Theatrical Production: A study of various aspects of production and performance

Ingmar Bergman, the famous Swedish director and producer, compared theatre to a "loyal
wife" and film to a "demanding and expensive mistress", thus suggesting his faith in theatre over
films. The other aspect of his reference can be read in terms of his loyalty of theatrical
production over cinema. Though with passage of time the magnanimity of theatrical production
has got a boost but limited resources has nevertheless managed to make a mark in the
entertainment world of theatre. Today theatrical production has diversified immensely and
entails a long list of personnel involved in putting up an act together. The success of a theatrical
production depends on the cooperative effort of various people, namely director, producer, stage
personnel, costumes designer, backstage support, music director and recording artists.

What is a theatrical Production?

It is very important to understand the term production before we have a better understanding of
theatrical production. The term production finds its origin in the Latin word producere which
means to lead or bring forth. Oxford defines the term production as, the action of making or
manufacturing from components or raw materials, or the process of being so manufactured or the
process of or management involved in making a film, play, or record.

A theatrical production is the process involved in conversion of a dramatic text into a theatrical
performance which involves a diverse range of art forms from acting, direction, production,
lighting, stage props, costume designing, music, backstage support etc. It is a transformation of
one art form into another from text to an enriching visual experience of performance.

There is a production team which is under the supervision of the production manager who
ensures co- ordination of all the technical and staging requirements in a production house.
There are certain theatres which have their own production or technical managers who co-
ordinates with the creative team and are accountable for the sets, costumes, lighting, props,
music and other expertise and cater to the creative team’s vision.
This complex process of conversion of text into performance begins with interpretation or
drawing out of underlying meaning of a dramatic text through careful and comprehensive study
of central themes and various recurring motifs present in the dramatic script. This interpretation
or transformation very often undergoes a substantial degree of change in order to serve a specific
audience, very often known as an adaptation in world of theatre and cinema. William
Shakespeare has been one of the most adapted playwrights in theatres and even in cinemas. His
plays have been widely adapted all across the globe. Various Indian theatre groups like
Naseeruddin Shah’s Motley Productions, Atul Kumar’s The Company Theatre and The Madras
Players theatre groups have staged various works of Shakespeare in original form and its
adaptations. Besides theatrical adaptations Shakespeare’s works has also been adapted widely
into cinema by Indian directors like Gulzaar and Vishal Bhardwaj. Angoor, Maqbool, Omkara
and Haider are a few well known adaptations by them.

Though theatrical production is a complex process which involves a varied range of expertise, a
few of the most important components of theatrical production are as follows:

1. Acting

2. Direction

3. Production

4. Costume

5. Set design

6. Stage props

7. Lighting
Please refer to the flow chart of a theatrical Production which would give us a fair deal of
understanding of the hierarchy in the theatre.
Direction

It has been rightly said by the famous Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio that, “You never
know as a director what other directors do. Because you don't get to see what they do.” So how
do we evaluate the director in a theatre or a movie? We get to see it through the actors’
performance, which is a reflection of director’s expertise.
A director is the leader of the production team who brings together and coordinates with the
complex pieces of production which includes actors, various experts like costume, sound,
lighting and set designers along with stage manager and the crew. He is a visionary with an
artistic approach towards the project and hence is known as an artistic director as well. The
production is his brain child which he nourishes with his coherent and consistent artistic vision
of the play. He also coordinates with other departments, in order to sustain the vision of the play.
The artistic function of a director begins with the selection of script, its analysis besides
researching the theatrical script, author’s period and his style. He conveys his artistic vision to
various departments, who is part of production in order to achieve a desired output. The
performers co-ordination, their entrances, smooth exits, apt scene changes, usage of space on the
stage, the pace and rhythm of the play; all of these together decides the capabilities of a director.
Discussing the role of a director Jean Vilar in his essay, Murder of the Director states that,
“Where the actor is concerned, the director's art is one of suggestion. He does not impose, he
suggests. Above all, he must not be brutal. The "soul of an actor" is not an idle phrase: even
more than the "soul of a poet", it is a continuing necessity. One does not win a creature's soul by
brutalizing it, and the actor's soul is more necessary to the work of theatre than his sensitivity.”
He also goes on to say that, a directors role ‘is to inspire the actor with confidence, to convince
him that he has, in the very expressive phrase, "found" or "rediscovered" his character.’

