Stagecraft Over Millennia

Behind every great story is the author, moving, voicing, and describing the characters, the scenery, and the action of the tale. When it comes to telling a story orally or through the written word, this is often all you need – just an author and their word, with some ink and paper thrown into the mix. As a species, however, we’re never satisfied with what we have, and the same goes for storytelling. It wasn’t long before we stopped merely telling stories around campfires and started acting out those stories – and so, the play was born.

With time, plays became far more complex, and required more people to tell them. Multiple actors, a director… and as the stage and scenery grew, so too did the role of the people working behind the scenes – practitioners of the art of stagecraft. The practice of stagecraft and the tools of the trade have grown alongside the writing, acting, and directing that it supports. Indeed, the story of stagecraft’s tools is the story of the stage itself.

The Birth of Tragedy 

When we talk about ancient theater, we’re inevitably talking about the Greeks, whom history records as the earliest practitioners of stagecraft. Scenes were originally changed through the use of “flats” – large, two-sided wood panels that were painted with scenery and which could be simultaneously flipped using a rotating pin and rope for a scene change.

Other tools the ancient Greeks employed include the oft-mentioned deus ex machina – the god from the machine. Used to denote a character’s status as a god, the deus ex machina was a lift that, using a hand-crank, could lift a character or even scenery over the stage.

Stagecraft saw few changes for centuries, up until the middle ages and the advent of traveling troupes. These troupes would set up shop on the streets of towns and cities, as well as in monasteries. Due to the ever-changing nature of these settings, the flats of the Greeks and other large, more stationary tools of stagecraft could not be used.

The Age of Shakespeare 

The 16th century saw several advancements in stagecraft technology thanks to the increasing popularity of drama and the rise of wealthy patrons who could afford to support troupes, allowing them to settle down and build truly impressive theaters to perform within. In the public, private, and court playhouses that developed at this time, rigging on the roof was used to raise and lower scenery and actors, a definite improvement over the flats and deus ex machina of the Greeks. The addition of raised stages in these theaters allowed for the new use of trap doors.

Even during this time, the lighting used for drama had not changed much since the days of the ancient Greeks. Sunlight was typically the only source of light, and so with the setting of the sun, plays had to necessarily end. It was around this time that the use of candles and chandeliers hung high above the audience came into vogue, however, allowing for both lower and higher areas of the stage to be lit well into the night. Indeed, the development of early spotlights occurred during this time – the techniques used to triangulate cliff locations using flames from burning limestone were brought into the theater. This is why we call it the limelight! Gas lighting soon followed, and with the 20th century came modern, electrically powered lights used today.

The Here and Now

Since the earliest days of stagecraft, the tools available to the dramatist have grown and evolved into a variety of disciplines. Lighting tops the list as one of the most deep and complex fields of stagecraft available; the kind of light used on stage and on film has quite a bit to do with the feeling and action communicated to the viewer, and the improving technologies that lighting specialists have available to them has rendered the field ever more challenging and essential.

Within the same vein as lighting is sound design. This can have everything to do from the creation and management of music as well as the sound effects, the projection of voices, and anything having to do with what is going on in the audience’s ears.

The production and mechanics of scenery is, of course, quite important as well. Depending on the scene, the supplies, scenery, and the mechanics of the scene may need to be flown in or manufactured on the spot. Knowing when and how to do so involves a whole team of professionals with their own specializations, training, and knowledge.

The list goes on and on, but what’s important to understand is that there are hundreds of people that go into a successful production today. They need a variety of tools and supplies to do their jobs successfully, but with Tools for Stagecraft behind them, they can get the job done right – and affordably, as well. That’s why producers love us!