While creating a scene for an upcoming Palo Alto High School theater production, the directors and set-makers try their hardest to make each audience member feel like they are a part of the play. The set-makers create amazing pieces of art and construction to go on the stage and make an ordinary black floor turn into an incredible scene from a play.
 

Kathleen Woods, the Theater Arts teacher and Program Director at Paly, explains how creating a set takes an incredible amount of time and work. It all starts out with deciding who is fit for the job. Designing the set and actually constructing it is next. The process takes about 6 months in total.

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Set-makers start their process at the end of each production. After a spring show, a scenic designer immediately begins formulating ideas and creating layouts for the fall play. Over the summer, they meet with adult designers to discuss possible pieces that will make up the majority of the set.
 

Overall, from the time the play is chosen, to the opening night, every part of the set will be constantly going through a set-makers mind. The time commitment required is very intense.
 

“The spring show will usually start at least talking about the look of the show and what we need in terms of scenery at the beginning of fall so its really about a 6 month process.” Wood said.
 

One may wonder why so much time is required to create the set of the stage. When one thinks of a play or production, actors, stunts and action is what usually comes to mind. However, what people do not realize is how important the background and stage is. It is the core and center of everything which brings it all together.
 

“In some shows, the set almost becomes like a character in the play,” Woods said.
 

It’s important that the set reflects specific details in the play itself. Master Carpenter Ethan Cohen shares the in-depth thought process that occurs while creating a set for The Crucible.
 

“The trees are very crooked and twisted in the way that a lot of the Crucible is,” Cohen said. “[For example] logic and faith are twisted.”
 

Adding the crooked trees adds spooky effects and emphasizes the illogical and eerie plot line. If one were to see regular trees in full bloom, it may alter their understanding of the plot and throw everything a little bit off.
 

The role of Scenic Designer or Master Carpenter is an honored position; the position is demanding and one has to be committed. Many factors go into deciding these roles and they start from the minute a freshman walks in to the Paly theater classroom with a dream to get involved. Motivation and interest is crucial.

Current Scenic Designer, Caroline Johnson, knew from the beginning of freshman year that she was born for this role.
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“As a freshman I showed a lot of interest in scenic design,” Johnson said. “I helped paint [a set] with the Student Scenic Designer at the time and then when they graduated I kind of inherited their role.”
 

Students usually go through a number of different steps while auditioning for the role of a set-maker. If they show enough interest, commitment, and talent, they will be put through a number of training courses so they are up to par with the skill needed to create an outstanding set.
 

“If the student shows motivation and ability to follow through,” Mrs. Woods says, ”then they can work themselves up, usually junior and senior year to be a student designer in an area.”
 

People should be informed with the incredible amount of talent required to make a set for a production. The set emotionally moves the audience and shapes the plot of a play without most people even noticing. While exploring the commitment that is essential to create a scene, it’s is important to pay the right amount of respect to set-makers because without them, theater would not be the same.