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Transforming Space Over Time

Set Design and Visual Storytelling with Broadway’s Legendary Directors
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( 29 ratings, 10 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Transforming Space Over Time traces the creation of six unique theatrical productions, five on Broadway and one Off Broadway. Tony Award-winning set designer Beowulf Boritt shares his journey from the initial job offer through the conceptualisation, physical crafting, and stage preparation of each set. The book highlights the collaborative nature of theatre, detailing Boritt’s interactions with directors, designers, technicians, producers, stage managers, and actors. Through extensive conversations with theatre luminaries like James Lapine, Kenny Leon, Hal Prince, Susan Stroman, Jerry Zaks, and Stephen Sondheim, it explores how different theatrical approaches shape set design. The book also discusses practical aspects of theatre, including budgets, promotion, reviews, and awards.
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for theatre professionals, aspiring set designers, and passionate theatre enthusiasts interested in the artistry and collaboration behind stage production.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

A combination of wisdom and tools derived from 450 productions' worth of personal experience and a series of investigations into the minds and methods of the designer's key collaborator: the director.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Transforming Space over Time tells the stories of six diverse productions: five on Broadway and one Off Broadway. Tony Award-winning set designer Beowulf Boritt begins with the moment he was offered each job and takes readers through the conceptual development of a set, the challenges of its physical creation, and the intense process of readying it for the stage.

Theatre is at heart a collaborative art form, and Boritt shares revealing details of his work with the many professionals—directors, designers, technicians, producers, stage managers, and actors—who contribute their talent and ideas to each show. Included here are extensive conversations with theatre legends James Lapine, Kenny Leon, Hal Prince, Susan Stroman, Jerry Zaks, and Stephen Sondheim. They explain how their different approaches to theatre help to shape the vision for a set and best practices for creative collaboration.

Boritt also offers valuable insights into the sometimes frustrating but unavoidable realities of the “biz” part of showbiz—budgets, promotion, reviews, and awards.

Full of indispensable advice for aspiring and seasoned professionals, and with plenty of entertaining and enlightening anecdotes to engage passionate theatregoers, Transforming Space over Time peels back the curtain and illuminates the artistry and craft of professional theatrical production—and particularly the all-important collaboration of designers and directors.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised for its insightful and engaging portrayal of theatre set design, Transforming Space Over Time has been called a must-read by industry professionals. Composer Tom Kitt highlights Boritt's ingenuity and creativity, recommending the book for both aspiring and experienced theatre makers. Actor Mandy Patinkin commends Boritt’s storytelling gift and delicate balance of design that enhances rather than overwhelms a play’s narrative.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781493064847

Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 15 August 2022

Country: United States

Imprint: Applause Theatre Book Publishers

Illustration: 201 b/w photos

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 28.0mm

Width: 180.0mm

Height: 260.0mm

Weight: 980g

Pages: 376

About the Author

Beowulf Boritt has enjoyed a twenty-five-year career in the theater and has designed more than 450 shows in New York (among them twenty-five on Broadway and more than one hundred Off Broadway), across the United States, and internationally. He has been nominated for three Tony Awards and won for his design of James Lapine’s Act One. Boritt was honored with an Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Design, among numerous other awards and nominations. He lives in New York City with his wife, actor Mimi Bilinski, and his dog Natasha Rostov.

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