The set for a play combines design elements (style, line, shape, mass, measure, position, color, and texture) and principles of composition (unity, harmony, contrast, variation, balance, proportion, and emphasis) to create a particular aesthetic. Class members examine images of sets and paintings and discuss how these elements and principles are combined to create a response in viewers.

Concepts

design, elements of design, sets, dramatic plays, dramatizations, principles of design, mood, tone, colors, color theory

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Additional Tags

visual and performing arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Enlarge, laminate, and post the set design photos and images of the paintings
• Provide all groups with the same basic set template, a list of required elements, and a mood or tone;  ask the groups to apply the elements of design to create a set that expresses that mood

Classroom Considerations

• The fourth in a 10-lesson unit on set design
• Assumes class members have previously studied the emotional impact of different colors, lines, textures, etc.

Pros

• The lesson creates an awareness of the many factors designers consider when crafting a set

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.9-10.1.a SL.11-12.1.a