Staging and setting

When considering a set design, it is also vital to consider the staging and setting. Staging is how the set will be positioned, and how the audience will view it. The setting is the overall use of time and location and how that is going to be portrayed. Both staging and setting can be executed as abstract, and take a stylistic choice. I will be researching the different types of staging, then explaining how they fit within my concept for Electra.

End on/Proscenium arch 

A proscenium arch stage consists of four main compontents, the stage area, the apron,  an open arch, and the stage wings which are typically not made visual to the audience, who are seated facing end on.  Often described as a 'window', a Proscenium Arch frames the play taking place on stage. There are many advantages to this type of staging, one being the way it enables quick and easy scene transitions where the set may need to  change, another being it can allow for a more naturalistic, believable experience for the audience who do not see the exit/entrances, the lights, etc as they are covered often by a curtain. Since the late 18th century, ''proscenium arch theatre's have proven to still be the most popular style  for theatre's in the modern day.'' (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2015). The reasons I am considering for my set design to be built with a consideration of end on style theatre, is that it's one of the staging styles which resonates with greek theatre extremely well. It  also makes my idea of having a cyclorama backdrop more easy and viable.


Immersive/site specific/promenade 

Immersive Theatre is being made extremely more popular and recognised in today's modern theatre world. Site specific work defines as pieces of theatre which take places in spaces which aren't originally intended for a Theatre audience, and are transformed into productions. I love the idea of immersing your audience into the world of the play, it allows for a more intimate, unique experience. A company made famous for their immersive work is the theatre company, Punchdrunk, to whom I am extremely inspired by. They make shows where spectators can roam free around the spaces, actors and set designs are all around them, and they have the free will to go wherever and see what they like. It brings a new way of story-telling into theatre compass, and the challenge of taking the traditional tale of Electra into a immersive piece is something I would like to explore.