Types of theatrical scenery. What is scenery in a theatrical production

17.07.2019

DECORATION(a term derived from the Latin word decorare - to decorate, the French analogue of decor, Spanish - decorado, German - Buhnenbild, English - set), one of the ways to design performances in a modern theater. The main function of the scenery in the play is to create an image of the scene.

Historically, decorative art developed in the Renaissance, in the Italian court theater (), but its elements were present in the ancient tragedies of Ancient Greece. The Renaissance was preceded by the scenery of areal mystery performances, which recreated the canonical scenes of the main plot of Christian mythology (paradise, Nazareth, temple, Jerusalem, palace, dungeon, sea, purgatory, hell), located along one line (horizontally or in a circle) and shown viewers all at once. In Italian palace performances of the 16th century. “decorative perspectives” were used to depict typical scenes of tragedy, comedy and pastoral. They were located in the depths of the stage and served as a picturesque backdrop for the actors. These scenery were static. When it became necessary to show the change of scenes, they first began to use telaria (trihedral, and sometimes pentahedral, prisms. These designs were known in the ancient theater), which, turning, could show three, five or more different scenery pictures. Then rocker mechanisms were invented ( cm. STAGES), which made it possible to multiply the number of changing scenes. The next step was the appearance of the stile-arched scenery. It made it possible to create in the space of the stage-box the impression of the depth of the natural landscape, architectural landscape or interior depicted by the artist. From the end of the 18th century to recreate the interior environment, the so-called. pavilion decoration (three walls painted on canvas frames, cut through with door and window openings and supplemented by a ceiling), and in the romantic theater of the 19th century. - a picturesque and three-dimensional scenery, consisting of painted and three-dimensional design elements and in this way conveying a greater impression of the reality of the picture of the scene created on the stage. Finally, in the 20th century, thanks to new technology, it became possible to depict scenery virtually - using projection, and then a laser. On the other hand, stage designers are increasingly using authentic things (pieces of furniture, tools, various household accessories, etc.) and natural textures (wood, earth, sand, water, iron, etc.) to create the feeling of the maximum reality of the stage environment. ).

No matter how the decoration is created, it always remains an illusory image. Any attempts to overcome this illusory nature led to the rejection of scenery in general and to the staging of performances either in the surrounding real environment, or in the space of an empty stage, designed for theatrical performance. And although such scenes are known much earlier than the scenery, they are of great interest to modern masters. Nevertheless, the scenery continues to be necessary for the theater at the present time, it gives the artist the opportunity to solve complex creative problems and please the audience, because it reveals to them the image of the real life environment of the heroes of the play or immerses them in the world of fantasy, imagination, beauty.

Viktor Berezkin

In theatrical productions, the viewer appreciates not only the skill of the director or acting, but also the design of the stage. As a result, the scenery becomes an important part of almost any performance, and many theater artists are recognized as independent creators. There are many types of scenery, from screens and curtains made of fabric and plywood, to the most complex virtual images, which are created using computers and HP storage systems.

History of development

The forerunners of modern scenery appeared in ancient Greece. Painted boards were put forward from an extension called skena. The classical theater, consisting of a stage, wings and an auditorium, appeared only in the 16th century in Italy. It was here that the picturesque scenery, made on canvas, first appeared. A little later, such canvases were made interchangeable.

Modern scenography uses the centuries-old experience of theaters from different countries. The artist's arsenal has many techniques that are used separately or in combination. Decorations can be classified as follows:

  • rocker-arch;
  • rocker-movable;
  • pavilion;
  • voluminous;
  • projection.

As a result, the illusion is created that the action takes place exactly where indicated in the play. At the same time, the peculiarity of theatrical art is such that precise drawing of details is not required.

Virtual production design

Modern trends and trends are widely used in decoration. The most popular combination of active and passive stage design. Computer-generated images and real video are used as active scenery. In addition to external effects, the use of this method saves significant funds.

To create virtual scenery, you need to purchase projection equipment. Professional systems are no longer separate computers, but server solutions (for example, the HP server). With their help, you can not only display the selected images, but also create, process and store them.

