British Council, PETA to hold intensive course on set, costume design

The British Council and PETA (Philippine Educational Theater Association) are joining forces for an intensive stage and costume design workshop to be conducted by master British designer Marsha Roddy.

The workshop will be held from October 14 to 18 at PETA Theater in Quezon City. Photo: Marsha Roddy/The British Council

For six days, participants—from students to professionals—will be exposed to a practical course on set and costume design, while also looking into the processes, methods and techniques involved in designing for theater.

Among the activities lined up are:

• script analysis;
• visual language as a resource for designing, creative interpretation;
• understanding scale and space in stage design (2-D and 3-D problem solving);
• understanding movement, fabrics and light in costume design;
• developing ideas through model making; and
• design presentation.

Leading the course is Marsha Roddy, an artist and designer with a 30-year career in set and costume design for the stage, film, and television, as well haute couture, architecture and performance art.

While her work has taken her around the world, in the UK Roddy's theater credits include Waiting for Godot at The Crucible Theatre, Romeo and Juliet at the Leicester Haymarket, Amen Corner on the West End, and Cafe Vesuvio at the Manchester Royal Exchange.

Roddy will be set and costume designer for The Tempest Reimagined, a co-production of PETA and the British Council opening on November 11.

Marsha Roddy's theater credits include several productions at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Photo: Marsha Roddy/The British Council

According to the British Council, the workshop can be taken even by those with no previous experience in theater design or performance. “You will leave the course having gained a greater understanding of the steps involved with developing your ideas and bringing characters and their settings to life. You will have a small body of costume and/or set designs to take away with you,” it said.

The workshop will run from October 14 to 18, (3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays and 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekends) at PETA Theater, New Manila, Quezon City.

The workshop's P10,000 fee includes art supplies and a networking dinner.

Registration will be held on October 14. — Bianca Rose Dabu/BM, GMA News

For more information about the stage and costume design workshop, visit the British Council's website.