10 Questions Every Director Should Be Asking Their Set Designer

by Chris Peterson

I once had the great luck of working with a seasoned set designer who taught me something invaluable: your best collaborator is not the one who always agrees with you, but the one who asks better questions. Set designers don’t just build sets—they build worlds, frames for storytelling, and unexpected invitations for the audience to feel something deeper. Working with her fundamentally changed how I direct.

So here are 10 questions she taught me to ask. Questions I return to again and again, whether I’m staging Shakespeare, new work, or anything in between. Directors: take notes.

1. What story are we telling with the space?

Not the plot. The story. The emotional arc, the tension, the rhythm. This question shifted everything for me. It forced me to see the set as a character, not a backdrop. If your set designer can’t explain what emotional role the space plays in each scene, the audience won’t feel it either.

2. What’s the metaphor here?

Every great design has one, even if it’s subtle. She showed me how physical choices, a crack in the wall, a staircase that leads nowhere, can carry enormous weight. Ask your designer what the visual thesis is. The metaphor is what elevates a set from pretty to profound, and the audience feels it even if they don’t name it.

3. How will the set support transitions?

I used to think of scene changes as necessary evils. She convinced me they’re moments of comedy or suspense—if designed intentionally. Think ahead about fluidity. Trust me, tech week will thank you. The transitions are your show’s breath and pulse. If they’re clunky or confusing, they’ll ruin the momentum you worked so hard to build.

4. What’s the actor’s relationship to the set?

She asked me this early in our first project and I was stunned I hadn’t considered it. Are the characters at home in this world or resisting it? The answer informs blocking, tone, and design. The way an actor leans on a table or avoids a doorway can tell the audience everything about power, comfort, and fear.

5. What are the limitations we need to name right now?

She never sugarcoated budget or spatial constraints, and I appreciated that. Having those honest conversations early led to smarter, more focused creativity. Every theatre has quirks. Acknowledge them before they become problems. Sometimes the most exciting design choices come from knowing what you can’t do, and then solving around it with flair and ingenuity.

6. Where can we build in surprises?

Some of my favorite moments have come from her asking, “What if this panel flipped?” or “What if that window opened into light?” Audiences crave discovery. Let your designer play with the reveal. The surprise doesn’t have to be big, it just has to be intentional. Even a sliver of unexpected movement can make a scene unforgettable.

7. What are your inspirations or references?

She once showed me a photo of a decaying hotel as her reference for a set that, to me, had nothing to do with a hotel. But it unlocked the whole design. Trust their vision, and ask to see inside their brain. Understanding your designer’s aesthetic language will make your collaboration faster, deeper, and more creatively satisfying.

8. How does this set interact with the other design elements?

She never worked in a silo. She always asked about the lighting, the costumes, and the movement. That mindset is contagious. Make sure the set doesn’t just look good alone but sings with everything else. Cohesion across departments elevates the production—it tells the audience that this is a world with rules, logic, and deliberate choices.

9. What’s our plan for rehearsal logistics?

This one sounds basic, but it’s a show-saver. She’d walk me through tape outlines, rehearsal furniture, and scaled models like we were planning a military operation. The more clarity we had upfront, the freer we were in the room. The last thing you want is actors confused by size, spacing, or movement cues that didn’t exist during rehearsal.

10. What’s something bold you’ve been wanting to try?

This was my favorite question to ask her. And every time I did, her eyes would light up. Sometimes the idea made it into the show. Sometimes it didn’t. But it always deepened our collaboration and reminded us that theatre should be brave. Asking this opens the door to innovation, risk, and possibility, exactly where the best work lives.

She’s since moved on to bigger stages and grander sets, but I carry her lessons with me everywhere. If you’re lucky enough to work with someone who sees the invisible and dares you to dream, listen to them. And ask better questions. You’ll end up with a better show.