Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2007 - 25

The methodology used to draw in Sketchup is admittedly
very different from those used in other CAD programs, but I
believe one can learn many different ways to create digital images. After all, we expect students to learn how to use multiple
lighting control consoles.
I have yet to give up completely on teaching hand-drafting
in class. At my university, if at all possible, students are taught
hand drafting before being introduced to CAD. But I believe that
the argument that it is dangerous to become too dependent on
computers is becoming less valid every day. The average college
student is very tech savvy and computer enabled. It is now very
common for college freshmen to arrive with their own computers, and many colleges and universities now provide free or
very low cost computers for their students.
Many people have learned to express themselves well already using pencils, pens, paints, or CAD applications. But for
those who don't (yet) have those skills, learning Sketchup is
fairly fast and once learned it offers a good way to express design ideas quickly and easily.

Composition Chess
At Northwest Missouri State University I use Sketchup for a class
project called "Composition Chess." I first played this game in
a graduate scenic design class at Southern Illinois University
at Carbondale. Composition Chess was conceived by Michael
Griffith of Miami University, OH, and originally consisted of
placing generic foam pieces, (walls, cubes, disks, etc.) as well
as found objects in a constructed model of a theater space.
"Chess moves" are made by each participant (pieces added
to the model) and at the end of each round a photograph is
taken. Then the players discuss the moves in terms of how they
contribute to designing a scenic environment for a play. After
multiple rounds have been played, and no other items can be
added to the model without substantially altering the design,
the game is declared over. It is a great exercise to show how
the elements of design really work together. It also allowed us,
as young designers, to discuss our ideas in a non-threatening
environment.
Six years later, as I was developing a new project for an
introductory design class, I came across my grad school notes
about composition chess. Also wanting to accommodate my
university's push to use computer technology in classrooms, I
decided to try using Sketchup with the composition chess game.

Rules of the Game
Before playing the game, all participants need to have read an
assigned one-act or short full-length play. The game can only be
successful if everyone is familiar with the play and has thought
about its scenic needs. A Sketchup model of a proscenium or
thrust stage is provided on computers. Two to four students
are assigned to each computer. Several three-dimensional
shapes-cubes, wall units, platforms, steps, etc.-are also
provided, as are a few human figures, in scale, which can be
placed in the space as the moves progress. Color should not be
THEATRE

24

DESIGN

&

TECHNOLOGY
SUMMER

2007

an issue in composition chess. Participants decide who goes
first and the sequence of subsequent turns and they decide if
they will use a neutral background (black or white), or a custom background image which they can pick from images on
the computer or find quickly on the Internet. It should take no
more than five minutes to find and download a custom image.
The participants import their backgrounds into Sketchup and
position it in proper relationship to the stage space. Once the
background is in place, the game begins.
1. In turn, each participant has three to five minutes (depending on the Sketchup skill level of the group) to select
and place a unit into position in the space. A unit is one or
two shapes available from the playing pieces, or is a shape
created by a player or downloaded from Google 3-D Warehouse (sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/). Enterprising
colleagues in fi lm and television already have a small collection of grip, set, and lighting equipment available for free
downloading at Google 3-D Warehouse.
2. A scaled figure should be positioned by a player by the
end of the fi rst or second turn. Additional figures may be
placed to show the viability of created acting areas.
3. All players should strive to create a new composition
as the play progresses, and as the composition develops, it
should provide for viable acting areas using the space.
4. At the completion of each round in which all players
have had their turn to add to the composition, discussion of
the developed composition may ensue (three minutes maximum). Issues such as balance, rhythm, harmony, direction,
mood, etc. should be addressed. Play continues as before at
the end of discussion.
5. Players may not begin creating their piece until the last
player has added his or her piece.
6. If a player cannot make a play he/she must pass and is
out of the "active" play of the game; he/she will continue to
participate in evaluative discussions of developing compositions.
7. Play ends when all players pass-that is, they all agree
that they cannot add another element to the composition
without substantially altering the balance, rhythm, etc., and
without substantially encroaching on potential playing areas
for the actors.
8. Participants should make a screen capture of the developing composition at the end of each round and at the end of
play in order to record the results.
9. Accidental "knock downs" or movements of playing
pieces must be restored. The focus of the play should be on
visual composition, not on the engineering of literal balance.
By way of illustrating how the game works, the following
sets of screen-captures show a sample game with two players.
Their play is The Tooth of Crime by Sam Shepard. Very simply, Tooth is a futuristic story about two rock 'n' roll warlords
in which music and words are the weapons of choice. One
warlord is an ageing star yearning for the past and the other a
young gun looking to knock off the king.
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2007
