Contemporary Scenography 2

Register Display Schedule

Subject guarantor

Jan ŠTĚPÁNEK

Name of lecturer(s)

Barbora Diego RIVERA PŘÍHODOVÁ

Department

The subject provides Department of Stage Design

Contents

Classes take place online 19. 2., 26. 2., 5.3., 12.3., 19.3. and 26. 3. 2026 always at 18.00 to 19.30

This course is a continuation of Contemporary Scenography. It focuses on developments and key topics in scenography over the last 50 years. Building on knowledge from the previous semester, students will continue to examine practices, styles, and artistic and ideological principles of theatre makers in Europe and beyond who have used performance space and design in new and unconventional ways to contest the aesthetic, and sometimes political, norms of their communities. Special attention will be paid to how contemporary scenography is shaped by digital technologies, while also expanding the discussion toward decolonial practices. Through the analysis of visual and audiovisual materials, the course will explore the work of artists and companies including Katie Mitchell, Ivo van Hove, Robert Lepage, Troika Ranch, The Wooster Group, Chunky Move, Christiane Jatahy, Yaël Farber, and Nora Chipaumire.Students are invited to bring their own examples of 'memorable' use of scenography to enrich our class discussion.

Attendance Requirements

Students must attend at least 4 out of 6 classes to successfully complete the course.

Syllabus outline

(Subject to change)

19. 2. Introduction: ‘Technologies’ in contemporary scenography (Katie Mitchell and Alex

Eales; Ivo van Hove and Jan Versweyveld)

26.2. Reinterpretation of classics #1: Wagner’s Ring (R. Lepage; F. Castorff and A. Denic)

5.3. Bodies, interaction, control (Troika Ranch, Wooster Group)

12.3. Image, immersion, dissolution (Chunky Move, Behnaz Farahi)

19. 3 Reinterpretation of classics #2: Miss Julie Reimagined (Christiane Jatahy, Yael Farber)

26.3. Decolonial Scenography (Nora Chipaumire etc); Conclusions

Learning outcomes

As a result of this course, you will be able to

• Identify some of the key personalities, themes, and concepts of recent and contemporary

performance design in Europe, the U.S., and beyond

• Discuss different approaches to space and design in performance, and their relation to

cultural and socio-political environments

• Discuss artistic works using basic critical language from theater and performance design,

and scenography studies

• 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.

Cambridge 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.

Methuen/Bloomsbury, 2019.

PQ Catalogues and on-line PQ Archive.

Additional materials will be shared in class.

Evaluation methods and criteria

Students must attend at least 4 out of 6 classes to successfully complete the course.

Further information

Course may be repeated

This course is an elective for all students of this school

Schedule for winter semester 2025/2026:

The schedule has not yet been prepared

Schedule for summer semester 2025/2026:

The subject is a part of the following study plans

• Stage Design (B.A.) (Required 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)