Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1980 - 5

Theatre Design
&

Technology
Volume XVI * Number 2 * Summer, 1980
Journal of the United States
Institute for Theatre Technology
Number 61

Contents
4

Proposed National Lighting Training Symposium
by Lee Watson

The Roman Theatre in Merida, