Advice for someone interested in set design?

Hey Emily!

I would definitely look into following David Korins, He did the design for Hamilton and does a great job putting his work and process out there. Another extremely candid designer is Gary Kordan, who does the design for Key & Peele. https://vimeo.com/user526429
I've personally found his vimeo channel useful to see what goes into television production design.

Besides them, it is very useful to just get involved with as many artists and styles as you can. In the end, your work will in some way be a product of your peers, so cultivate those relationships and continue to consume as many different styles as you can!

Where are you located, Emily? Oren Parker's book of Set Design is a University standard. Go to abebooks.com, an online used bookstore, and search set design. Excellent books will appear for $4. Or go to the reference librarian at your library to find books onshelf or Inter Library Loan. The best thing about the books are the pictures. Whatever you can imagine, you can build onstage.

Take a drafting class and art classes. I used guache to paint my elevations (pictures of your set).

Check out plays and start sketching what you think serves the play.

Do you have a regional or local professional theater or university in your area? After doing the above you'll have pages of questions. Then contact the Technical Director of one or all of the above and schedule a meeting to ask your questions.

It's your personal education.

Hi Emily,
Everything from those above is absolutely correct! I would like to add that you should take time to learn the other disciplines of theatre (or film, or whatever industry you are looking at) to understand how it all fits together. It's important to know​ how lighting, costumes and even the choreography can affect the scenic design of a show and vice versa. Also take the opportunity to be on stage to learn how an actor works/depends on a good design.

If you have a local community theatre volunteer in the scene shop or be on crew for a few shows. You'll get your foot in the door and be able to talk to people face to face and hopefully find a mentor you can go to regularly for question and advice. Professionals love to help and inspire future designers.

Once you start to develop relationships and see what you really enjoy look into and apply for internships and summer stock. The more experience you get and the more people you know will provide more resources and opportunities down the road. Theatre is a very small world!

I hope this helps a little. I don't have any books or names but just look at scenic design on line or look up a favorite show of yours and see all the different interpretation. You may find a designer that speaks to you and things that don't. Sometimes it's just as important to learn what doesn't work as finding what does.
Good luck!!!

Hi Emily,
The previous answers are wonderful - follow their advice!

As you continue your exploration of the field, take note of the many specialties involved with scenery, and the wealth of industries that utilize set designers. Film, television and theatre are the obvious ones, but a set designer can also work in event design (corporate events and private parties); theme parks; museum, gallery and exhibit design; industrial shows - fashion shows, auto shows, etc; retail displays and visual merchandising; the list extends to anything that requires an environment specifically designed to support or enhance any event- and they can all be pretty exciting.

As for specialties within the field: drafting, model building, scenic painting, sculpting, carpentry and metal work, technical design, automation design and engineering, props, upholstery, fabrication of all things weird and extraordinary - this is another list that I am really only scratching the surface of- needless to say, there is a lot to explore!

Some Books to check out-

American Set Design (volumes 1 by Arnold Aronson and/or 2 by Ronn Smith) and Sculpting Space in the Theatre by Babak Ebrahimian - these are both books of interviews with successful theatre designers.

Ming Cho Lee, A Life in Theatre

Drafting for the Theatre by Dennis Dorn and Mark Shanda is a standard primer for drafting

The Handbook of Model-Making for Set Designers by Colin Winslow is pretty comprehensive

Scenic Art for the Theatre by Susan Crabtree is like a bible for the scenic painter.

there are plenty of books on the topic but these should do well to get you started.

Also, check out https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL48EDBCB4915D0ACA
The National Theatre has an amazing youtube channel where you will find videos on everything about theatre.

Best of luck to you!