Abstract
This article presents practice-led research where stage design is understood as an active, agential collaborator in theatrical performance, similar to how toys, playgrounds and material games are used as catalysts for play. Addressing the limitation of static, representational design, we develop a design for play methodology drawing from Constructivist theatre’s concept of the “acting apparatus.” This research explores the agency of material design within the performative space through two complementary case studies: an analogue, embodied board game system and a tech-driven, automated environment where pre-programmed robots act as performers. The playing machine concept is proposed as a design method that uses material, tangible systems to define constraints and affordances, creating the context for play to emerge. Results indicate that this reframing shifts theatre from performance-as-representation to theatre-as-play, offering a new model where scenography actively shapes the performer’s actions and the audience’s sensorial understanding.
Keywords
play design, stage design, material play, scenography
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1437
Citation
Mandea, M. (2026) Designing the playing machine: stage design as play catalyst, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1437
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
Designing the playing machine: stage design as play catalyst
This article presents practice-led research where stage design is understood as an active, agential collaborator in theatrical performance, similar to how toys, playgrounds and material games are used as catalysts for play. Addressing the limitation of static, representational design, we develop a design for play methodology drawing from Constructivist theatre’s concept of the “acting apparatus.” This research explores the agency of material design within the performative space through two complementary case studies: an analogue, embodied board game system and a tech-driven, automated environment where pre-programmed robots act as performers. The playing machine concept is proposed as a design method that uses material, tangible systems to define constraints and affordances, creating the context for play to emerge. Results indicate that this reframing shifts theatre from performance-as-representation to theatre-as-play, offering a new model where scenography actively shapes the performer’s actions and the audience’s sensorial understanding.