Fundamentals of Theatrical Design: A Guide to the Basics of Scenic, Costume, and Lighting Design

The Fundamentals of Theatrical Design by Karen Brewster and Melissa Shafer is a comprehensive, extremely informative and entertaining book about all elements of Theatre Design. There is no aspect of Theatre Design not touched on and illuminated here. Brewster and Shafer have divided the book into four sections: 1) The Preliminary Design Process; 2) Understanding The Visual Components of Theatrical Design; 3)The Artistic and Practical Processes of Tehatrical Design; & 4)Epilogue-Building A Career in Theatre Design. This is essential reading for anyone, professional or amateur who wants to succeed in Theatrical Design of any kind. Plus, actors, directors and producers will also gain insight from this execptional book. I give it 5 BIG GOLD STARS. Buy it, read it - succeed!

I bought this textbook for my university class and it has helped me learn about theater a lot!

As a former theatre educator at both the high school and college/university level I feel this book would be most helpful as a textbook for schools that do not have formal design courses for preparing high school teachers and also would fill in a gap for high schools with Theatre or Drama Courses. Wish it provided more architectural drafting keys to symbols for reading scenery or lighting examples-

Professor assigned this book and it arrived on time. I cracked it open, starting from the end of the book and it was so informative about the entire aspect of theater. Most theater books are hefty (400pgs) and cost more, but this book is compact ( 282 pgs) and full of concise information. Definitely an addition to your library, along with The Art of Dramat!c writing by Ergi

I purchased this book and a few other titles while developing the curriculum for a new technical theatre class at my school, and it has been one of the most helpful.This book breaks down the design process, elements, and principles in an easy-to-understand way. It also goes into how the design process applies to different areas of stagecraft (scenic, costuming, and lighting). This book was also a treasure trove of exercises. At the end of each chapter there were a few exercises pinpointing developing the skills and ideas explored. As a teacher, I got a lot from these exercises, and I will be using and adapting several of them to help my students apply these design concepts.This book doesn't delve into the nitty gritty techniques of stagecraft (building flats and platforms, scenic painting techniques, focusing lights, etc.), because its intended focus is primarily design. So, if you're a beginner who is looking for something that will tell you how to build something, you'll need a different book. But this one is great for teaching you how to use those skills effectively to design for a production.Definitely keeping this book on my shelf for reference!

The book is clear, detailed, informative and inspiring! The authors know the essence and the mechanics of theater lighting, design and performance. And they come to it through their experience and brilliance.

It's a lot more "wonky" than I expected. It clearly could be a college textbook, and is a lot more technical than most of my high school theatre tech students are ready for. I think it will be a good resource, but it won't be my first go-to.

THis book is well laid out, thoughtful, insightful and a true joy to read. It brings theatrical design to a level understandable by students and meaningful to professionals. The Kindle edition allows the reader to quickly move through the material from an interactive table of contents. I strongly recommend this book to all high school theatre teachers and directors!