UC Santa Cruz

Theater is a collaborative process that demands that many different aspects of design come together in a unified entity. In this thesis I hope to showcase and explain my design process for the scenic design of Machinal (directed by Kirsten Brandt) in order to illustrate the significance of both scenic design, and of theater as a means of self reflection. Going through my design process step-by-step will also clarify to the reader the importance of each individual step and how all of these steps tie into the final design and work. Through steps such as initial readings of the script, research, meeting notes, model making, drafting, scenic painting, etc my thesis becomes a guide as to how I have reached the final product of the scenic design of Machinal, and why the design aspects are the way they are, as well as what steps and decisions were made and changed in this organic unfolding of the process. I will also detail the amount of collaboration that happens within the process of designing Machinal, and I will note how this design and collaboration leads to a unified piece of theater that lets the audience enter a world and be told a story. I would like the reader to come to the understanding that, despite the step-by-step outline of my design process, the end result of the scenic design is extremely dependent on collaboration and both practical and visual challenges that vary even within two productions of the same play.