Petros Lappas from Greece completed the two-year Master program in Scenography at Norwegian Theatre Academy (NTA) Spring 2020. The master program is a full-time study for applicants who wish to explore and research the synthesis of theatre and architecture.
The MA SCE program is based on experiential artistic laboratories, productions, theory and methods, concluding in a final master project with an internal or external partner emphasizing the dialogic quality of scenography.
Application deadline for the master program in scenography is December 1.
More about the program and how to apply
“It gives us the opportunity and space to experiment in the arts and to find an individual style as artists.”
Petros Lappas, former MA scenography student at NTA
Looking back, Lappas says the master program changed his way of thinking about scenography.
- My perception widened to a more open approach and exploration in this field. NTA offers you freedom to develop your personal style in scenography without imposing boundaries.
Why did you apply for a place of study at NTA?
- I applied at NTA for the unique and unprecedented experience. I was looking forward to live there as a student, to learn new things and change as a person on many levels.
According to Lappas the scenography program inspired him as an artist.
- I liked very much the access to the experiences of other artists in the workshops. It is great to be able to combine different disciplines in the creative process, the scenographer explains.
Can you describe the international profile of NTA – from a student perspective?
- It is opportunity and challenge to be student in an international environment, like NTA. It is like a test towards yourself, to practice openness and learn from different cultures, people, methods and ways of thinking new things.
His final master project consisted of two very different but still strongly connected parts “Pulmones” and “LungsMachine”.
Here is Lappas´ own description of the project:
"Pulmones or Lungs is a contemporary play written by Duncan Macmillan for two actors and without any scenographic elements on the stage. However, I challenged myself to design an interesting and innovative scenography for this work. The performance was presented in 2019 at the National Centre of Drama in Spain. The scenography is inspired from the work and the theatrical space that was given from the theatre institution. All the elements that I used to create experiences of spaces for the play, belong to the given space. The focal points of my work are reflections, resonances and spatial folds that I highlighted in the text and the theatrical space in order to connect them as one work."
More about the project:
National Centre of Drama in Spain
"LungsMachine is an artistic research - project that took place in Fredrikstad. It is the second part of my work and is inspired and based on Lungs. LungsMachine investigates a new way of perceiving and making a scenography for Lungs. More specifically, it explores and challenges creative processes thus establishing working methods. In this work, there is no given space nor a dialogue between the actors. In this work, the two characters from Pulmones, communicate in a different way. They transform into two grotesque bodies that expand, change and adjust to different places and spaces, in various ways. Their transformation starts from the inner world and goes out, facing and being challenged by real situations, spaces and places. I made a scenography that starts from the skin of the actors and is based on change and transformation, simulating how the human mood, feelings and attitudes change daily."
(All photos: Petros Lappas)
Why would you recommend others to apply for this study program?
- I strongly recommend this study program to all young artists from different places in the world. It gives us the opportunity and space to experiment in the arts and find an individual style as artists.”
Due to the confines of the Covid pandemic, Petros Lappas found it difficult to initiate artistic projects with other artists.
- Unfortunately, I have not been able to work with other people on projects. However, the isolation due to the pandemic gave me the opportunity to develop further personal future projects.
And what would be your ultimate, artistic project in the future?
- For me, being an artist is a continuous process of learning about yourself through others. It is a way of seeing, understanding, perceiving, communicating, being and living with others. This is my ultimate goal as an artist.
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