Projecting two women set designers in Ghana, their philosophies and style

Abstract

Some existing works in the field of technical theatre have not adequately been given enough attention as compared to dramatic literature in Ghana. However, a number of researches appear to dwell more on the history and development of Ghanaian theatre forms and Ghanaian plays. In light of that it seems very little has been said on technical theatre practice which are equally essential in stage performance. The creation of set designs among other technical areas has contributed immensely to the development of theatre in Ghana. The study therefore seeks to project two women set designers in Ghana through use of qualitative research methodology based on in depth interview with the designers in focus. With emphasis on philosophical contexts, each designer is examined on the areas of significance of work, motivations and philosophies behind their works. As a result, the narrative and descriptive inquiry designs, purposive and snowballing sampling techniques were employed to select participants for the study. Semi-structured interview and non-participant observation were used to obtain information from participants. The qualitative data gathered from the samples were transcribed from the digital format to the text format. Analysis were based on thematic analytical procedure and responses from participants were categorized into themes and themes linked cogently, and interpretations made finally to arrive at the findings. The research discovered that the two women set designers to an extent contributed their quota in the promotion of set design but did not have the opportunity to be projected through their works.