Dramatic Imagination What is good stage design ? What does it look like ? There must be as many different opinions as the number of designers having been existed on earth , or more . However , there should be a common place all those different opinions can and must fit into and nest onto , the mind of audience . Let us explore the mind of audience by tracing the eyes of the audience . I am thinking of Korean version of Mid - summer Night ’ s Dream by theatre company YuHangJa ( Voyager ) in 2003 . The venue is outside in a village along Han River . The sun already took off while ago but , the earth is still influenced by the sun . The rising moon light is shining on the surface of Han River . There is a forest by the riverside where a Robin Hood figure once took it as strategic point for his revolutionary force to attack the King . Enveloped by leafy trees , there is a circle of field . As the audience is gathering , the sky is getting darker and stars are being vivified so quickly . Among the audience , the sound of whispering has been growing . “ There is something on the trees ! ” “ What are they ? ” Finally , an actor comes out and lights the torches around the field and fog comes in from the riverside . Then , twelve wired looking figures appear from the trees and behind the trees . They are doggobes , somewhat like goblin in western fairytales . The actors playing doggobes are wearing masks , not on their faces but behind their head . Suddenly , artificial lights burst onto the field lighting them . With fascinating music , they begin to circle around the field going point by point on the circle and stop at points taking pose like statues of twelve animal gods who represent each time and fates of people . The actors make their faces like masks so they seem to have two masks and show them to both front and behind audience . They become one of the elements of the stage design as well as the nature ; the forest , the river and the small sounds of insects and so on . In bird ’ s eye view , they seem to be a big clock . It looks as if they are turning around the time clock of the Universe . While they are turning the clock , the audience is led to the doggobe ’ s world and ready to watch the story of the misplaced love of the two couples within the doggobe ’ s territory . The design team really created the environment not only for the play or actors , but also for the audience to ignite their dramatic imagination . However , every one watched the production agreed on that all the stage design elements were blended into the nature around the venue though , some said it would have been better if they had used just torch lights and natural lights , some said it was ridiculous not using artificial lights in an age of science . We , stage designers have been taking advantage of progress of science these days . With the advantage , some designs are beautiful , spectacular and gorgeous itself even without the play . However , there is a question for us . Are they good stage designs ? Robert Edmund Jones , a well known stage designer clearly answered to the question in his book . In his time , new knowledge on man ’ s inner life had begun to be widespread and other scientific inventions had been made , especially photograph and motion pictures . These brought positive energy and , at the same time , the fear that theatre was dying into theatre society . The skills of stage design are also developed . However , Robert Edmund Jones doubted there were many good stage designs in his time because there was not enough fine workmanship in theatre , imagination . He believed that a stage setting is an environment not background , that it is not just beautiful thing but a presence , a mood , a warm wind fanning the drama to flame . He keeps saying that a good setting should stimulate the audience imagination . He says that sole aim of the arts of scene - designing , costuming , lighting , is to enhance the natural power of the actors . He explains what a stage designer ’ s task is in his writing to a young stage designer that a stage designer should enhance and intensify the characteristic quality of every performance of a play by every means in his power . He suggests stage designers to bring back the mood , the excitement and the dream from the dramas of the past . He is afraid that emphasizing the importance of stage pictures doesn ’ t help our dramatic imagination . He thinks great dramas do not need to be illustrated or explained or embroidered but the dramas with low vitality do . He tells the people who are startled at the fast growth of motion pictures that the only theatre dying is a prose theatre . He predicts that motion pictures will drain the theatre of its literalness and give it back to imagination again . He believes that a stage designer must learn by a deliberate effort of the will to walk in these enchanted regions where characters dwell and must imagine himself into their vastness . All he tries to say in his book is imagination and the attitude for a theatre artist to free it . As long as we have the attitude and be brave to use every thing and every effort to bring the dramatic imagination , theatre will remain alive and open the chamber of the House of Dreams to our audience . At the end of his book , he adds another consideration on what he says a good stage setting is . The audience ! The element which could not be segregated from theatre ! A good stage setting should be an environment for actors and also for audience to be led to the dramatic imagination . A good stage design requires not only considering audience but also requires the audience participation . Here ’ s the example of it . There was another play presented at the same venue the Mid - summer night ’ s Dream of YuHangJa was presented . It was a production of an Italian theatre company , the dwarf Macbeth . It was rainy . It pours cats and dogs . The performance should be canceled due to the weather . However , two audience members were sitting in and insisting on commencing the play . Finally all the audience members participated and sat on the ground and were exposed themselves to rain . The actors were excited by audience and started the play . Their make - ups were removed and painted setting was smeared during the performance . However , the dramatic imagination the audience possessed began to paint the most gorgeous color to the set and the actors . The pouring rain became to press the dwarf Macbeth and created the perfect tragic moment . The Italian actors acted in English , but Korean audience did not have any problem to understand it at all . When the actors made a bow audience cheered and shouted bravo . Is it not good theatre ? Is it not a good stage design ? Is it not what we want to see ? That is the dramatic imagination and the attitude Robert Edmund Jones said and all theatre people should possess I dare say .