DESIGNING STAGE ELEMENTS USING CAD

THEAT1010 – Final Project

For my final project I have chosen to research designing a set with a

CAD program from Google Inc. called SketchUp. I have used this application

in the past (then known as Google Sketch) and understand its basic usage.

This is the application Mark Wallace was using in the YouTube video

“Starting Set Building” (Wallace, 2010) (posted to moodle as “Designing a

Set using a computer program”). It is available to students for free, as a trial,

or for public/corporate use for $590. SketchUp is a conceptual design tool to

model in 3D on a PC. The use of 3-Dimensional modeling and real world

measurements can help make the conversion to the actual physical product

simpler, as well as making the estimated cost of material much more

accurate.

Computer Aided Design increases the efficiency of the designing

process, especially with collaboration. A major change needed in the design

no longer has to be redrawn and distributed to the crew affected. A few

mouse clicks, and an email attachment can be sent via the web to mobile

devices almost instantly.

For this project I will be designing a set to be used for the play Fences by

August Wilson using the stage layout for the Johnny Carson Theater at the

UNL campus. I found the dimensions of the stage for the theater at a website

called School Theater and they are as follows:

Depth-18 ft. Crossover-30 ft.

Below is an image of the layout (Educational Theatre Association, 2014):

For the stage we will require:

Front of 2 story brick houseo Porch that needs paint

1-2 chairs 2-3 steps Flat roof Icebox

Yardo Tree

Hanging ballo Oil Drumso Construction Equipment

Hammer Saw Sawhorse Lumber

Fence

I’ll first use the layout mode in SketchUp to mark my useable area of

space so I will know my exact restrictions when it comes to sizing the

elements being used. After laying out my stage, I then begin marking the

locations of the objects placement area on the stage before starting the 3D

modeling of the objects. SketchUp uses a three axis design modeler that can

snap to impotent sections of the model so there is no need to measure and

square ever line to keep the symmetrical integrity true. Once the modeling

of the object is complete, the components of an object, say a door or window

on the house object, can have textures like wood or paint. This give a more

realistic visual feel of what it might look like when it’s physically completed.

Once the initial modeling is done, premade objects can be found within

SketchUp and then placed anywhere in the model to help the hands visualize

placement and scale of items. Sketchup allows the model to be shared in 2D

using image popular file formats like jpeg to be viewed by most devices, or

actual 3D models and renderings using special software.

Google’s SketchUp is extremely powerful, yet simple to understand and

control. The only thing it’s waiting for is your imagination.

Sample images of my Fences stage design:

ReferencesD., W. R. (2005). Be a Successful Remodeling Contractor. New York, NY, USA. Retrieved

December 9, 2014

Educational Theatre Association. (2014, Jan 22). Freestyle Theater - Thespian Theater.

Retrieved Dec 9, 2014, from School Theater:

http://www.schooltheatre.org/thespianfestival2015/onstage/freestyletheatre

Wallace, M. (2010, Feb 26). Starting Set Building. Retrieved 12 9, 2014, from YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI5MQpjEgys

Wilson, E. (2015). The Theatre Experience 13th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. ISBN is 978-0-07-351427-7.

Gainor, J. E. (2010). The Norton Anthology of Drama, Shorter Edition. New York: W. W .Norton and Company. ISBN is 978-0-393-93412-0.