The Design department seeks to develop exciting, thoughtful designers of scenery, costume, lighting, projection, and sound for the theater. What makes the Yale program unique is the integration of all areas of design. This approach provides students with the common ground of core knowledge of the field; and it emphasizes that in telling the human story for theater, all elements of design are an integral part of the whole and cannot be conceived independently. Through classes and production, the department encourages the discovery of process in formulating the design idea, development of personal critical standards for students’ own work, and preparation for a creative and meaningful professional life in the theater.