Set Design 105 -- Draw the Space: Layout

You now know what will be on the stage during your scene, and you know the type of stage you’ll have. It’s time to return to your stage drawing and add the props on the drawing.

This can be done in several ways. You can simply draw where you’d like items such as furniture to go, or you can cut out those items from a separate piece of paper and place them on the stage drawing. This allows you to manipulate their placement more easily.

You need to think through several elements to this step. First, you have to recreate the world of the scene. But you also have to make it simple for the actors to inhabit, and you need to remember that every audience member needs to see the actors. Depending on the type of stage you selected, you might have to think of which props go where so that everyone has a clear line of sight.

Take a photo of your stage drawing with the props set in place. Label the different pieces.