Scenic Design - New Plays Festival

Prior to starting work on any Columbia Theatre production, please make sure to read and understand the duties and stipulations for general design work at Columbia and the specific design area as detailed below.

General Information for All Design Disciplines

  • The Theatre Program will only be responsible for department-approved designs that are received by their designated deadlines.
  • Columbia property may not be altered without express permission.
  • It is the responsibility of each designer to keep and fill out a comprehensive list of their items, categorizing everything by owner and location origin.
  • There are no deliveries of purchased goods available on the weekends.
  • All items purchased by the production budget are the property of Columbia University after the production.
  • NYU designers need faculty permission from NYU to participate in Columbia SOA thesis productions.
  • If a designer is going to be remote for all or most of the design process, their participation in the production must be approved by the relevant production staff to ensure that the designer’s in-person duties are adequately covered by a member of the production team. It is strongly recommended that designers be able to attend in-person rehearsals and meetings.
  • A written and signed agreement indemnifying Columbia of liability must be provided for any items loaned to the production or borrowed for the production from sources outside Columbia.
  • Each design area has a Festival Coordinator (Scenic, Props, Costumes, Lighting, Sound, and Video/Projection). This person is intended to be the liaison from your production to the staff throughout your process. They are there to coordinate the design ideas of the director/playwright/designer, within the parameters listed in each of the areas below.

Important Locations

Scenic Design Deliverables

Scenic Festival Coordinator / Technical Director: Aaron Treat

Contact: [email protected]

Festival Coordinator Duties include: 

  • Helping with the implementation of the designer, director, and/or playwright’s vision, and acquiring what is needed for the production.
  • Determining overall amount of scenery for the entire festival, so everything can be stored during rep process
  • Creating ground plans for all shows, and revise ground plans as designs progress
  • Assisting playwright/director in collaborating with Production Resources
  • Supervising festival run crew & ATDs on executing changeovers
  • Please note: The Festival Coordinators are only responsible for the actual elements of the play production (not for finding or pulling rehearsal props or furniture).
  • The Festival Coordinator will not be present at the Technical Rehearsals. 

If a Scenic Designer is not hired for the production, the following parameters must be followed:

  • The director and/or playwright will indicate the specific design needs to the Scenic Coordinator.
  • The scenic budget is set at (or under) $400.
  • All scenic purchases will be sourced by the director and/or playwright and sent to Production Management for purchase.
  • The Scenic Festival Coordinator will be available for 1 one-hour design meeting outside of scheduled Columbia production meetings.

General Duties

  • Present at all Columbia Production Meetings
  • Determine and clarify who is responsible for set dressings and furniture
  • Work directly with the Props Designer to design and source props
  • Source any purchases needed and send links/information to the Production Manager for payment.
  • Deliver drafting to the production and creative teams on time.
  • Present at the first day of load in to coordinate with the Director and Technical Director, specific time based on availability.
  • Present for the entirety of tech and dress. If not available there must be a creative team member present to represent scenic.
  • Coordination with Production Stage Manager, Director, and Technical Director on designer schedule during the rest of tech. If not present, coordinate for changes and notes to be accomplished.
  • If any scenic items were borrowed from an outside source the Scenic Designer must be present at strike to coordinate the return of items to the appropriate location(s).
  • The scenic designer, or a representative of the scenic designer, must be present for an in-person scene shop visit the week prior to load-in to touch base with the scenic build team as the set is being constructed. The specific day this visit occurs will be scheduled in consultation with the scenic designer’s availability.

Scope

  • It is recommended to not budget more than $500 on scenic design, unless you are purchasing new furniture with your budget.
  • The scenic team has 2 staff members and 8 hours to build the set. This time can be used to build approved set pieces, and/or augment/modify/paint stock items. These hours will be scheduled in the week prior to load in.
  • The scenic team has 90 minutes to load-in each set from a blank stage on the first day of your production week. The turnover from one show to the other in rep must be achievable within 30 minutes. The scenic design will need to reflect this ability.
  • When the production is off of the stage in a repped week, it will need to fit in a 8'w x 6'd x 8’h space backstage. This includes binned prop storage.
  • Given the time constraints of the festival, painted floor treatments will not be possible.

