Behind the Scenes

Behind the Scenes: Contemporary Set Design is a visually rich survey of set design for the theatre, opera and performance-based work. Featuring initial sketches, diagrams and photographs, this book provides an understanding of theatre design and its methods that appeal to beginners and enthusiasts, alongside students and theatre professionals.

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Behind the Scenes presents the imaginative work of a broad range of designers, including Peter Brooks, Ming Cho Lee, Les Brotherston, Miriam Buether, Robert Wilson, Robert Lepage, Pina Bausch and Rae Smith; and organisations such as Hotel Pro Forma, Glyndebourne, Station House Opera and Punch Drunk. Behind the Scenes covers a myriad of innovations, from traditional set designs, to those that push boundaries using immersive sets, or pop-up theatres in derelict locations; alongside organisations that use set design to social advantage, such as Cardboard Citizens. The lavishly illustrated work presented throughout the book is punctuated by a number of essays by noteworthy personalities, covering subjects such as the history of set design, technical processes from design to production, and new emerging trends. International in scope, Behind the Scenes includes ground breaking work from, amongst others, BAM in Brooklyn, New York, National Theatre in London, the Salzburg Festival and the Prague Quadrennial.
Covering artists whose work has crossed over into the theatre - such as David Hockney, whose inspiring designs have been brought to life in a variety of productions from the Magic Flute to Tristan und Isolde - Behind the Scenes positions set design within a larger context of visual art, design and culture.