11.512 Schulich Fall Rev_Layout 1 - The Schulich School of ...

SCIENCE OFSET DESIGNFor the record, yes, newsets are designed, builtand installed for virtuallyevery play that is produced.Occasionally set pieceslike furniture may bereused but sets aredesigned and built to thespecific requirements ofthe play, the stage and thetech nology at the venue.The technology canbe a game changer. Awardwinning set and lightingdesigner Terry Gunvordahlhas created sets for mostof the theatre companiesin Calgary. “Stage designhas become dependenton the technologyand equipment availableat the various venues,”says Gunvordahl. “Muchof what designers do todayinvolves taking an off-theshelfsolution to a problemand adapting it.”I have seen lightingand sound create a jailcell, an ascending elevator,a moving train, evena pipeline – all on acompletely bare stage.Shadows and soundschange to suggest timeof day, locale and season.Imagine you hear palmtrees swaying, or ablizzard howling. That’sthe magic of live theatre.Set designers, asGunvordahl attests, areexperts at creating fantasyworlds that change on adime. A bedroom becomesa crowded street. An elevatorbecomes a nightclub.In some venues, sets can‘fly’ in from above. In others,you may need a revolvingstage deck or, often, simplyclever manipulation ofmulti-purpose set features.Technology has influencedall of these designelements in recent years.Advances in hydraulics,digital and touch screentechnology, projectionand sound recording allowaudiences to interact withthe performance in muchmore exciting ways. Cirquedu Soleil is a stunningexample of how technologycan create a world whereanything is possible.Occasionally, sciencenot only helps to createthe story, it is the story.One of Downstage Theatre’smost popular productions,In The Wake, is a charming,highly physical examinationof geo-engineering andeco-terrorism. A heavytopic becomes a comic,memorable, thought-provokingplay in the deft handsof the Downstage ensemble.The entire play takesplace on a bare six-footby three-foot illuminatedplatform and appearsto be deceptively low-tech.However, computertech nology is required tomanage the more than200 lighting cues essentialto the production.Peace Bridge1. 2011Artist’s renderingof the Peace Bridge.Image courtesyCity of CalgarySCHULICH 12 ENGINEER