NCERT Textbook: Let’s Design | Arts for Class 6 (Kriti - 1) PDF Download

 Page 1


Chapter 17
Let’s Design
Stage Technicals 1
In the realm of design,  
makeup weaves a tale,
Brush strokes on faces,  
emotions set to unveil.
Costumes, a canvas for  
characters to shine,
On the stage, design harmonises,  
a visual symphony divine.
SCENE 3: Theatre 
Production
In any successful performance, we 
see the actors perform and get the 
appreciation. But for the actors’ 
performance to have full impact on 
the audience, the e??ort and work of all 
these departments are very crucial. We 
are now going to explore the basics 
of the following departments?—
• Make-up
• Costume design
• Stage layout 
 Your face is the ??rst thing 
that  people notice about you. So, 
for an actor, to look convincing on 
stage, the ??rst thing that has to be 
considered is make-up.
Make-up
Have you noticed actors have colours 
on their face? Some look good, some 
look scary and some look funny. 
This is what make-up can do! It is all 
planned as per the roles they play 
in the drama performance that they 
are a part of. Everyone performing 
on stage needs to put on make-up, 
irrespective of the gender, age, 
community, etc. 
If you ask, but why? Why is 
make-up necessary? We don’t wear 
Concepts introduced
•  Make-up and costume 
design
• Stage
• Script writing
4 Theatre.indd   127 7/15/2024   11:49:00 AM
Reprint 2025-26
Page 2


Chapter 17
Let’s Design
Stage Technicals 1
In the realm of design,  
makeup weaves a tale,
Brush strokes on faces,  
emotions set to unveil.
Costumes, a canvas for  
characters to shine,
On the stage, design harmonises,  
a visual symphony divine.
SCENE 3: Theatre 
Production
In any successful performance, we 
see the actors perform and get the 
appreciation. But for the actors’ 
performance to have full impact on 
the audience, the e??ort and work of all 
these departments are very crucial. We 
are now going to explore the basics 
of the following departments?—
• Make-up
• Costume design
• Stage layout 
 Your face is the ??rst thing 
that  people notice about you. So, 
for an actor, to look convincing on 
stage, the ??rst thing that has to be 
considered is make-up.
Make-up
Have you noticed actors have colours 
on their face? Some look good, some 
look scary and some look funny. 
This is what make-up can do! It is all 
planned as per the roles they play 
in the drama performance that they 
are a part of. Everyone performing 
on stage needs to put on make-up, 
irrespective of the gender, age, 
community, etc. 
If you ask, but why? Why is 
make-up necessary? We don’t wear 
Concepts introduced
•  Make-up and costume 
design
• Stage
• Script writing
4 Theatre.indd   127 7/15/2024   11:49:00 AM
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Kriti–I | Grade 6 128
make-up in our everyday life. Why is 
it necessary for stage?
Here is your answer?—
1. Visibility and Projection: 
Make-up enhances facial features, 
ensuring that expressions and 
emotions are projected to the 
audience, even from a distance.
2. Character Transformation: 
Make-up is a powerful tool 
for transforming actors into 
characters. It allows performers 
to look old, younger or adopt 
speci??c features necessary for 
the role, enhancing the overall 
authenticity of the performance.
3. Highlighting Facial 
Expressions: Make-up helps 
emphasise key features such 
as eyes and mouth, so that 
subtle nuances are visible to the 
audience.
4. Harmony with Stage Lighting: 
Stage lights can be intense and 
may distort natural skin tones. 
Make-up is applied to create a 
balance, preventing actors from 
appearing washed out or overly 
dark under the stage lights.
5. Historical and Theatrical 
Styles: Depending on the play’s 
setting or genre, make-up can 
be essential for capturing the 
styles. It allows actors to ??t into 
speci??c time periods, cultures 
or fantasy worlds envisioned by 
the director .
In essence, make-up for stage 
actors is not just about ‘looking good’ 
or aesthetics. It is a practical and 
artistic necessity, as it contributes 
signi??cantly to the success of a 
theatrical performance. It enables 
actors to communicate e??ectively 
with the audience, enhances 
their portrayal of characters and 
contributes to the overall visual 
impact of the production.
Depending on the play and role, 
there are di??erent types of make-up.
• Straight make-up: Simple, 
basic highlight of features.
• Character make-up: Elements 
of age, profession, personality 
and situation are shown.