He is the one who arranges for the auditions, rehearses and prepares the actors for the show. He
is responsible for all artistic decisions pertaining production and may designate assistant
directors and share any portion of his responsibilities. We have certain expectations from a
director which includes having coherent understanding of the play and a general vision for the
show. An excellent organizational and communication skill adds to the success of the
production. A director is more of an amalgamation of artistic and managerial expertise, who
functions for the success of the project and is the force behind the unification of the cast and
crew as a team.

Direction is not merely an interpretation of script on to stage but a careful absorption of an idea
or work into another form keeping in mind the political and cultural contexts of the audience. As
Karnad very clearly states, however, the attempt "was not to find and reuse forms that had
worked successfully in some other cultural context. The hope, rather, was to discover whether
there was a structure of expectations-and conventions-about entertainment underlying these
forms from which one could learn."
Besides Girish Karnad, Kavalam Narayana Panikkar, Habib Tanvir and Vijay Tendulkar are
members of what is often referred to as the "Theatre of Roots" movement in Indian theatre,
which began to study traditional Indian performance forms to understand what could be used in
the conceptualization of a modern Indian drama.

There are certain other subsidiaries of direction which is in the field of music and technical
expertise i.e. music director and technical director who works under the supervision of artistic
director.

Producer

Producers are the people who create an approved budget for a theatrical production and ensure
that the deadlines are being adhered. He is the one responsible for the arrangement of finance
involved in the production, along with manpower and material. He conducts the weekly
production meetings and spearheads the production along with the director. This person is
responsible to source the performers with a team who will create and put up the show. In case if
a theatre is not producing its own act, an independent producer takes care of it.

His act begins with developing budget for entire production. All the expenses are met by the
producer, which includes performance fee, costumes, set designing, music, labor etc. Right from
the arrangements of audition space, performance space to the securing of rights to production is
handled by him. He handles the production schedules and may designate Assistant Producers and
share any portion of his responsibilities.
Costume manager (Team)

According to Allen Sworth, “A good costume, like good speech or good dialogue or good
business, should perform certain definite functions. It should cover and if desirable,
enhance the appearance of the person wearing it”.

Over the years costume designing has become a major part of theatre production in
contemporary theatre. Costume design is the sum total of clothing and the overall
appearance of a character required for a play. It has gone through various stages of
development and its recognition as a separate field has lagged behind other fields like stage
design and stagecraft. Earlier we had this economical concept of borrowing or renting of
costumes which has found its way into disfavor. There are a few basic functions of costumes
which help in projection of a character evidently. The first and foremost is defining of a
character in a specific time and space. It establishes the approximate age, gender with help
of wigs, fabrics, colors, fit and makeup. It helps us establish rank or social status of a
character; reflects changes in character like richer, poorer, older, injured, fatter etc.
through change or alteration of costume.

The second is to support the theme, concept and mood of a play. The costume must express
the director’s concept besides supporting the emotional feeling which penetrates the
experience of the audience. The style, in which a costume is created, its texture, scale, color
interprets a theatrical performance’s theme, concept and mood. The costume can be realistically
created which is close to actual demand of a play. A costume designer is supposed to have a
strong visual sense along with knowledge of clothing styles and history and works within the
budget of the theatrical production.

Referring to the role of a costume designer or expert’s role in theatre production, Lucy Barton in
her essay, A major in Costume states that:

‘It must be insisted that the serious purpose of a costumer is not to give the actors "something to
wear," not to "make them look pretty," not even to "dress the stage"; rather it is to aid in the
interpretation of the play as a whole and of each character in the play. A good costume
becomes part of the actor's characterization; it clothes the character properly, so that the
audience is never aware of the dress as separate from the character. Therefore it is of prime
importance that that costume shall be designed to express the character.’
It’s quite evident how audience recognizes costume as part of the character and not as a separate
entity in a theatrical production.
Why are costumes
Why are costumessoso important
important for for the delivery
the delivery of a role?
of a role?

