Theaterical set deign is the foundation of most of the topics i blog about. While I build very little for theater these days - the principles should be understood by anyone in any field related to stage design , themed design Stage design is not just creating a place for the actors, performers, characters, speakers to walk on , but to interact with, a place that is their home. It is important to keep this in mind while designing a set for a production - it has to represent them. Im seeing a lot of "contemporary" stage design these days that has "cool shapes" or "contrasting textures" - that's all good - a clean, generic design is often called for- but when the set needs to be more involved , below are some the basic methods... For museum design - "realism" is the staples - recreating a scene in its authentic state - common for small theater, too distracting for most other productions Theatricalism assumes the audience understands they re at a show - not immersed in an real scene, but the scenery is often minimal to give more focus to the performance. There might be exposed lights, or clear transitions. For more powerful or emotional performances , this "less is more" approach can really enhance the focus on the dialogue. (below a silitary rooftop in a built up metropolis - without the build up!) Expressionism tries to create the world that the actors are in from the point of view of the main character.key elements are more exaggerated as they symbolize the story or the main character. Big theatre thrives on expressionist stage design ( I haven't seen this show - but this set illustrates differnces, division, choices)