ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Nineteenth-century theatrical scenery

When people wanted to watch a play in the olden days, they would go to a big room called a theater. In this room, they would sit and watch actors act out different stories on a stage. The stage was like a big, flat area where actors could walk around and perform.

Now, in order to make the stories more exciting, they needed to make the stage look like different places. For example, if the story was taking place in a forest, they would want the stage to look like trees and bushes. And if the story was set in a palace, they would want the stage to look like a grand room with fancy decorations.

To achieve this, people called set designers would make drawings of what the stage should look like for each scene in the play. Then, they would build big, wooden frames and attach materials like canvas or paper to them. These materials would be painted and decorated to look like the places they were supposed to represent.

For example, if the stage was supposed to look like a forest, they would make a big wooden frame to represent a giant tree. Then, they would attach canvas or paper to the frame and paint it to look like bark and leaves. They might even add real branches to make it look even more realistic.

Sometimes, they would also use tricks to make the scenery even more amazing. They might have parts of the stage move, like a piece of scenery sliding in or out. This would make it look like the characters were moving from one place to another. They could also use lighting to create different moods and feelings, like making the stage look dark and spooky for a scary scene or bright and happy for a joyful scene.

Overall, theatrical scenery in the nineteenth century was all about creating different worlds on stage using big wooden frames, painted canvas or paper, and fun tricks like moving pieces and lighting. It helped bring the stories to life and made watching plays even more exciting!