First Fridays Art Talk: Art in Set Design, with Set Designer Brian Perchaluk and Royal MTC’s Artistic Director Kelly Thornton

Theatre set design creates a believable world for the audience to sink into, engaging with the story, characters, and mood. The styles mirror familiar art movements such as Realism, Impressionism and Minimalism. Expressionism, in set design, emphasizes the emotional experience of characters over a realistic depiction of their surrounding. The stage’s physical environment, often altered or distorted, uses lines and shapes such as uneven floors, slanting walls, or elongated forms to create a deep, gut-level experience for the audience, digging into the complexities of the human spirit and life. Moderator Susan Freig’s conversation with Brian Perchaluk and Kelly Thornton will explore the connection between art and set design, and will go “behind the scenes” about the relationship between set designs, director’s vision, and production.