Design Shapes & Spaces
- Kieran Burgess
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
This free resource is one of a series of units, guidebooks and lesson plans for teachers of Theatre. Although written with the DP Theatre teacher and student in mind, it can be adapted for other ages and curricula quite easily. Resources are adaptable and can be shared with colleagues, but please do not remove the credit to Kieran Burgess and this website. A condensed version of this unit plan was adapted by ISTA and is available on the IB Exchange platform, and the original extended unit is available below.
Overview
Scenography is a vital element of theatre, deserving of exploration for its power to shape storytelling alongside or instead of dialogue. For the DP Theatre course, understanding scenography enriches students' comprehension of theatrical design and its impact on performance, is required in the Production Proposal task, and is directly assessed where students choose to use it in the Collaborative Project and Solo Theatre Piece. This unit will practically explore some basic shape and space functions of scenography, the manipulation of three-dimensional space to enhance character and theme, and techniques for using light, shadow and object to accent these elements. Students will also explore devising theatre using shape as a basis, the qualities of light and their variables and be introduced to ideas from some influential figures. Learning from this unit has direct links to the Collaboratively Creating Original Theatre syllabus area, and can also inform the Staging Play Texts area or expand into a study of a theatre theorist.
Teacher materials included in this set:
Teacher Notes: Unit Instructions
Presentation slides
Additional materials needed:
Flipchart paper and different coloured marker pens
A collection of different objects from around your teaching space or the school campus:
Some large like stepladders, flats, frames, blocks
Some smaller like chains, rulers, string, balls, props
Some straight-edged, square, triangular etc
Some round-edged
Spaces in the architecture to be crawled in, climbed on or emphasised in counterpoint are also useful.
Simple light sources for each group:
Floor standing portable floodlights, LEDs or Fresnels OR
Handheld battery operated torches (mobile phones will do as a last resort) - ideally one per student, to allow multiple sources per group.
If these free resources have saved you some time and you want to show a gesture of thanks, I'd be so grateful for any small amount you wish to give!
Rationale
This "Design Shapes & Spaces" unit is designed to explore scenography as a crucial element of theatre, empowering students to understand its role in shaping storytelling. It directly aligns with the DP Theatre course, particularly the Production Proposal and Staging Play Texts areas, while also informing other projects. The unit introduces the concept of scenography as a collaborator, before focusing on practical exploration of shape, space, light, and objects. It fosters skills in devising, manipulation of space, and creative use of light and shadow. Students will learn from influential figures and engage in hands-on activities, developing knowledge, skills, and conceptual understanding in theatrical design. The unit also prepares them for key assessments and encourages reflection and further development in theatre theory and practice.
Students will develop...
Knowledge:
What is Scenography
Common lighting angles
Skills:
Creating atmosphere and meaning through lighting
Manipulating object and architecture to create character, story, tension and meaning
Using isolated lighting and objects (including specific human body parts) to forefront key moments
Conceptual Understanding:
Scenography can be an equal collaborator in the creation of theatre
Symbolism
Key tasks
The accompanying presentation slides include lots of notes for side-coaching, planning, timings etc. Some highlight tasks include:
Exploring architecture through a warm up game
Devising a short piece of theatre based on shape
Utilising scenography as a collaborator through the experimentation with various objects
Enhancing shape, space, line and pattern through lighting
Spotlighting key moments through scenography
Structured journal entry tasks.
Lesson 1
Introduces the idea of scenography as a collaborator, looks into some key definitions, and sets up the devised piece that will provide a vehicle for exploration.
Lesson 2
Explains and explores lighting angles, and begins to illuminate the theatre piece in progress.
Lesson 3+
Exploring the concept of the key moment (derived from the application of TEAM in CP criterion B), symbolic object and the integration of light, object and other elements in the devised piece.
Covers the final development and staging phases of the work, culminating in sharing and structured reflection - which can easily be scheduled in this or future lessons as needed.
Key assessment
The most powerful assessment is ongoing, based on observation, discussion and timely feedback. There is no requirement for formal, summative assessment in this unit. However, some obvious links to assessment aligned with the subject guide exist:
Reflecting on a ‘significant instance’ from the creation process could use the language from the Collaborative Project, criterion A1.
The created piece of theatre can be assessed against the Collaborative Project, criterion C2 and/or the Production Proposal, criterion C2 and optionally also C1.
An optional extension task to express the visual design ideas during the creation process could align with criterion B of the Production Proposal.
In all of the assessment opportunities, the journal is central. Teachers are free to combine criteria or create their own for the purposes of this unit.
Links to the Theatre guide
Staging Play Texts syllabus area
Production Proposal
Collaboratively creating original theatre
Collaborative Project
Performing Theatre Theory
Solo Theatre Piece
Designer
Creator
Inquiring
Developing
Presenting
Evaluating
Links beyond the subject
TOK: Can knowledge be transmitted without language?
DP Visual Arts: Kandinski, and other artists using shape, space and line to create distinctive styles.
DP Physics: The physical properties of light, reflection and colour mixing.
Further potential development
Expanding the short collaborative piece into a longer piece of theatre.
Deepening research into the theory of Pamela Howard.
The staging of a solo piece of theatre based on the exploration of one aspect of Robert Wilson’s theory.
The use of a studied play text as stimulus for the scenography exercises, identifying lines of power, shapes and spaces to convey messages, events and characterisations.
The set is provided as a view-only Google Folder of Docs and Slides. Please download or make your own copy of any files you wish to edit. Do not 'Request Access' to the Google files as this will be ignored. Please feel free to adapt or add to these files, but please retain the credit to Kieran Burgess and this website. Please do get in touch if there are any broken links.
If these free resources have saved you some time and you want to show a gesture of thanks, I'd be so grateful for any small amount you wish to give!
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