Reviews

“A fascinating, insightful look at theatrical design … Writing in an easy storytelling style, the author includes his personal experiences and descriptive examples of his amazing theatrical designs … An excellent read for anyone aspiring to be or currently working as a theatrical designer.”

— K. Wagner, Michigan State University, for Choice*
(rated “highly recommended”)

Media appearances

Click on the title of a media appearance to read or listen.

Broadway World

“Book Release Party Celebrates New Philosophy of Design for the Stage,” 31 May 2022

WSIU / NPR

“Inside the Blanket Fort,” 26 May 2o22

Joshua Langman reads from the first chapter of Standby

WSIU / NPR

“Inside the Blanket Fort,” 19 May 2o22

Joshua Langman speaks about the genesis of Standby

ADVANCE PRAISE

“Standby is nothing short of groundbreaking, with inspiring and practical insights given at every turn. From his ‘ten purposes of theatrical design’ through his ‘essential traits for theatrical designers,’ Langman offers readers in-depth explorations of the art and science of theatrical design — by revealing precisely where those two functions collide. Essential reading, not only for design students and professionals, but for everyone seeking a deeper understanding of exactly how and why theatrical design can — and must — lift an audience’s experience from the mundane to the sublime. Langman has achieved something extraordinary: he shows us step by step how mastering the technical craft of theatrical design is merely the beginning — the real work lives inside an open invitation to create magic on the stage. As Langman explains, ‘Designers are poets masquerading as mechanics.’ After reading Standby, it is impossible to see this sacred calling as anything less.”

— Amanda Gronich, dramaturg, The Laramie Project

“Langman’s very readable schematic approach to design is a valuable tool for young designers learning how to approach the form.”

— Beowulf Boritt, Tony Award–winning Broadway scenic designer

“Langman dives into theatrical design with a surgeon’s level of precision, dissecting all of the steps of the process and laying out a virtual road map from conception to completion. Any literary arsenal of texts on design will greatly benefit from its inclusion. What makes a stage design crackle? What is the secret sauce of ingredients that causes a room full of spectators to gasp in unison? As Langman lays out in Standby: An Approach to Theatrical Design, it is, in fact, a carefully calibrated set of principals, formulas, and practices that when properly combined, create an invisible hand leading an audience towards a creative team’s unified vision and a shared experience that can only be felt when under the spell of the theatre gods. ¶ How do you quantify the invisible? How do you teach that which can only be learned by doing? And how do you present a clear and concise road map for a journey whose most identifiable quality is its subjectivity? Such is the task that Joshua Langman sets out to do in Standby: An Approach to Theatrical Design. By breaking down the ‘why’ of theatrical design, he is able to dissect the ‘how’ with real-world examples from Les Misérables to Waiting for Godot, and through deep and meticulous analysis of current and past masters of design, endeavors to lay out a template for the next generation of designers to follow in their footsteps.”

— Cory Pattak, award-winning lighting designer and creator of in 1: the podcast

* Reprinted with permission from Choice Reviews. All rights reserved. Copyright by the American Library Association.