Model Making for the Stage: A Practical Guide »

Model Making for the Stage focuses on the scenographic model and its crucial creative role in the theater–making process. Although it is primarily designed to meet the needs of students and practicing stage designers, the skills and techniques of accurate scale modeling are also transferable to hobbies like model railways and dolls’ houses. Contents include: practical information about model–making materials and setting up a working environment; foundation skills, techniques, and exercises to introduce the art of model making; instructions for constructing scale interiors, exteriors, and furniture, as well as scale figures; scenographic models as communication tools; information about theater technology, scenic construction, and painting; and presentation of the final scenographic model. Keith Orton is a design instructor at Britain’s Central School of Speech and Drama.

Library Journal

Orton (design instructor, Central Sch. of Speech & Drama, U.K.) elevates a subject that normally rates a chapter in American textbooks. Here, the scale model is presented as the very foundation of scenographic design. After a brief look at the historical use of model making in European theater, the author covers detailed, step-by-step planning processes and techniques, interior and exterior spaces, furniture and properties, scale figures and costumes, and lighting, photographing, and planning for presentations. Orton convincingly argues that scale models allow creative designers to work collaboratively in a three-dimensional space during the crucial early stages; in turn, these models make it possible to render the final set with accuracy and detail. Black-and-white photographs show museum-quality miniatures, sometimes side by side with finished sets (often requiring a second look to learn which is which). A truly inspiring and eyeopening look at a theatrical art not always recognized in America, this is highly recommended for all theater collections.-Laura A. Ewald, Murray State Univ. Lib., KY Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.