Resources

Drafting

  • All drafting must be turned in on time in Vectorworks format.
  • All scenic elements including scenery, furniture, paint elevations, adds or alterations must be drawn and submitted to the shop in Vectorworks format. The shop will not add/alter any element to the production that is not drawn in detail, on the GP and in elevation.
  • Drafting of the performance space can be found here: Lenfest Drafting

Scenic Design Stipulations

  • The scene shop and tools may only be used by individuals that are certified (see TD / ATD for certification).
  • You may use all scenic stock items available (inventory on the Google Drive). If alterations are required to stock scenery, the production will be charged for the material and labor required to replace the stock element.
  • Black legs, under balcony masking, and soft goods are in by default for all productions. If both shows agree, they can request for legs and/or under balcony masking to be removed (but please note that there will not be light where the masking once was). The Cyc and Bounce are in place for the entire festival and cannot be removed.  The scrim is also in place for the entire festival, but upon request by both productions in the same week, the scrim can be west-coasted for the week.  The traveler will be available for the entire festival and can be open or closed however a production prefers.  Lighting booms cannot be removed.
  • A maximum of six platforms can be added per week - in collaboration with the other production in rep. Both shows will need the same platform arrangement.
  • Any scenic element on which an actor may stand, walk, jump or sit upon that does not normally function in this manner must be drawn and included in the submitted design. For example, a chair used as a ladder, a table used as a dance floor or a bed used as a surf-board would all require drawings and notes.
  • Scenic elements (platform, staircases, extensions, etc.) with an elevation of 48 inches or greater must include a guard-rail on all open sides.
  • There is not an acoustic piano at Lenfest, and there is not one available to move to Lenfest. An electric keyboard is, however, available upon request.
  • There is no flyloft at Lenfest, so rigging is limited to static hang and simple pulley systems only. Any rigging must be approved by both shows in rep for the week, and certain locations may not be reachable for installation during the festival. All proposals are subject to the approval of the Technical Director. It is strongly recommended that productions in the NPF do not incorporate rigging into their scenic design.
  • House seating (chairs, risers, stairs, etc.) may not be used in the scenic design.
  • The theater’s architectural walls, doors, railings, etc. may not be altered in any way.
  • There is no spray painting in the Lenfest building. We have a spray booth in the scene shop in Nash which can only be used by the Technical Director and Assistant Technical Director.
  • The structural build of your design is at the purview of the Technical Director. Where there is conflict over structural integrity and aesthetics, the structural integrity will take precedence. The Technical Director will confer with the designer if such a conflict arises so that the design may be amended to ensure structural and design integrity.
  • If specific materials other than standard lumber, hardware, or paint have been chosen by the designer that need to be purchased, the designer should source options for those materials. While the specific sources of the designers will be accommodated as much as possible, the final decision on specific materials will be made by Production Management and the Technical Director to account for safety and budget.
  • Please see Working in Lenfest Center for the Arts section, for additional guidelines.

Fire Code and Safety

  • All scenic elements must meet the standards for flame proofing as set by NY State and City law. Items built in the shop will be flame proofed by the shop and covered by the production’s material budget.  As an example, 300 square feet of materials generally costs approximately $110 to fireproof.
  • Exit signs may not be covered. Additional Exit Signs may be added for sight line issues, pending Technical Director approval.
  • There must be 42” egress to fire exit doors at all times during the production. No scenery, person, chair, or curtain may obstruct the exit.
  • All scenic elements, including soft goods, must be at least six inches away from all theatrical lighting instruments. This is required even of elements that are inherently flame proof.
  • No flame, water features, fake snow, sand, dirt, glitter, confetti, or other small particles are permitted (venue & NYC law restrictions).
  • The use of carbon dioxide and/or liquid nitrogen (dry ice) is prohibited in accordance with requirements as set by the NYFD.
  • Smoke, Haze, & Fog: The use of chemical smoke and fog, including mineral oil, is strictly prohibited.
  • Inclined playing surfaces (including raked stages, ramps, mounds, etc.) shall not exceed a slope of ¾” per linear foot without specific approval by faculty and staff. 

Elements that will Require Collaboration with the Other Show in Rep

  • Hung masking and soft goods (Legs, Under-balcony Masking, Scrim)
  • Any rigging
  • A good strategy can be to work out if scenic elements can be shared between both shows in rep. This can significantly reduce load in and changeover time, and alleviate issues with off-stage storage space allowing for larger scenic elements to be created for the week.

Purchasing

  • As much as possible, please allow Production Management to make purchases on your behalf. It is faster and significantly less complicated than requesting reimbursements.
  • Please see the Making Purchases section, for more information.