Projection Design as a Servant Art
Caroline Trewet
Mentor: Professor Drew Schmidt
Department of Theatre
The job of the theatre designer is one of selfless balance: create something bright and beautiful that sets the stage for someone else to receive the focus and attention. This is a difficult line to walk, especially for a theater designer working with a flashy design element like projections. But striking this balance is important not only for theater designers but for the success of the whole production. My project involved developing grounding guidelines to help protect the process of theater designers working with projections. Simply put, projections should be: (1) integral; (2) integrated; and (3) subservient. My research shows how using these guidelines can help create a striking moment in a play, a moment in which the design belongs, supports, and serves the whole theatrical experience.