Stagecraft - Definition and Overview

Stagecraft is a loose term that refers to just about anything that happens backstage before, during, and after a theatrical production.

It comprises many disciplines, typically divided into five main sections:

• Scenery which includes set construction, scenic painting, theatrical properties, and special effects
• Lighting design
• Sound design which can include musical underscoring as well as theatrical sound effects
• Costume design including costume construction and makeup
• Production, comprising stage management, production management, house management and company management

In its most basic incarnation, stagecraft may consist of a sole Stage Manager, who sets up all the scenery, organizes the cast, and runs the lighting instruments. At the full-time professional end of the spectrum, modern Broadway and opera, stagecraft and tech for a production may include hundreds of skilled carpenters, painters, electricians, stagehands, seamstresses, wigmakers, etc. In this form, modern stagecraft is a highly technical and specialized field, with many sub-disciplines and a vast trove of history and tradition.

The majority of stagecraft is practiced in an environment somewhat between those two extremes, with a dedicated crew of people of the various disciplines working together with the actors and directors to pull together a successful production.

See Also

• Technical theatre
• Drama
• Tragedy
• Globe Theatre
• Sound stage