Keywords: Stage design, what are the scenery, Virtual production design, stile-arched, stile-movable, pavilion, three-dimensional, projection, Modern scenography, HP server, HP storage systems, History of development

Everyone has visited the theater at least once. Such events fill with emotions, give spiritual satisfaction. Surely everyone knows what the scenery is, but few can imagine how theatrical performances would look without them. But this element is mandatory to create the desired effect.

What is scenery

Each performance requires a long preparation. The scenery in the theater can be different, for example:

  • small fragments that create the right atmosphere;
  • large-scale compositions that give a sense of the reality of what is happening on the stage;
  • lighting effects produced by spotlights and similar equipment.

In any case, it is not difficult to understand what scenery is. Thoughtful compositions can consist of different details and elements, which generally gives the opportunity to create the picture that is needed for a full perception of the action transmitted by the actors.

Why decorate the stage

Knowing what decorations are, you can understand how necessary they are in any performance. Without certain props, the picture will be incomplete. Yes, and it is easier for actors to convey emotions when the necessary atmosphere is created on the stage. Even a child knows what the scenery is in the theater, nevertheless, it is worth considering in detail the question of for what purpose and why they were invented.

Of course, professionally performing actors can convey the necessary emotions to the audience even without additional compositions on stage. But the scenery in the theater will help:

  • fully immerse the viewer in the story;
  • give the actors the opportunity to fully and completely convey the essence of the production;
  • set the mood for the performance and open up the horizons of creativity for those involved in the design of the stage for performances.

Having learned what the scenery is, a person will pay more attention to them when visiting the theater. And also understand how important stage decoration is. After all, we all want the actors to reveal their talents to the maximum and inspire those who came to see their performance.

Many of us often hear the word "decor"in everyday life. At first glance, this word is understandable and implies the decoration of an object or object. But is it really so? Let's try to figure out together how it happens and what interesting things it brings to our daily life.

Interior decor is the latest and, one might say, the most pleasant elements of home improvement. The very first and most important thing in creating decor is drawing up a design project. The project must be created according to the preferences and worldview of the owner of the house, or it can be created with the help of any souvenirs, things from travels or some beautiful and cozy artificial objects, with the help of original dishes and so on - it can be anything, on your discretion. But the very first point in creating a decor is a design project that must be carefully thought out.

Then you will need to move on to choosing the right furniture. By arranging the furniture in the chosen style of the room, the designer will definitely help you choose the right lamps or other decor items that will look stylish with the furniture. You may also need additional sculptures or artificial things for decoration. Many options will be considered until the perfect decor items are found.

Decor in stages

1). Style.

It is the main step in creating decor. When choosing a style, you need to think carefully about everything so that the decor elements fit perfectly into the interior and there are no flaws. And what style do you prefer?

2). Color.

Considering the question of what decor is, special attention should be paid to the color scheme. The colors of things that will be used as decor are very important, so they should be selected based on the preferences of the owner of the apartment, the area in which the apartment or house is located, and most importantly, the style.

3). Furniture.

Having solved the problem associated with choosing a factory that produces furniture for the chosen style, you can begin to select the most suitable lighting fixtures, lamps, chandeliers.

Most of the steps have already been completed, which means that you can proceed to the choice of textiles: carpets, curtains, pillows for chairs, sofas, bedspreads, and so on.

In the interior, carpets are very important. Fortunately, in the modern world there is a fairly large selection of carpets, so it will not be difficult to choose the most suitable one: they are square, oval, round in shape. Textile is very important because it creates comfort and good mood.

4). Accessories.

Compositions of various plants and flowers are the best interior decorations. If possible, then ordinary living plants can beautifully decorate the walls. If not, then they can be replaced with artificial flowers. You can also create beautiful interior decor with various figurines, paintings and other items that will showcase the owners' favorite activities.

- an interesting solution for any room

What it is This is a great solution to decorate dull and gray walls, adding variety to the design of the room. It is very easy to do it yourself. You can even use regular stickers for this.

First you need to understand why it was needed and what types of decor are. Let's collect all this piece by piece and create a specific ideological base - this will be the first step in decorating the walls.

Why did you need to decorate the walls?

First, it's art. Even without experience in drawing, you can do a good job of correcting the situation with dull walls. Every person is a creative person.

Secondly, decorating the walls, we thereby correct significant or minor flaws.

