With The Lion in Winter, I wanted the focus to be on the characters, so I arranged a series of flats and painted them black. There were a few pieces of furniture which were moved here and there over the course of several scenes. And there was fabric to help signify different rooms.
For my last production, The Rocky Horror Show (above), I got the idea of performing it like a runway show. Seating on two sides, a simple backdrop at one end, and the band at the other. It was tight, but it worked wonderfully.
But after Lion, I designed my first real set: Dial "M" for Murder. I researched color schemes from the early 1950s, and since this was still post-war Britain, a bit of shabbiness was required among the nicer things. I used three shades of grey and darker woods and wood colors. I think it turned out alright.
However, my personal tastes started to trend toward minimalism at that point. I felt the focus should be on the story, the acting. (And with royalties going up every year, any cost savings were welcome.) So whenever I read a new script, I wonder what the absolute least I could get away with in terms of a set. You can do a lot with curtains and a few key set pieces and still get the point across.
Some folks have complained about the lack of a traditional stage in the Arts Center, but with the open plan of the main floor, the possible configurations are almost unlimited. There are four posts which have caused some difficulty, but if you've a million or two to spare, then the building can be re-engineered to fix that problem. In the meantime, one learns to incorporate the negatives into positives.
*Update (24 Dec 09)*
Added graphic of Rocky Horror Show set design.
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