Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1976 - 45

to make the theatrical work of art based upon the individual working with his talent and his fellow artists. The
stunning conclusion comes not from the great, the famous, and the well-financed, but in the nearly unnoticed
quality found in the mast unexpected places.
Jim Franklin
The single characteristic of the exhibit as a whole
which most impressed me was the general difference between the work of designers from the West and that of
those from the Eastern European Countries. The differences between East and West were strongly apparent
even on a first cursory viewing of the whole exposition.
The designs from such countries as Bulgaria, Rumania,
Hungary, Poland, and of course Russia and Czechoslovakia showed a strong interest in exploring the potentials of pure, abstract design on the stage, while the
Western designs seemed hung up with a concern for Pictorialism in the Renaissance sense of the word. A bold

and theatrical use of materials and space for poetic and
metaphorical impact was apparent in the models and renderings from the East, while those from the West seemed
overly concerned with detail and literalism. I sensed a
strong rebirth of interest in the ideas and concepts of
Adolphe Appia and Gordon Craig in the work from the
East, while that from the West seemed not fully to have
outgrown the values of realism. Presentationally, I was
truely spellbound by the scale in which many of the
Eastern designers rendered their work as well as the variety of media which they employed. The conventional
18" x 24" water color sketch seemed dull in comparison
to the 36" x 48" oil or collage presentation. The student
exhibit likewise echoed the differences between East and
West. Returning to the U.S. t felt almost like a Robert
Edmond Jones or a Kenneth Macgowan bringing the news
of a "new stagecraft."
*

AN INTERVIEW WITH FOUR LEADING AMERICAN DESIGNERS
IVA DRAPALOVA

PRAGUE

IVA DRAPALOVA' IS AN ASSOC/A TED PRESS CORRESPONDENT IN PRAGUE.
Prague (AP) - "Too many designs in this exhibit ignore the author and the actors, but I think the theatre
belongs to them and not the scenographers," Jo Mielziner,
the grand old man of American stage design said in the
Prague Park Hotel after visiting the mammoth Prague
Quadrennial of Theatre Design and Architecture.
He summed up the American approach to the theatre
as compared with the European which permits the scenographer to carve for himself a much greater role than is
usual in America.
"If I were a great author, I would walk through this
exhibit and be sad, I would think nobody cares about
me. Take the Czechs, Josef Svoboda and Ladislav Vychodil. Vychodil to my mind is better, because he is more
interested in the actor and author. Svoboda is a brilliant
innovator, but sometimes his author jumps out of the
window and commits suicide, but he is very impressive,
agreat artist, I admire his work."
Mielziner repeated Iy stressed, "the designer must be
servant of the director. Designers should not be leaders,
they should be collaborators."
Where the Americans sent 60 frames and 12 models
prepared by stage designers in an effort to give a comprehensive idea of stagecraft in the United States, the
British exhibited essentially the work of three major
designers, John Bury, Ralph Koltai and the team of Timothy O'Brien and Tazeena Firth. The elegant use of uncluttered space by the British designers had an immediate
appeal to the Czechs nurtured on the innovative stage
of Josef Svoboda.
"The jury here likes depths, we wanted to show the
range. All works were judged anonymously, so anything
the jury found good could get in. If invited next time
round and if we get enough money to do it, we shall

USITT

come again, but the International Theatre Institute of
the United States is 40,000 dollars in debt over this
show," Patricia Zipprodt, one of the American designers,
remarked.
When told some Czechs were surprised by the realistic
character of many American stage sets, a quality they
assumed was more characteristic of Russia than of the
United States and by the lack of feeling of depth and
space, the group pointed out theatres in the United States
are more shallow than most European, with a depth of
8 metres (23 ft.) with space being utilized for auditorium
rather than for the stage or lobbies. "As for realism,
American theatre cannot leave realism, with our society
our playgoer would like to have an experience which is
not so much philosophical, but which 'turns one on', a
direct contact, identity with what goes on," stage designer
Ming Cho Lee said.
"Americans do not appreciate comedies which are
entirely social satires, they want a feeling of reality,
American drama goes essentially back to relationships and
most actors would feel lost on many of the stages we saw
here, they would be unable to act because the designer's
concept is too big."
Lee added echoing Jo Mielziner, "you must design
for the actor and not for a concept, if you don't, you
would be called selfish."
The Americans agreed with the Quadrennial jury
selection of the Russians for the main prize, The Golden
Triga.
Mielziner thought, "the Russian exhibit shows most
professional daring, savior faire," while Lee commended
the Russian show for its, "range, and depth. It was not a
single statement, but millions of statements, there was the
Continued on

THEATRE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

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FALL,1976

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