Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2017 - 28

accordingly. This relativity helps us make decisions in all aspects of our lives as we make comparisons to readily available alternatives (Ariely, 2008). Our minds are not perfect
machines and this affects our ability to process information
and remember facts. Consequently, information about alternatives is often incomplete, making our understanding
of them unclear. Our memories are not perfect and are affected by our inherent biases so we often do not understand,
or cannot fully project, the consequences of our decisions
(Plous, 1993).
An example is a young assistant technical director
who is struggling to lead his crew because he is resisting
considering all of his options thoughtfully, because of a
preconceived notion that decisions must be made quickly;
this increases the pressure he feels. He can become trapped
while trying to implement his version of the rational choice
theory. He may find himself stuck in a swirl of options, all
of which have merits, with no way to land and move forward because he was looking for the perfect solution. If we
encourage our students to accept that no solution is perfect,
we can help them shift their focus away from searching for
the "right" solution to looking for one that satisfies enough
parameters to allow the project to move forward. To give
them this perspective, we must reinforce the idea that there
will always be more than one possible "right answer" available to any problem. Their goal, then, is to find the solution that best fits the given situation. We must also help

students understand that in addition to finding solutions to
the problem, as much, if not more time, needs to be focused
on identifying what defines the best solution for a particular situation.
CONTEXT AND FRAMES
Context is crucial in understanding and developing criteria
for decision making. Think of context as "the 'working set'
of information that you are dealing with at a given point in
time" (Hunt, 2008). If the context changes, then so might
the criteria defining the choice, as well as the subsequent
decision. For instance, a flat made out of 2x4s might make
sense in one context (supporting a platform) but not in
another (a standalone wall). It is the interplay between
context, stated goals, and the criteria that defines success.
When any of these three values are not considered fully or
are ignored because of the implementation of a poor critical
thinking process, the result can be an ineffective decisionmaking process, leading to inappropriate decisions. In the
context of building a show, the goal may be simply stated
as bringing the designer's vision to fruition. However, the
criteria for determining success might include finishing the
set within the materials and labor budget and on schedule.
If we succeed in making the set look like what the designer
drew but it is over budget and late, can we still say we succeeded?
The idea of framing is closely related to, and some-

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2017