Thirdly, the decor of the walls creates a cozy and harmonious atmosphere around, and also emphasizes the individual style of the owner.

Varieties of decor

1). Mirrors.

2). Paintings.

3). Ecodecor.

4). Various posters, photographs.

6). Metal.

Make your own or buy from a store?

To make or buy is a personal initiative of everyone. Although, for example, if you can create a thing with your own hands, then you won’t need to buy it, and vice versa. But it is better, of course, to try to show your talent in decorating the walls.

we already know. Now is the time to talk about stencils and their main features.

What is the feature of stencils

Decor stencils are perfect for decorating a room, for giving it style, creativity. They are affordable and the most popular way to decorate walls.

A properly selected stencil will give the room not only style, but also a pleasant mood.

What are the types of stencils:

1). Volumetric, which are used to decorate walls.

2). Multicolor.

3). Reverse - great for wall decor in the bedroom.

4). Monophonic.

DIY decor. Photo of window decor

Pretty simple job. Usually you only need scissors and paper. It will be possible to add ribbons, toys or candles to snowflakes - and the New Year's mood is provided.

For example, using satin ribbons or beads, you can create a special color scheme.

1. Types of decorations by design qualities

The artistic image in scenography, as mentioned in the previous chapter, consists of many components, here we will consider the constructive components of the scenographic image. Historically, a whole typology of decorative solutions for theatrical structures has developed. The design is the internal basis, the skeleton, on which the expressive part of the design rests. Of course, the constructive part also has its own expressiveness, but this quality is not decisive. The typology for the constructive qualities of theatrical scenery considers it as a bearing element, and not as an expressive one. But without it, expressiveness cannot be ensured. First of all, decorations are divided into two large groups according to the nature of the materials from which they are made.

The first group - soft scenery . They are stage decorations made of materials that do not have their own internal structural basis, so they are suspended. These decorations are made from various fabrics, thin plastics, nets, ropes, chains of everything that cannot stand on its own and must be attached to something. Soft decorations have their own varieties.

backstage scenery can be detachable and lifting-arched. Detachable backstage decorations consist of three parts for each plan (two backstage and one ledge). The depth of the stage ends with a backdrop - a large panel hung parallel to the ramp, or a horizon hung in a semicircle or in the form of a trapezoid (in plan). Backstage decorations are hung strictly symmetrically.

In theatrical performances of the baroque, classicist, romantic and realistic theater, they were painted, made from a variety of fabrics. The painting most often depicted various architectural spaces. In order for the viewer to have the impression that the interior has vertical walls and horizontal ceilings, the painting on each plan was necessarily illuminated in such a way as to “kill” the shadows from the previous wings and ceilings. This work of light helped to create the illusion of grand palace interiors. Elevating-arched decorations are panels in the form of brackets hung according to each plan, which are also accompanied by a backdrop or horizon. Rising-arched decorations are painted and depict arched architecture. They are also illuminated according to each plan in order to level the shadows and create the illusion of heavy architectural structures.

Gardens, parks, forests are depicted on the stage using a grid, which is cut out in a shape resembling the letter "G". Two backstages of this form are decorated with an appliqué depicting trees and bushes with dense foliage, made of materials of different transparency. Such scenes are hung out very often (every 20 cm), and with the right lighting they give the impression of a brightly lit clearing in the forest through the foliage, through which the sun shines through. These decorations are complemented by fake bushes, stumps, walkways and a rug decorated to look like grass. The backdrop or horizon depicts the depth of the forest, the outgoing road, the bank of the river ... Backstage decorations originated in the Renaissance and are still being improved.


Decoration in cloth. This type of scenery is relatively young; it arose in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a time when a lot of mystical stories, fairy tale plots were staged in the theater, where the character needed to “appear” or “disappear” unexpectedly and quickly. Here, fabrics (and at that time cloth was very widely used) are hung quite arbitrarily in the space of the stage. Symmetry is not required. Fabrics can depict interiors, landscapes, and various fairy-tale realities. Such hanging decorations helps to suddenly appear and disappear between the folds. In addition, the abundance of folds on the stage made it more ceremonial, elegant, decorative, which was necessary for the Art Nouveau style that prevailed at that time.

