Decorator in the theater. Making scenery for the stage

Why do people go to the theater? To enjoy a wonderful acting, an interesting plot of the play and ... delightful scenery. Have you ever wondered who creates them and what does it cost?

Decorators in the theater work tirelessly to translate the design director's plan from flat sketch drawings to voluminous scenery. From this article you will learn about the profession of an artist-decorator.

Profession history

Decorators appeared in the ancient world. This is connected with the needs of high society - ministers of religion, rulers - to surround themselves with a rich and refined interior made of unique and expensive materials that would amaze the imagination of the ambassadors of foreign delegations.

The profession of the artist-decorator is as old as the theater. It has come a long way of becoming and developing. The theatrical scenery was initially primitive and rude. Now the representatives of the profession create everything for the highly artistic design of the scene.

Briefly about the profession

The name of this profession came from the English word "decorate", which means "decorating".

Decorators are specialists in decorating rooms and theater artists who, based on sketches of other artists, write scenery for performances. One of their main tasks is the production of scenery that will create a unique appearance of the stage, which will reflect not only the director's tastes, but also the spirit of the performance.

The artist-decorator is a kind of stage architect. He needs to understand its structure from the outside and from the inside. The artist needs to know how to make scenery for the stage with his own hands in order to control the work process and monitor the competent embodiment of the creative idea.

Theater artists closely interact with the director: they must always take into account the creative idea and realize its idea. However, passive incarnation is not enough. If the artist-decorator has sufficient experience and talent, he can enrich and expand the director's idea. Uniting efforts, you can achieve incredible results.

Duties

The duties of the artist-decorator include the management of workers in the studio of the theater, as well as personal performance of the most complex paintings. In addition, the artist-decorator takes part in the reception of sketches and layouts of scenery for performances and controls the artistic state of the scenery for the performances of the current repertoire. He provides guidance on the restoration, if the theatrical scenery has deteriorated. Works on preserving their original style and color. Scenery for the stage often requires a lot of different materials, which are also taken into account by decorators.

The mass and uniqueness of the profession

Often, the artist-decorator is equated with similar professionals whose professions are related to creativity, for example, to designers. However, this is not at all true. The artist-decorator's activity is aimed at making scenery for the stage, which will help to recreate the atmosphere of the work and help the actors play, while the design work is aimed at mass production.

The profession of a theater artist-decorator can not be attributed to the mass. Often in the same theater for decades working the same specialist.

In a large city, where many theaters operate, it is quite possible for a young specialist to find a place in the decor shop and, through perseverance and creative individuality, become the head of the workshop.

The decorator must ...

• To be able to draw and think creatively.
• Know the basics of composition, drawing and painting.
• Understand the laws of color science and the psychology of color.
• Remember the history of styles and arts.
• To know the traditions of interior design, both modern and historical, ethnic.
• Consider the features of visual perception of the viewer.
• To be guided in the market of modern materials of a decor.
• Understand the device and equipment of the scene, its characteristics.

Personal qualities

Personal qualities that an artist-decorator must possess:

• Ability to analyze.
• Creativity, resourcefulness and ingenuity.
• Flexibility of thinking and curiosity.
• Developed spatial imagination.
• Artistic abilities.
• Exercise and responsibility.
• Attentiveness and accuracy.

Education: where to get a profession?

The profession of an artist-decorator can be obtained in secondary specialized art schools, architectural and art academies. You can improve your professional skills at various seminars, courses and master classes.

How does the decorator work?

So, where does the work of the stage designer begin? As with any director and actor - from reading the script, because the scenery in the future are designed precisely on its basis.

The artist-decorator needs to understand the ideological message of the work, get acquainted with the characters, penetrate the historical epoch in which the action takes place, and also to feel its rhythm, dynamics and interlacing of the plot. Here the work begins: the artist-decorator presents the performance as if he is already on the stage. Imagination at this stage is a very important part, as it works to clarify the idea of the future production.

The first condition for the further literate work of a theatrical artist is a clear idea of the staging and possible character of her artistic decision. Then there is a discussion of the concept with the director. In most cases, the interaction of these two people determines the success of the performance.

After discussion with the director, the sketches and mock-ups of the future design of the stage are being worked out, as well as the elaboration of the decoration in general. Here it is necessary to remember that the scene is not just a part of the hall that needs to be made. This space for acting, which is filled with emotions and has its expressive power. The artist creates a set of scenery, forming a "style of performance", working out the design.

Next, coordinating the layout with the director and making corrections, the decorator-artist starts directly to create the scenery. This is a period of painstaking work on the details, the selection of the necessary material, texture and shade.

The color solution of the scene should not be in itself: it is coordinated with the director, costume designers and lighting artists. In addition, every work of world classics requires its color palette.

At first glance it may seem that there are too many trifles in the work of the stage designer, but it is from them that the whole image of the whole play is formed. They help the viewer enter the atmosphere of the production, and the actors - in their roles.

"To work for an actor" is one of the main precepts of the artist-decorator. The decoration of the production works to ensure that the actors build the plastic of their character, find the most advantageous section of the scene for each moment of the performance.

The colors of the spotlights that can be seen during the production process can be very diverse. The paints of electric lighting should competently join the general outline of the decoration of the performance.

All this time we talked about the theatrical artist-decorator. But this profession is equally important both in the musical theater and in the circus. A colorful and vivid performance in the arena is created not without the participation of the artist. In the creation of any performances, productions and concerts can not do without the help of an artist-decorator.