• Special e??ects: Adding wounds, 
scars or additional features like 
horns.
Make-up room, also called 
green room, should be bright, 
well-lit and airy
4 Theatre.indd   128 7/15/2024   11:49:02 AM
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Page 3


Chapter 17
Let’s Design
Stage Technicals 1
In the realm of design,  
makeup weaves a tale,
Brush strokes on faces,  
emotions set to unveil.
Costumes, a canvas for  
characters to shine,
On the stage, design harmonises,  
a visual symphony divine.
SCENE 3: Theatre 
Production
In any successful performance, we 
see the actors perform and get the 
appreciation. But for the actors’ 
performance to have full impact on 
the audience, the e??ort and work of all 
these departments are very crucial. We 
are now going to explore the basics 
of the following departments?—
• Make-up
• Costume design
• Stage layout 
 Your face is the ??rst thing 
that  people notice about you. So, 
for an actor, to look convincing on 
stage, the ??rst thing that has to be 
considered is make-up.
Make-up
Have you noticed actors have colours 
on their face? Some look good, some 
look scary and some look funny. 
This is what make-up can do! It is all 
planned as per the roles they play 
in the drama performance that they 
are a part of. Everyone performing 
on stage needs to put on make-up, 
irrespective of the gender, age, 
community, etc. 
If you ask, but why? Why is 
make-up necessary? We don’t wear 
Concepts introduced
•  Make-up and costume 
design
• Stage
• Script writing
4 Theatre.indd   127 7/15/2024   11:49:00 AM
Reprint 2025-26
Kriti–I | Grade 6 128
make-up in our everyday life. Why is 
it necessary for stage?
Here is your answer?—
1. Visibility and Projection: 
Make-up enhances facial features, 
ensuring that expressions and 
emotions are projected to the 
audience, even from a distance.
2. Character Transformation: 
Make-up is a powerful tool 
for transforming actors into 
characters. It allows performers 
to look old, younger or adopt 
speci??c features necessary for 
the role, enhancing the overall 
authenticity of the performance.
3. Highlighting Facial 
Expressions: Make-up helps 
emphasise key features such 
as eyes and mouth, so that 
subtle nuances are visible to the 
audience.
4. Harmony with Stage Lighting: 
Stage lights can be intense and 
may distort natural skin tones. 
Make-up is applied to create a 
balance, preventing actors from 
appearing washed out or overly 
dark under the stage lights.
5. Historical and Theatrical 
Styles: Depending on the play’s 
setting or genre, make-up can 
be essential for capturing the 
styles. It allows actors to ??t into 
speci??c time periods, cultures 
or fantasy worlds envisioned by 
the director .
In essence, make-up for stage 
actors is not just about ‘looking good’ 
or aesthetics. It is a practical and 
artistic necessity, as it contributes 
signi??cantly to the success of a 
theatrical performance. It enables 
actors to communicate e??ectively 
with the audience, enhances 
their portrayal of characters and 
contributes to the overall visual 
impact of the production.
Depending on the play and role, 
there are di??erent types of make-up.
• Straight make-up: Simple, 
basic highlight of features.
• Character make-up: Elements 
of age, profession, personality 
and situation are shown.
• Special e??ects: Adding wounds, 
scars or additional features like 
horns.
Make-up room, also called 
green room, should be bright, 
well-lit and airy
4 Theatre.indd   128 7/15/2024   11:49:02 AM
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Theatre 129
• Fantasy or abstract make-up: 
Creating unique, unfamiliar 
characters with unusual colours.
• Mime or pattern make-up: 
A bold, striking face 
covers that is usually 
neutral.
Face is the ??rst thing 
that people notice. The 
next most important 
thing, is the clothes 
and  accessories. A 
person’s character is 
de??ned by the kind 
of clothes they wear. 
So, invariably for 
characters on stage, 
what is very crucial is—
The Costume 
Design
We wear di??erent 
types of clothes in 
di??erent occasions. 
The clothes you wear 
at home are di??erent 
from the school uniform. Likewise, 
the clothes you wear to the temple 
during a village festival is di??erent 
from your night clothes. Right? 
Similarly, an actor wears 
di??erent clothes to portray di??erent 
characters. It helps the audience to 
recognise and relate to the character . 
While there are so many kinds 
of clothes and options to choose 
from, how does one even start 
to decide what works for the 
character? Here are some points to 
start o???—?costumes are designed 
according to the following categories: 
• Gender: Clothes are di??erent 
for men and women.
