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M.F.A. in Scenography

What Is Scenography?

The Scenography Program at the University of Kansas has two philosophical principles at its core.

First, the program is based on the premise that theatrical designers in the 21st Century must be conversant in all areas of theatrical design. Thus, there are not separate programs in set, costume, and lighting design, but one unified course of study in which students study and practice all areas. The aim is to find the areas of commonality and intersection between the separate disciplines. In this way, the student masters a larger palette of contemporary design possibilities that are based upon the unique seeing process of the age.

Second, the program is based on the premise that metaphor is the true language of the theatre and of theatrical design. Through a series of carefully structured projects, both in the classroom and on the stage, the program provides students the opportunity to develop the critical and artistic skills that will allow them to create design ideas that go beyond the literal surface of the play into spatial and visual arrangements that are dynamic, resonant, and poetic.

Why Scenography?

"The business of workers in the theatre is, as I see it, to express a timeless theme by means of the tools of one’s own time.” When Robert Edmond Jones penned that line he was thinking of the new perceptions of his time that were changing the way people viewed the world. And the history of the theatre is the history of the evolution of new ways of seeing and representing the human condition. The invention of perspective drawing in the Renaissance ushered in a new style of stage design that reflected the “reality” of that age, and the painted perspective vistas of the Bibienna’s were “real” to the Renaissance eye. “Reality” is, however, a shifting construct, and every age defines it anew. In the 21st Century the Scenography program constantly analyzes the evolving visual vocabulary of the present age, and attempts to find metaphoric ways to apply new ways of visual thinking to the design of the contemporary stage space.

The Master of Fine Arts in Scenography at the University of Kansas

The Scenography program is a three-year integrated course of study leading to a Master of Fine Arts degree, the terminal degree for persons specializing in theatrical design at the University of Kansas. Scenography classes are at the core of the curriculum and students will develop a portfolio in a wide variety of theatrical and performance genres.

While in the program each student will design at least four realized productions in the University Theatre; she/he will do at least one lighting, one costume and one scenic design, and preferably a combination of two or all design areas for one production. Design assignments, made by the Scenography Faculty, will be based on the students’ experience and interests (i.e., a student with little experience in lighting design will be given a less challenging project in the smaller theatre). Students work with the University Theatre’s professional staff in the realization of their designs.

Students will design in both the large Crafton-Preyer proscenium stage and the Inge black box theatre. Students have opportunities to design musicals, operas, K.U. Theatre for Young People, as well as student film projects.
Opportunities exist to work with new technologies in theatre design, including Virtual Realities.

Successful scenography students at the University of Kansas have come from a variety of backgrounds, including theatre, art and design, illustration and architecture. Students with deficiencies in theatre production, theatre and/or art history, and painting and drawing may be required to take undergraduate courses in these areas, which could result in a longer program.

The M.F.A. in Scenography is a joint program of the Department of Design and the Department of Theatre and Film at the University of Kansas.

 

Admission and Information

To be admitted, a prospective M.F.A. candidate must have a cumulative undergraduate grade-point average of not lower than 3.0 and submit a design portfolio with a resume and three letters of recommendation." For more application information click here.

For more information about the M.F.A. in Scenography contact Delores Ringer, Head of Theatre Design, 317 Murphy Hall, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045. (785) 864-2688 or ding@ku.edu.

Also, view the University Theatre season and production photos at http://www.kutheatre.com/.

Course and Credit Distribution Requirements

General Requirements
Colloquium in Theatre and Film (1 credit hour)
Directed Reading in Design (2)

Major Studies Requirements
Scenography I-V (15)
Script Analysis (3)
MFA Production Seminar (15)

Thesis (8)

Electives - Design/Studio/Art History/Theatre History (16)

TOTAL 60 credit hours

Scenography Faculty

The four theatre design faculty at the University of Kansas bring a wide range of design expertise and design experience in professional and academic theatres to the program. Click here for more information.


Graduate Teaching Assistantships

Graduate teaching assistantships (G.T.A.’s) are available in Costume Production, Scenic Production, Lighting Production, Makeup, and Introduction to Theatre. Click here for more information.

Our M.F.A. students are Award Winners

Since the inception of the program, KU Graduate Design Students have won:

39 Regional Awards
12 National Awards
12 International Awards

Click here for more information.

The Scenography page on the School of Fine Arts web site is available at: http://www.arts.ku.edu/~sfa/dsgn/scenography/.