舞台演出中燈光、佈景、服裝、音響等組合效果的美學創作。早在西元前4世紀的古希臘戲劇中，諸如描畫的屏風以及能旋轉的平台等就有所使用。但舞台設計中使用的大部分創新發明是在文藝復興時期的義大利出現的，當時繪景式背景、透視式建築背景以及眾多的佈景變換都很常見。義大利的舞台置景技術於1605年由瓊斯（I. Jones）介紹到英國。到19世紀後期，舞台置景更多地受到新起的自然主義的影響，主張要歷史地還原真實的原貌。到了20世紀，簡化了的舞台設計更多地把注意力集中到演員身上。舞台設計一直受到燈光進步的影響，從文藝復興時代使用蠟燭，到18世紀使用油燈，直到19世紀使用煤氣燈和電燈。當代的舞台燈光由電腦控制板來操控，取得複雜的燈光效果，能將整個舞台的所有視覺元素組合成一個完整的統一體。
stage design
Aesthetic composition of a dramatic production as created by lighting, scenery, costumes, and sound. While such elements as painted screens and wheeled platforms were used in the Greek theater of the 4th century BC, most innovations in stage design were developed in the Italian Renaissance theater, where painted backdrops, perspective architectural settings, and numerous changes of scenery were common. Italian staging was introduced in England in 1605 by Inigo Jones for court masques. In the late 19th century, staging was influenced by the new naturalism, which called for historically accurate sets. In the 20th century, simplified stage design focused attention on the actor. Stage design has been greatly affected by advances in lighting, from the use of candles in the Renaissance to oil lamps in the 18th century and gas and electric lights in the 19th century. Modern stage lighting, which employs computerized control boards to achieve complex effects, can unify all the visual elements of a stage production.
