American Set Design

Having had the opportunity of being a graduate of the Yale School of Drama in Design and a student of Ming Cho Lee I wanted to share some of his work found in this book. Of course I felt it important that they be aware of other Theatre Designers. This is an excellent book in that it can provides students of Theatre with a historical perspective of what is happening in American Theatre Design.Tina Cantu-Navarro.

For school

The text on each designer was very fine, but the quality of reproduction of many of the black and white photos was poor. Indeed, all the photos were black and white, and so, lacking color, it did a considerable disservice in illuminating the artist's work. Visually a very poor job.

This book, one of the few that takes a more academic, rather than practical, view of scenic design, should be required reading for any designer (lights and costumes as well as set) as well as every director. In his designer profiles Aronson shows the reader the different processes that can be utilized to achieve a successful design. It is also one of the few books that gives the reader an opportunity to get deeper into the history of contemporary American design, as each designer is sure to mention his or her influences and teachers. Far more useful then the practical books on design in helping a young designer conceptualize, collaborate and create interesting designs. Unless you want to design in a vacuum, this book is a must read

Covering important early stage design throught the early '90s, this is immeasurably important to the understanding of how scenic elements enhance theatrical production.

I was hoping this would be something more technical. Instead, it deals more with contemporary designers' individual creative process and an overview of their work.