Page 34 - spaces4learning, Fall 2024

s p a c e s 4 l e a rn i n g THEATERS/PERFORMING ARTS
SETTING THE
STAGE WITH
VIRTUAL SET
DESIGN
By Jared Cole
IMAGINE SEEING Frozen on Broadway 10 or 15 years ago
and what the set would’ve looked like. Creating Elsa’s ice cas-
tle would’ve taken a lot of time and work to make something
spectacular to match the story happening on stage. Luckily, the
performing arts industry has evolved tremendously in the past
decade. It is nearly impossible to go to a show today without some
use of technology in the set design beyond traditional stage light-
ing. With the power of technology, shows like Frozen are able to
create elaborate and intricate sets that elevate each scene, but how
do we bring that experience to the high-school level?
At the collegiate level, performing arts programs have seen
several advancements in production technology, including more
affordable hardware and software options, that have helped rev-
olutionize set design. As I started my role as performing arts
manager for Churchill High School in Livonia, Mich., I wanted
to bring my decade of experience at the college level and incor-
porate virtual set design into the shows for the 2023–24 school
year. Not only does virtual set design enhance a production, it
also brings new learning opportunities to students.
Benefits of Virtual Set Design
Beyond being innovative, virtual set design offers several
practical benefits. It’s nice to have in your toolbox as it solves
design challenges and expands what you can do with a set. It
saves on costs such as lumber, and it’s a time-saver whether
you’re creating sets leading up to a show or changing sets
between scenes.
In addition to practical benefits, virtual set design offers
valuable learning opportunities for students interested in pur-
suing performing arts either in college or at a professional level.
In fact, jobs in Arts and Audio/Video Technology are in high
demand and projected to continue to grow, according to the
College Board. Having students gain exposure to technology
used for set design before graduating high school can help pave
the way for their future success. While virtual set design can
initially seem daunting, there are beginner-friendly approaches
34 FALL 2024 | spaces4learning.com
to make it accessible to all skill levels.
Last school year, our program put together two productions,
Shrek the Musical and She Kills Monsters. For the first production,
we utilized technology for the set to help create more back-
drops, and for the second production, we took it a step further
to elevate the set with more advanced backdrops. Both shows al-
lowed students to learn more about virtual set design and were
easy to accomplish at the high-school level.
Shrek the Musical
Our fall show was Shrek the Musical , which we knew would
entail an elaborate set. Traditionally, students would work
together to paint the various backdrops needed for the show
and set them up on line sets. This show would’ve required
about a dozen different backdrops from a swamp to a castle to
a dungeon. Knowing this would be a lot of work and heavy for
the line sets, it was the perfect time to introduce incorporating
virtual set design into a show.
We set up projectors on the fly rail about three feet away
from the projection surface and incorporated images as the back-
drops of the set. With the ultra-short-throw projectors, images
came down from an ultra-short angle to help avoid shadowing
on stage. To create a seamless image with both projectors, we
utilized edge-blending and projection mapping techniques with