Majors in theater design learn to bring a play to life through the use of scenery, costumes, lighting and sound. Students of theater design and stagecraft learn how to make sets, costumes, lights and sound all work together seamlessly in a theatrical production. They also build and take down sets, hang lights and sew costumes. Theatrical design students are expected to be creative as well as good at solving problems and work together with producers to actors.
Before choosing a college in which to learn theatrical design, students should determine if the National Association of Schools of Theatre accredits the program. Students should also inquire whether the department's scene and costume shops have the latest equipment and resources, and about the professional credits of the instructors, the number of productions staged per semester and whether the department assists students in obtaining internships.
Production classes provide hands-on training in how to use costumes, lights, sets and sound to make the world of a play come to life. In a costume class, for example, students learn how to create clothing patterns, as well as fit the costumes of each actor. Design-specific courses include acting, costume design, directing, dramatic literature, lighting design, scenic design, sound design, technical theater, theater design and theater history. Additionally, courses in a four-year degree program often include theater history, English composition and rhetoric, quantitative reasoning, philosophy, religion, lab or quantitative sciences, world history and electives.
High school students planning to enter a career in stage and theater design should take courses in art history, studio art, computer applications, computer assisted drafting and theater arts. High school students should also take advantage of their school's drama department and learn as many facets of stagecraft as possible.