Contemporary Scenography 1
| Code | Completion | Credits | Range | Language of instruction | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 203SSM1 | credit | 1 | 12 lecture hours (45 min) of instruction per semester, 16 to 21 hours of self-study | English | winter |
Subject guarantor
Name of lecturer(s)
Barbora Diego RIVERA PŘÍHODOVÁ
Department
The subject provides Department of Stage Design
Contents
Classes take place 8. 10., 15. 10., 22. 10. 29. 10., 19. 11., 26. 11. 2026 online always from 18.00 to 19.30 link https://villanova.zoom.us/j/92594493199 [ ]
This course focuses on selected developments and topics in scenography of the last 50 years, guid-ed by the following questions: What is scenography today? How did we arrive at our current un-derstanding of it? And what are the consequences of defining the field in the particular way? We will examine practices, styles, and artistic and ideological principles of theater makers in Europe and beyond who have used performance space and design in new, unconventional ways to contest the aesthetic, and sometimes political, norms of their communities. An important source will be Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space in its transformations. Through discussions of visual and audiovisual materials, we will explore the work of artists, such as Robert Wilson, Heiner Goebbels and Klaus Grünberg, and Tanja Beer. We will also explore ‘theoretical’ concepts and topics, including ‘scenography’ itself, visual dramaturgy, ecoscenography, and costume agen-cy. Students are invited to bring their own examples of 'memorable' use of scenography to enrich our class discussion.
Syllabus Outline:
(subject to change)
8. 10.
Introduction to the course; Definitions: Contemporary (Expanded) Scenography and Per-formance Design; ‘memorable’ scenography
15. 10.
Visual Dramaturgy and Postdramatic Theatre; early experiments of Robert Wilson
22. 10.
Post-anthropocentric approaches and scenographic installation; Heiner Goebbels’s collabo-rations; costume as the protagonist
29. 10.
Intersections of performance design and visual arts: Antony Gormley’s collaborations
Nov 5
No class
Nov 12
No class
19. 11.
Curating and Exhibiting Scenography; PQ in its transformations
26. 11.
Sustainability in Performance Design and Ecoscenography: Tanja Beer and others
Learning outcomes
As a result of this course, you will be able to
• Discuss major developments in scenography over the past 50 years
• Identify some of the key personalities, themes, and concepts of recent and contemporary per-formance design in Europe, the U.S., and beyond
• Discuss artistic works using basic critical language from theater and performance design, and scenography studies in English
• Demonstrate critical thinking and cultural sensitivity when approaching different scenographic practices
Prerequisites and other requirements
None.
Literature
Aronson, Arnold (ed.): The Routledge Companion to Scenography. Routledge, 2020.
Barbieri, Donatella. Costume in Performance: Materiality, Culture, and the Body. Bloomsbury, 2017.
Tanja Beer. Ecoscenography: An Introduction for Ecological Design for Performance. Londýn: Palgrave Macmillan, 2022.
Hann, Rachel: Beyond Scenography. Routledge, 2019.
Hannah, Dorita and Harsløf Olav: Performance Design. Museum Tusculanum Press, 2008.
McKinney, Joslin and Phillip Butterworth: The Cambridge Introduction to Scenography. Cam-bridge University Press, 2015.
McKinney, Joslin and Scott Palmer: Scenography Expanded: An Introduction to Contemporary Performance Design. Methuen/Bloomsbury, 2017.
Wiens, Birgit E. Contemporary Scenography: Practices in German Theatre, Arts and Design. Me-thuen/Bloomsbury, 2019.
PQ Catalogues and on-line PQ Archive.
Additional materials will be shared in class.
Evaluation methods and criteria
Participation in 4 lectures out of 6 is a condition for the credit.
Further information
Course may be repeated
This course is an elective for all students of this school
Schedule for winter semester 2026/2027:
| Date | Day | Time | Tutor | Location | Notes | No. of paralel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08.10.2026 | 18:00–19:30 | Barbora Diego RIVERA PŘÍHODOVÁ | on-line link:https://villanova.zoom.us/j/92594493199 [ ]on-line | parallel1 | ||
| 15.10.2026 | 18:00–19:30 | Barbora Diego RIVERA PŘÍHODOVÁ | on-line link:https://villanova.zoom.us/j/92594493199 [ ] | parallel1 | ||
| 22.10.2026 | 18:00–19:30 | Barbora Diego RIVERA PŘÍHODOVÁ | on-line link:https://villanova.zoom.us/j/92594493199 [ ] | parallel1 | ||
| 29.10.2026 | 18:00–19:30 | Barbora Diego RIVERA PŘÍHODOVÁ | on-line link:https://villanova.zoom.us/j/92594493199 [ ] | parallel1 | ||
| 19.11.2026 | 18:00–19:30 | Barbora Diego RIVERA PŘÍHODOVÁ | on-line link:https://villanova.zoom.us/j/92594493199 [ ] | parallel1 | ||
| 26.11.2026 | 18:00–19:30 | Barbora Diego RIVERA PŘÍHODOVÁ | on-line link:https://villanova.zoom.us/j/92594493199 [ ] | parallel1 |
Schedule for summer semester 2026/2027:
The schedule has not yet been prepared
The subject is a part of the following study plans
- Stage Design (B.A.) (Required elective subjects)
- Scenography - Theatrical Scenography in EN (M.A.) (Elective subjects)
- Scenography - Theatre Scenography (M.A.) (Required elective subjects)
- Scenography - Film Scenography (M.A.) (Elective subjects)
- Scenography - Costume and Mask (M.A.) (Elective subjects)