Costume provides a strong visual support to the context, storyline and concept of the play;
it reflects the visual style of the production and enables actors in justifying the portrayal of
their characters. There are several directors who prefer working together with their costume
designers in realizing their work accurately and realistically. Nowadays costume designer’s
works in collaboration with the directors by participating in rehearsals in order to get an
understanding how the dress will be used and to ascertain that the stylistic selections made in
initial discussions of the production will continue to be part of it or would undergo certain
changes.
In my opinion characters on stage are visually incomplete without proper costumes. The
nature of the character on stage is reflected through appropriate costumes. The role of
costume designers are not as easy as it seems to be, the shape, the color, the design, the fabric,
everything is projected in a specific manner so that all the symbols in union with the act
come alive meaningfully and elegantly. He is as involved in the act as an actor on the stage.

Make-up goes hand in hand with costume, and plays an important role in visual aesthetic of a
character, its projection and even practical elements in a production. It provides the key
information about a character at first appearance. Makeup and hairstyling enhances the
storytelling and make a play look more realistic. If the dialogue acts as melody of a
movie, the color represents harmony and a satisfying visual cohesiveness to the act.
The makeup and hair designer is responsible for ensuring availability of makeup supplies for the
act which includes any specialty makeup and hair items. They also make sure that the actors
have the appropriate makeup and hair style throughout the play. Besides they also hold makeup
and hair workshops/rehearsals around production week for the cast.
 Costume Terminology

COSTUME FITTING: First meeting between the actor and his/her costume. Enables wardrobe
staff to ensure a correct fit, and to enable the actor to see if all necessary movement is possible.

DRESSING ROOMS: Rooms containing clothes rails and mirrors (often surrounded with lights)
in which actors change into their costumes and apply make-up. Dressing Room doors have a list
of the actors contained within.

GREEN BAIZE: Prior to 17th century actors dying on stage, a green baize cloth was laid down
on the stage to save their costumes from needing cleaning. This was also a useful anticipation
builder for the audience, especially if the cloth was laid during the interval halfway into the
performance.

QUICK CHANGE: A change of costume that needs to happen very quickly takes place close to
the side of the stage. Costume designers need to know about the need for a quick change so that
the costume is made incorporating elements such as Velcro and zips rather than buttons.

QUICK CHANGE ROOM: Area adjacent to the stage containing lighting, a mirror and a
costume rail in which actors can make costume changes quickly, sometimes with the aid of a
dresser.

SEAMSTRESS: Member of the wardrobe department who operates sewing machines and carries
out other sewing tasks.

SKIP (Costume/Props): A large wicker basket or box, often wheeled, which stores costumes
and/or props for touring.

UNPICK: Small cutter designed for unpicking a sewn seam. Useful for undoing alterations to a
costume following a production.

WARDROBE: The general name for the costume department, its staff and the accommodation
they occupy.
 Set Design, Stage props and Lighting

Set design includes a lot of other expertise besides creating a background which reflects the life
and times of a play. It goes hand in hand with Stage Props. Set design mainly consists of the
scenery and the stage properties which consist of the furniture, draperies and decorations. The
set designer’s primary job is to design the physical surrounding where the act is supposed to take
place. The set must create the atmosphere and must be suggestive of the specific time and space
of the action. It must reflect the style and tone of the production. The set is also a reflection of
the director’s concept of the production. Set designers are supposed to go through the script
thoroughly in order to get the essence and demand of the script. Ideal set designers ensures
everything to precision like historical period, seasons, locations, time of the day etc. They too
work in collaboration with the director in order to under his vision of the play and works in
achieving it through his designs. In order to give the production a unified look, they get along
with other experts like costume, prop, sound and lighting designers.
One of the famous set designers Raffy Tesoro in his interview defines set designs as:

“…is all about creating a world. May it be a glimpse, a touch… or an entire panoramic view of
reality and/or fantasy. Production designers like to joke that our job was the first one ever since
God created a world to his liking… But yes, we create time (periods, timelines, etc.), space
(rooms, worlds, props,) ideas (genres, concepts, and fantasies) and whatever else. Production
design isn’t only about making things to be placed in the physical aspect of the job… but also to
design an aesthetic and create concepts that are pertinent to the work at hand. It’s more mental
than menial but don’t let that fool you… there’s a lot of hard, dirty, hands on work involved.”