• Age of the character: People 
dress di??erently at di??erent 
ages.
• Timeline of the play: Fashion 
of a culture evolves and changes 
as time progresses. (Jeans and 
pants did not exist during 
Maharaja Shivaji’s time.)
• Geographical location of the 
story: Di??erences in cultures 
and countries. (Traditional 
clothing of Karnataka is di??erent 
from Bengal). 
Identify and write  
the type of make-up  
based on the 
description above
4 Theatre.indd   129 7/15/2024   11:49:04 AM
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Page 4


Chapter 17
Let’s Design
Stage Technicals 1
In the realm of design,  
makeup weaves a tale,
Brush strokes on faces,  
emotions set to unveil.
Costumes, a canvas for  
characters to shine,
On the stage, design harmonises,  
a visual symphony divine.
SCENE 3: Theatre 
Production
In any successful performance, we 
see the actors perform and get the 
appreciation. But for the actors’ 
performance to have full impact on 
the audience, the e??ort and work of all 
these departments are very crucial. We 
are now going to explore the basics 
of the following departments?—
• Make-up
• Costume design
• Stage layout 
 Your face is the ??rst thing 
that  people notice about you. So, 
for an actor, to look convincing on 
stage, the ??rst thing that has to be 
considered is make-up.
Make-up
Have you noticed actors have colours 
on their face? Some look good, some 
look scary and some look funny. 
This is what make-up can do! It is all 
planned as per the roles they play 
in the drama performance that they 
are a part of. Everyone performing 
on stage needs to put on make-up, 
irrespective of the gender, age, 
community, etc. 
If you ask, but why? Why is 
make-up necessary? We don’t wear 
Concepts introduced
•  Make-up and costume 
design
• Stage
• Script writing
4 Theatre.indd   127 7/15/2024   11:49:00 AM
Reprint 2025-26
Kriti–I | Grade 6 128
make-up in our everyday life. Why is 
it necessary for stage?
Here is your answer?—
1. Visibility and Projection: 
Make-up enhances facial features, 
ensuring that expressions and 
emotions are projected to the 
audience, even from a distance.
2. Character Transformation: 
Make-up is a powerful tool 
for transforming actors into 
characters. It allows performers 
to look old, younger or adopt 
speci??c features necessary for 
the role, enhancing the overall 
authenticity of the performance.
3. Highlighting Facial 
Expressions: Make-up helps 
emphasise key features such 
as eyes and mouth, so that 
subtle nuances are visible to the 
audience.
4. Harmony with Stage Lighting: 
Stage lights can be intense and 
may distort natural skin tones. 
Make-up is applied to create a 
balance, preventing actors from 
appearing washed out or overly 
dark under the stage lights.
5. Historical and Theatrical 
Styles: Depending on the play’s 
setting or genre, make-up can 
be essential for capturing the 
styles. It allows actors to ??t into 
speci??c time periods, cultures 
or fantasy worlds envisioned by 
the director .
In essence, make-up for stage 
actors is not just about ‘looking good’ 
or aesthetics. It is a practical and 
artistic necessity, as it contributes 
signi??cantly to the success of a 
theatrical performance. It enables 
actors to communicate e??ectively 
with the audience, enhances 
their portrayal of characters and 
contributes to the overall visual 
impact of the production.
Depending on the play and role, 
there are di??erent types of make-up.
• Straight make-up: Simple, 
basic highlight of features.
• Character make-up: Elements 
of age, profession, personality 
and situation are shown.
• Special e??ects: Adding wounds, 
scars or additional features like 
horns.
Make-up room, also called 
green room, should be bright, 
well-lit and airy
4 Theatre.indd   128 7/15/2024   11:49:02 AM
Reprint 2025-26
Theatre 129
• Fantasy or abstract make-up: 
Creating unique, unfamiliar 
characters with unusual colours.
• Mime or pattern make-up: 
A bold, striking face 
covers that is usually 
neutral.
Face is the ??rst thing 
that people notice. The 
next most important 
thing, is the clothes 
and  accessories. A 
person’s character is 
de??ned by the kind 
of clothes they wear. 
So, invariably for 
characters on stage, 
what is very crucial is—
The Costume 
Design
We wear di??erent 
types of clothes in 
di??erent occasions. 
