Carnegie Mellon School of Drama - Undergraduate Scenic Design

A student actor sits on a chair on stage, with many chairs suspended and hanging behind him, in a scene from "Lonely Planet."

Build Your Future

The scenic design program prepares students for careers in theater, television and film, opera, dance, and emerging forms of performance-based entertainment. Emphasis is placed on developing individual artists with active voices in collaborative creation. With a dedicated team of three hands-on scenic design faculty, all of whom maintain professional careers, students learn from and develop close working relationships with the best in the business.

A scenic model drawing of a scene from “Passage” depicting a figure standing in a cut out circle of an upstage wall, and a large circular disc suspended from the ceiling, dangling lighted fibers that go down into a hole center stage.

Scenic Design Curriculum

The scenic design program combines established practice and innovative advancement across all subject areas. Forward-looking in its curriculum, the program undergoes regular review to determine the most current practices in training. The school’s ambitious production season is fully student-driven, cultivating a strong sense of collaboration. Production assignments are based upon individual trajectories and goals, and give students the opportunity to work in varying scopes of realized productions, all of which encourage designers to dream big.

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curriculum

Student Work

A colorful and brightly lit stage with large geometric shapes as the set’s backdrop; four performers are on stage in costume; a scene from the School of Music’s opera “Cosi Fan Tutte.”

Opera Design

Natalie Eslami (Class of 2023) was scenic designer for the School of Music’s opera “Cosi Fan Tutte.”

Design students from the School of Drama often have the opportunity to collaborate with the School of Music on their productions.

Drafting Work

Cecilia Shin (Class of 2023) was scenic designer for the School of Drama’s production of “You on the Moors Now.” This is a sample of her drafting work.

“You On The Moors Now shows the beginning of my experimentation with design process and style. It was important to me that I implement the feedback and teaching I got from my mentors. I specifically wanted to work on my iterating, something that the faculty really pushed for. Visually, I was looking for a more abstract and scenographic approach.” –Cecilia Shin

Nine actors in period costumes on a set that contains stairs leading to a second level, with rolling hills in the background and curtains hanging on either side; a scene from “You on the Moors Now.”

Production Opportunities

Cecilia Shin (Class of 2023) was scenic designer for the School of Drama’s production of “You on the Moors Now.”

“You On The Moors Now shows the beginning of my experimentation with design process and style. It was important to me that I implement the feedback and teaching I got from my mentors. I specifically wanted to work on my iterating, something that the faculty really pushed for. Visually, I was looking for a more abstract and scenographic approach.” –Cecilia Shin

Production photo by Dave Rubin

Process to Production

Jonah Carleton (Class of 2024) was scenic designer for the School of Drama’s production of “Passage.” His design for the final scene of the play is seen here.

Students sitting at individual drafting stations, facing different directions in a classroom, working on drawing projects.

Hands-On Classrooms

Students in StudioCraft class work on drafting projects.

Small, colorful geometric shapes hang from stings from the ceiling above the staircase in Purnell Center for the Arts.

Line and Form Projects

Each fall semester, the Purnell Center for the Arts is adorned with “Line and Form” projects. First year Design and Production students in the Basic Design class, taught by Susan Tsu, spend a few weeks on this project, collaborating with their group members, sourcing materials, and working diligently and passionately to install their projects. These installations are meant to shape the way people experience the space by using the design element line, to create form.