Stage designer John Conklin presents a selection of his work and discusses his experiences and the relationship of stage design to architecture. He asks why it’s an insult to say a building looks like a stage set, when theater is a central metaphor for life. Discussing the history and evolution of theater spaces, he recalls past and recent productions that attempt to redefine the theatrical experience. Conklin reviews his own varying approaches, from treating the stage as a metaphor to what he calls “movie realism.”