Established in 1994 the Scenography Working Group focuses upon the history, theory, aesthetics and practice of scenography - design for and as performance. The group represents the leading international forum for the sharing of research in this discipline.
The Scenography Working Group's research focuses upon the history, theory, aesthetics and practice of scenography through a specific program of meetings, presentations and publication. The group meets annually at every IFTR World Congress and also holds interim events e.g. during the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space every four years.
The Scenography Working Group aims to nurture and develop new contributions to practice-led research by providing opportunities for scenographers and designers to discuss their work and exchange ideas in an international academic forum. Our research investigates scenographic elements, (including: costume, setting, make-up, sound design, lighting design, masks, puppets and objects) and considers their proxemic relationship to performers and audiences in traditional and non-traditional spaces. Such research considers both contemporary practice and the influences of scenography on theatrical form and the audience experience of performance. By offering opportunities to share and discuss members’ research in a variety of formats, we aim to promote aesthetic, theoretical and philosophical investigations that are both distinct from and inclusive of technological developments for performance.
The Scenography Working Group welcomes early career researchers and postgraduate scholars (either as presenters or observer/participants) although they may also wish to contribute to the IFTR New Scholars programme at each annual World Congress. IFTR rules prevent individuals from presenting more than one paper during the conference.
Featured Image is from The Weather Machine (2015) courtesy of David Shearing http://www.davidshearing.com/
The Scenography Working Group's convenors are
Dr Nick Hunt nick.hunt (at) bruford.ac.uk (Rose Bruford College, UK)
Dr Sofia Pantouvaki sofia.pantouvaki (at) aalto.fi (Aalto University, Finland)
and supported by
Dr Scott Palmer s.d.palmer (at) leeds.ac.uk (University of Leeds, UK)
IFTR Scenography Working Group Symposium Interim Event Friday 14th June –Saturday 15th June 2019 Hosted by the Department of Theatre Studies, Faculty of Arts, Charles University Prague, Czech Republic Read more
SWG Business Meeting Minutes - July 11th 2018 Read more
CALL FOR PAPERS Scenography Working Group, International Federation for Theatre Research IFTR 2019, Shanghai, China Shanghai Theatre Academy 8th July – 12th July 2019 Read more
The recent significant increase in academic publications in our field has been instigated by our members. Major volumes are listed here with links to journals in which our research regularly features Read more
IFTR 2017 - University of São Paulo, Brazil Business Meeting Minutes (from notes by Lucy Thornett) Read more
The Scenography Working Group invites proposals for our meeting in Belgrade in July 2018. Read more
