SCENOGRAPHY AND SOCIETAL CHANGE: AN APPRAISAL OF SCENOGRAPHIC PRACTICE IN A DEVELOPING ECONOMY

Scenography is the most eloquent visual aspect of the theatre. It involves situating a performance within a specific and identifiable environment as well as the delineation of the characters as it concerns costumes, with its attendant accessories and properties and the proper illumination of the performance to enhance the audience’s appreciation of the said performance. The practice of scenography therefore, involves an adequate knowledge of the principles and elements of design as well as a fair knowledge of graphics and the rudiments of carpentry, fine and applied arts, tailoring, and electrical engineering in addition to a mastery of architectural principles. The scenographer therefore must be a rounded artiste with immense creative potentials. This paper thus, examines the qualities of the trained scenographer with a view of ascertaining the potentials open to him as a professional in a fast developing and ever changing society.