Hello from Kansas City MO!
I’m currently working on trying to find some answers to organic design in the theatre, specifically in the realm of fabric manipulation and in preparing that fabric for a flame proof stage.
I started out my day by going to the design expo. While I was there I was able to gather various catalogs and discern which booths would be the best to request more information. I was able to narrow it down to Rose Brand and Rosco via Syracuse Scenery and Stage Lighting Co.
From looking at the Rose Brand catalog I was able to grasp that their fabric manipulation lies in curtains, ceiling drapery, and various spandex and wire forms for lighting. I realized that most of the fabric manipulation that I’m interested on will be learned through experimental methods using costuming techniques of layering and draping to different forms.
I also learned that there are multiple forms of flame retardant, coming in forms such as paint additives, pre-mixed, liquid flame retardant, and instant flame retardants. I also found information on which flame retardants worked best for the various surfaces found in the theatre world, from acrylic fabric to wood. Since at UB we do not have a paint shop with ventilation I will be asking Rosco what form of flame retardant will work best in a non-ventilated space.
After the design expo I went to a session “The Future of Theatre Minds In Immersive Design! A conversation with 5D The Future of Immersive Design Conference.” In this session the speakers really focused on the concept of design and where it is going in the future. The term 5D applied to the concept of narrative design – and the 5 ways in which design applies to narrative design; experience design, interactive design, film, animation, and television. Theatre rests between that of experience design and interactive design. In theatre our purpose should be to create an experience – one that will allow us to transcend into another universe. One of our objectives should be to focus on the spaces that draw people into a building, create an interactive environment in our theatres that will make audience members want to come in and stay. Audiences are forces to sort through a pile of information and cling to something that is tangible and real. They really stressed the concept of a forum on youth. From this pool of youth we are able to discern what is most important to them and from there we can steer are art to broadcast to the public. In order for art to survive it must respond to the current trends and culture of the times.
For the next session I went to “Working Outside the Black Box”. It was essentially a forum of people who were previously designers and technicians in school but found jobs elsewhere that they really enjoy. Many of them are salesmen for large brands like Rosco. They mentioned backstagejobs.com, artsearch, jobworld, and esta.org. In order to survive in the design world you need to have more than a passion, you have to be happy in the constant collaborative environment. If you can’t manage both of those tasks it is best for you to network and explore other outlets in the field.
So I’m looking forward to tomorrow!
Kansas – OUT!