hard scenery known since ancient times, some of them existed in the ancient theater. They are distinguished by their ability to carry the weight of the actor, props, props. To do this, they have the necessary strength, stability, do not require additional supporting devices, and are able to stand securely on the stage themselves.

backstage scenery set in the same way as soft backstage, symmetrically and according to plans. They are screens, which can be either simple rectangular or complex in shape, depicting architectural details, bushes, and so on. Screens can be in the form of triangular prisms rotating around their axis. Each face of such a prism bears a special image. The rotation of these prisms allows you to change the picture on the stage. In some performances, the screens were replaced by backstage machines, which are stretchers passed through the stage floor through special slots, and in the hold they moved along their own metal road. Such backstage machines made it possible to make a scenery up to five meters high and withstand the weight of the actor. The movement of the backstage cars significantly enriches the image of the performance.

Pavilion. This type of scenery appeared to serve the realistic theater. After the curtain was raised, the viewer saw an ordinary room with furniture, a chandelier, windows, doors, paintings, mirrors. The walls of this room are a system of stretchers covered with fabric, painted to look like wallpaper or pasted over with wallpaper. Window or door openings with suspended windows and doors are mounted in some of the subframes. So that the stretchers do not fall, slopes in the form of right-angled triangles are attached to them from the back side, which ensure the verticality of the “wall” of the pavilion. Typically, pavilion scenes are set in the form of a trapezoid (in plan) of three components. The fourth wall is a mirror of the scene. But there are pavilions made up of two walls and a ceiling. The walls are set at an obtuse angle (in plan) and create a not very deep play space. The "ceiling" of the pavilion can also be a system of stretchers, but in many cases, it is just a fabric that is fixed on a pole located behind the harlequin, and thrown over the "walls" from above. Then it is stretched and secured to the "handbrakes" on the back of the "wall" subframes.

Installation (design) - the youngest and most common, to date, type of scenery. It was formed in the 20s of the twentieth century, the first completed version of the installation was presented in the play "The Magnanimous Cuckold" by Vs. Meyerhold in 1922 (artist L. Popova).

The installation (another name for the structure) is a rigid structure on the stage made of any fairly light and rigid material. The setting is not removed during the entire performance. Her features:

a) several levels in height, which is necessary, firstly, to enrich the plasticity of the actors, secondly, to more proportionally solve the height of the stage mirror, and thirdly, to enhance the expressiveness of the scenographic image;

b) the symbolic nature of the appearance, expressing the idea of ​​comedy. In the production of The Magnanimous Cuckold, the installation depicts the “undressed” mechanism of the mill, laid on its side, which ironically symbolizes the “anatomy” of bourgeois love;

c) a setting is an active decoration that claims to become a character. In the example shown, the small yellow wheel of the machine begins to spin in the tie, the development of the action leads to the rotation of the large red wheel, and the rotation of the largest mill wheel begins at the moment of climax. This rotating background "leads" the emotions of the viewer.

Installation should not be confused with layout. The layout is an imitation of an object (porch, hillock), it can also be with several levels, capable of carrying heavy loads. There are even working layouts that imitate the action of the object they represent. But the layout never carries a character.

projection scenery appeared along with the discovery of electricity and have been used in the theater since the beginning of the twentieth century. Projection decoration is cheap, mobile, it can easily appear, disappear, be replaced by another picture. Projection decoration is good for mystical performances, performances of fairy tales. A projection decoration is a projection of an image of a landscape, interior, or any object necessary for the action. In realistic performances, it can replace the risky work of actors, such as life-threatening flights, falls are a moving projection image. This type of decoration is widely used in combination with other types. For example, it replaces part of the interior on the stage, or part of the landscape. Projection decoration requires a very precise technical organization. The direction of the projection beam and the work of the light on the stage must be especially adjusted so that there is no light exposure of the image, unnecessary reflexes and shadows. This type of scenery does not allow much light on the stage. In recent decades, the use of several projections at once in the decoration of both theatrical performances and concerts of various scales has become widespread. At the beginning of the 21st century, holographic projection decorations appeared. They show quite convincingly the illusion of the volume of the object. This image may be moving. This type of scenery has a great future.

Volumetric decorations. This term on the stage refers to the simultaneous use of any soft and voluminous hard scenery.

2. Describe the optical and psychophysical effects of orange and blue colors



Similar articles