinges be upstage or downstage?   How many people need to enter in a group?  There are specific reasons for each of these decisions.  Then look at the script again for specific set requirements.  In the Odd Couple, Florence throws a glass at a wall.  That won't work on a muslin flat.  Where are you going to put the practical wall?   Over the River and Through the Woods needs a front porch outside the front door - that means a wall with a door in it that has no real support on the downstage end.  How will you support it?  In Arsenic and Old Lace, Teddy needs to charge up the stairs.  Hard to do in one or two steps because you have low ceiling height.  Platforms tend to sound like drums when someone runs on them.

As Gaafa suggests, talk with the Director early and often as your design evolves.  If the Director assumes the front door will be down left and you put it up right, guess who gets to change their plan?  Everyone else in the production crew will have their needs too.  Will the doors be wide enough for the women in hoop skirts and the guy with the weird costume to enter?  Will the lights cast a shadow on the stage back wall or the scenery behind the window?   Get everyone to buy in to your major design points as soon as possible in the process.  You can refine it later.  My goal as a producer is to agree on the major (and some minor) features of the set by the second prodcution meeting.  Nothing can go forward without this.

A long somewhat off topic response but it is a quiet Sunday morning around here so I thought I would share.

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