The clothes you wear 
at home are di??erent 
from the school uniform. Likewise, 
the clothes you wear to the temple 
during a village festival is di??erent 
from your night clothes. Right? 
Similarly, an actor wears 
di??erent clothes to portray di??erent 
characters. It helps the audience to 
recognise and relate to the character . 
While there are so many kinds 
of clothes and options to choose 
from, how does one even start 
to decide what works for the 
character? Here are some points to 
start o???—?costumes are designed 
according to the following categories: 
• Gender: Clothes are di??erent 
for men and women.
• Age of the character: People 
dress di??erently at di??erent 
ages.
• Timeline of the play: Fashion 
of a culture evolves and changes 
as time progresses. (Jeans and 
pants did not exist during 
Maharaja Shivaji’s time.)
• Geographical location of the 
story: Di??erences in cultures 
and countries. (Traditional 
clothing of Karnataka is di??erent 
from Bengal). 
Identify and write  
the type of make-up  
based on the 
description above
4 Theatre.indd   129 7/15/2024   11:49:04 AM
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Kriti–I | Grade 6 130
• Occupation of the character: 
A police, a lawyer and a doctor.
• Features of the character: 
person wearing shabby clothes 
and neatly dressed.
 How are all these elements 
brought about in design with the 
use of?:
Fabric or Material: Match the time 
period and the geographical location.
(Using synthetic chi??on for a story in 
the Himalayas of ancient India?—?is 
not possible because chi??on did 
not exist in ancient India and this 
would not suit the cold weather in 
Himalayas).
Colours: They represent numerous 
things like:
• Time period (neon blue is 
preferably not used for a scene 
in Vedic period).
• Each colour of character 
represents a meaning. (Negative 
character has dark shades.)
• Cultural aspects (red is not used 
in mourning or funeral scenes).
Pattern and Designs: There are 
some patterns on the clothes that 
are exclusive to the royalty, some 
represent tribal culture while there 
are some exclusive to a rural setting.
Styling: Jewellery, accessories like 
crown, dupatta, belts, bags, eyewear .
 
Write below what you understand about the character based on costume
4 Theatre.indd   130 7/15/2024   11:49:05 AM
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Page 5


Chapter 17
Let’s Design
Stage Technicals 1
In the realm of design,  
makeup weaves a tale,
Brush strokes on faces,  
emotions set to unveil.
Costumes, a canvas for  
characters to shine,
On the stage, design harmonises,  
a visual symphony divine.
SCENE 3: Theatre 
Production
In any successful performance, we 
see the actors perform and get the 
appreciation. But for the actors’ 
performance to have full impact on 
the audience, the e??ort and work of all 
these departments are very crucial. We 
are now going to explore the basics 
of the following departments?—
• Make-up
• Costume design
• Stage layout 
 Your face is the ??rst thing 
that  people notice about you. So, 
for an actor, to look convincing on 
stage, the ??rst thing that has to be 
considered is make-up.
Make-up
Have you noticed actors have colours 
on their face? Some look good, some 
look scary and some look funny. 
This is what make-up can do! It is all 
planned as per the roles they play 
in the drama performance that they 
are a part of. Everyone performing 
on stage needs to put on make-up, 
irrespective of the gender, age, 
community, etc. 
If you ask, but why? Why is 
make-up necessary? We don’t wear 
Concepts introduced
•  Make-up and costume 
design
• Stage
• Script writing
4 Theatre.indd   127 7/15/2024   11:49:00 AM
Reprint 2025-26
Kriti–I | Grade 6 128
make-up in our everyday life. Why is 
it necessary for stage?
Here is your answer?—
1. Visibility and Projection: 
Make-up enhances facial features, 
ensuring that expressions and 
emotions are projected to the 
audience, even from a distance.
2. Character Transformation: 
Make-up is a powerful tool 
for transforming actors into 
characters. It allows performers 
to look old, younger or adopt 
speci??c features necessary for 
the role, enhancing the overall 
authenticity of the performance.
3. Highlighting Facial 
Expressions: Make-up helps 
emphasise key features such 
as eyes and mouth, so that 
subtle nuances are visible to the 
audience.
4. Harmony with Stage Lighting: 
Stage lights can be intense and 
may distort natural skin tones. 
Make-up is applied to create a 
balance, preventing actors from 
appearing washed out or overly 
dark under the stage lights.
