Theatre Design & Technology - Dec 1965 - 8

di lemmas. Fragmentation of the audience and isolation of the actor t or simultaneous scenes playing in
a cacophony of mutually cancelling theatricbls t may
be symptomatic of our cultural impasse. Both t howevert have little to do with theatrical production as
it has been t is now t or is likely to be in the forseeable future. This intrusion of personal philosophy
is architectural arrogance in a form so bold as to
command a certain kind of awe. A complete reorientation of social custom and reorganization of the
techniques of writing and producing plays are required. Lest we think that only Germans are prone to
such architectural existentialism t we should recall
the recent Ameri can proposa It "A Space Theatre
Concept" (Architectural Record t Dec. 1964L based
upon a trapezoidal module t in which small groups of
audience members are to be aesthetically isolated
from other small groups. FluiditYt formlessness and
chaos may be represented in drama with relative
easet and even attended to by audiences watching
and becoming involved with something novel. Include
the audience member in that same limbo and he is
lost in a tunnel of horrors - not watching a play.

Theatre as a Rational t Mechanized t
Classroom; a Temple of Nothing

Sculptured

There are always a few major universities that are
cultural leaders. The current cultural leadership is
toward a theatre form which t like the long title
above tis at one and the same ti me everyth ing and
nothing at all. All bets are covered t all contingencies accounted fort but somehow the meaning of it
all has been lost in the mad scramble to be one-up.
It is such an institution that seeks the new dramatists that were expected to take advantage of the
new stage forms. Drama t of course t is not written for
stages but for people - something that clients as
well as architects sometimes forget. With the decline
in prestige of the English liberal education system
in this countrYt we have forgotten that education is
about ideas and not about things. New drama t such
as is apparent Off-Broadway and in Europe t is not
born in theatre forms outside of the tradition. The
new dramatists t in spite of their naughty words t are
not insensitive after all. ObviouslYt they suspect
that the fumblers for theatr ica I rea I ity who bu i Id
apologetic theatres are real believers not in theatre
but merely in box-office t and that their new and vital
production

centers are neither new nor vita It but

empty and dead.
Apology presupposes doubt t and whi Ie the artist
may doubt himself he never doubts his art.

Recent Patents
3,177,354
CONTROLLED IlEA:'.1 IIIGH INTENSITY
FLOOD LAl\IP
Arthur I. Applrfon, 1"orthhrook, III. (C/o Appleton Electric Co.. l71J Wellington A H., ChicnllO. III.)
Filed July 7, 1961, Ser. 1"0. 122,553
2 Claims. (CI. 240-3)

of the optical spectrum of light in each of said beams
including the heat producing infrared portion thereof
away from both said stage and said housing, duct means
surrounding the tops of said mirrors, and means for
exhausting the heat from said duct means.

3,181,203
PORTABLE STAGE AND SHELL
ll11rry J. Wenger, Steele County, MinD.
(Owntonna, Minn.)
Filed Feb. 15, 1961, Ser. No. 89,520
9 C1nims. (C1.20-1.126)

.C\[f"....

',ttJ

.tU

~;j
------'-",

I. For use in illumin~ting the~tric~1 st~ges or the like
the combin~tion comprising, a plur~lity of flood lamp
assemhlics disposed in a predetermined array with each
of said ~s\ell\hlics including a lamp housing. an upwardly
dirccted parabolic trough reflector mounted in said
housinl;. an elongatcd iodine cycle type lamp disposed
along the foc~1 axis of said reflector, a dichroic mirror
associated with each of said assemblies rigidly secured
along onc edge of ,:,id housing in a fixed angular position rel.ttive to the axis of a beam of light emanating
therdrom so that said mirrors rcflect a first portion of
thc optical spcctrum of light in each of said beams downwardly toward said stagc and transmit a second portion

.~s

9. /I rClII~hle stage and music shell comprising, a
trailer one side of which hinges open to form a canopy,
a pair of vertically spaced hooking portions formed in
the base of said trailer below said canopy, a platform
in said trailer, movable platform members, means secured
to said movable pl~tform members and engaged selectively with either of said vertically spaced hooking portions to support one end of said movable platform members adjacent the hinged side of said trailer, and jacks
enpgcd with and supporting the ends of said movable
rl:llfClrm members spaced from said trailer hinged side
at the same elevation as the selected one of said vertically
spaced hooking portions.

IUSITT

THEATRE DESIGN AND TECHNOlOOY

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