Monthly Archives: February 2012

As is often the case in theatre, the design of a stage for a theatre production begins months ahead of time as an idea in the heads of the director and the production designer. They must consider all the action that will occur, what areas will be used for what purposes, and what will be needed to accommodate the action and yet allow the audience to see and hear what is going on.

Image credit: All photos by Craig Orsinger for Burien Little Theatre, unless otherwise noted

In the case of The Who’s Tommy, this is what the early concept looked like, as director and production designer Steve Cooper attempted to define a space that would allow large dance numbers and a myriad of scenes in many different locations. He also had to define a place where the band could play, preferably far enough from the action that they weren’t in the way, but close enough to hear and be heard by the actors as well as the audience.