Like any other technical area of production, set and prop designers too need skills of a host of
trained theatre personnel which are roped in for several theatrical production works. The most
important being the carpenters who builds and installs the set for the show. Painter becomes
another integral unit of this team effort where his sense of color adds meaning to the set and helps
audience in identifying with the play. We have stage crews who run around to move various
elements on and off the stage, while there is any change in scene. Prop designer’s constructs and
arranges for the stage properties required for an act and ensures that the prop crew keeps a track
of the props during the performance.

Stage Props are the large number of small items that a play requires for theatrical productions. A
prop in charge is a person who is appointed for procurement of all these small items. In a larger
production we do have a prop designer who decides on what a prop must look like, in
coordination with set designer and the director.

Student portal for theatre at Harvard defines set design as follows:

“Set design is an important part of almost any theatre production, as almost every show will
utilize some sort of set, however minimal. Sets can be abstract, highly realistic, or anything in
between, and they are a chance for a designer to showcase interesting concepts, new techniques,
and unusual materials. The primary function of a set, of course, is to provide the audience with
some context for the play, but it can also be a chance to create something stunning to draw in the
audience.

The most important thing to remember as a set designer is to be innovative and original;
inspiration can come from almost anything or any place, and you should never stop thinking
about creative ways to help tell a story. As set designer, you not only have to create a concept
that is in line with the director’s vision, but you also have to decide how it will be built, painted,
and decorated. The look of the stage as a whole is largely your responsibility, and it can be as
interesting as your imagination and ingenuity can make it.”

Lighting

The main objective of stage lighting is to provide visibility and to provide focus on stage and
create visual compositions and to establish a rhythm of visual movement. Lighting helps us
identify the characters, their expressions, movements and mood on the stage. A lighting designer
can influence various aspects of lighting like color, movement, direction and distribution to
project the characters and set equally during the time of the play. They can follow-spot, fade,
cross-fade and blackout which suggest the movement and form of lighting. They possess strong
visual sense and have detailed knowledge of interaction of colors, light and shadow in three
dimensional spaces. They coordinate cue- to- cue rehearsals, attends lighting focus, lighting
hang, level set etc. during rehearsals and the final act. They coordinate with costume designer
and director on a color palette. He creates lighting plot, elevation plan and cue sheets for a better
projection of characters during the play.

Student portal for theatre at Harvard further describes another inevitable component in scheme of
theatrical production, i.e. lighting of the stage. They define the role of lighting designer as
follows:

“The lighting designer is usually called upon to both create the conceptual lighting design and to
implement the design in the actual space. This involves deciding which lights to use and where to
place them in the theatre, which color gels and which effects to use in a show, as well as the
practical knowledge of how to hang the lights and cue the show. Lighting designers may be
responsible for hanging the lights and the more hands-on aspects of lighting a show as well as
designing the various looks and deciding on schemes. Your design must take into account both
the design of the set, the mood of the play, subtleties and dynamics in scenes within the play, and
the blocking of the actors throughout. To light a show requires more than hanging lights or even
deciding where to place them; the lighting designer must have a more-thorough understanding
than most of the other designers, and must take into account the designs and vision of all of the
other designers. In order to be successful, a show must have not only good direction and a nice
set, but must a have a light scheme that shows both to their best advantage.”
 Lighting Terminology

Color Temperature: It’s a measure of the color of white light. In fact, it is

Cue: An event in a production that is the signal for a specific action.

Cue Light: A light used to signal a cue. Red usually means stand by and green
usually means execute the cue.

Direct Lighting: Illumination on a subject or area that goes directly from the
front of the luminaire in a straight line to the subject or area.

Down Light: 1) Downward illumination, almost perpendicular with the floor. 2)

Fade In: The gradual increase in intensity of light.

Fade Out: The gradual decrease in intensity of light.

Throw: The distance from the fixture to the performer or scenic unit being
lighted

Light Plot: A drawing or drawings showing the location of each fixture, its
fixture type, color, channel, dimmer, and focus

Dimmer: A device which regulates light intensity

Fresnel Spotlight: A spotlight employing a single Fresnel lens that produces

Cross-light: The illumination of a subject from both sides.

Light Plot: A plan view of the Set or location showing some or all of the
following: the position, height, type, and Size of the lights, their intensities,
accessories, gels, and beam shape, etc.

Cross-fade: Lighting levels are gradually altered from one setting to another.