Set Design for Grease

Theatrical set designer Derek McLane ’80 shows how his work progresses — from initial sketches on a yellow legal pad through the musical’s finished sets...

Theatrical set designer Derek McLane ’80 shows how his work progresses — from initial sketches on a yellow legal pad through the musical’s finished sets...

Theatrical set designer Derek McLane ’80 shows how his work progresses — from initial sketches on a yellow legal pad through the musical’s finished sets — and discusses some of his surprising, diverse sources of inspiration: the endless rows of lockers he remembers from high school; a Life magazine photograph of a drive-in movie theater; the colors in 1950s advertisements; and that era’s fascination with nuclear power.

For more on McLane, see "Storytelling Spaces," in this magazine's March-April issue.

 

You might also like

How AI Is Reshaping Supply Chains

Harvard Kennedy School lecturer on using AI to strengthen supply chains

This Astronomer is Sounding a Warning on ‘Space Junk’

As debris accumulates in low Earth orbit, the danger of destructive collisions continues to rise.

Understanding AI Vulnerabilities

As artificial intelligence capabilities evolve, so too will the tactics used to exploit them. 

Most popular

Why Men Are Falling Behind in Education, Employment, and Health

Can new approaches to education address a growing gender gap?

Harvard art historian Jennifer Roberts teaches the value of immersive attention

Teaching students the value of deceleration and immersive attention

Teen "Grind" Culture and Mental Health

Teens need better strategies to cope with lives lived partly online.

Explore More From Current Issue

Four men in a small boat struggle with rough water, one lying down and others watching.

The 1884 Cannibalism-at-Sea Case That Still Has Harvard Talking

The Queen v. Dudley and Stephens changed the course of legal history. Here’s why it’s been fodder for countless classroom debates.

A man skiing intensely in the snow, with two spectators in the background.

Introductions: Dan Cnossen

A conversation with the former Navy SEAL and gold-medal-winning Paralympic skier

Historic church steeple framed by bare tree branches against a clear sky.

Harvard’s Financial Challenges Lead to Difficult Choices

The University faces the consequences of the Trump administration—and its own bureaucracy