5. Historical and Theatrical 
Styles: Depending on the play’s 
setting or genre, make-up can 
be essential for capturing the 
styles. It allows actors to ??t into 
speci??c time periods, cultures 
or fantasy worlds envisioned by 
the director .
In essence, make-up for stage 
actors is not just about ‘looking good’ 
or aesthetics. It is a practical and 
artistic necessity, as it contributes 
signi??cantly to the success of a 
theatrical performance. It enables 
actors to communicate e??ectively 
with the audience, enhances 
their portrayal of characters and 
contributes to the overall visual 
impact of the production.
Depending on the play and role, 
there are di??erent types of make-up.
• Straight make-up: Simple, 
basic highlight of features.
• Character make-up: Elements 
of age, profession, personality 
and situation are shown.
• Special e??ects: Adding wounds, 
scars or additional features like 
horns.
Make-up room, also called 
green room, should be bright, 
well-lit and airy
4 Theatre.indd   128 7/15/2024   11:49:02 AM
Reprint 2025-26
Theatre 129
• Fantasy or abstract make-up: 
Creating unique, unfamiliar 
characters with unusual colours.
• Mime or pattern make-up: 
A bold, striking face 
covers that is usually 
neutral.
Face is the ??rst thing 
that people notice. The 
next most important 
thing, is the clothes 
and  accessories. A 
person’s character is 
de??ned by the kind 
of clothes they wear. 
So, invariably for 
characters on stage, 
what is very crucial is—
The Costume 
Design
We wear di??erent 
types of clothes in 
di??erent occasions. 
The clothes you wear 
at home are di??erent 
from the school uniform. Likewise, 
the clothes you wear to the temple 
during a village festival is di??erent 
from your night clothes. Right? 
Similarly, an actor wears 
di??erent clothes to portray di??erent 
characters. It helps the audience to 
recognise and relate to the character . 
While there are so many kinds 
of clothes and options to choose 
from, how does one even start 
to decide what works for the 
character? Here are some points to 
start o???—?costumes are designed 
according to the following categories: 
• Gender: Clothes are di??erent 
for men and women.
• Age of the character: People 
dress di??erently at di??erent 
ages.
• Timeline of the play: Fashion 
of a culture evolves and changes 
as time progresses. (Jeans and 
pants did not exist during 
Maharaja Shivaji’s time.)
• Geographical location of the 
story: Di??erences in cultures 
and countries. (Traditional 
clothing of Karnataka is di??erent 
from Bengal). 
Identify and write  
the type of make-up  
based on the 
description above
4 Theatre.indd   129 7/15/2024   11:49:04 AM
Reprint 2025-26
Kriti–I | Grade 6 130
• Occupation of the character: 
A police, a lawyer and a doctor.
• Features of the character: 
person wearing shabby clothes 
and neatly dressed.
 How are all these elements 
brought about in design with the 
use of?:
Fabric or Material: Match the time 
period and the geographical location.
(Using synthetic chi??on for a story in 
the Himalayas of ancient India?—?is 
not possible because chi??on did 
not exist in ancient India and this 
would not suit the cold weather in 
Himalayas).
Colours: They represent numerous 
things like:
• Time period (neon blue is 
preferably not used for a scene 
in Vedic period).
• Each colour of character 
represents a meaning. (Negative 
character has dark shades.)
• Cultural aspects (red is not used 
in mourning or funeral scenes).
Pattern and Designs: There are 
some patterns on the clothes that 
are exclusive to the royalty, some 
represent tribal culture while there 
are some exclusive to a rural setting.
Styling: Jewellery, accessories like 
crown, dupatta, belts, bags, eyewear .
 
Write below what you understand about the character based on costume
4 Theatre.indd   130 7/15/2024   11:49:05 AM
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Theatre 131
Activity?—?You Design!
First step of design is planning and 
that is done through drawing.
1. Make-up plan: Draw hair and 
head gear colour it with the 
make-up required to bring 
about the character below. You 
can do in your notebook and 
try multiple times.
Chandragupta Maurya Folk dancer Subhash Chandra Bose Moon God
Example
Feel free to make it creative and 
interesting as possible. Use crown, 
head gears, topi, hairstyle, etc. 
Make sure you make it look like the 
character of a person who actually 
existed (like Gandhiji, Subhash 
Chandra Bose, etc.). Keep it as simple 
but accurate as possible.
4 Theatre.indd   131 7/15/2024   11:49:06 AM
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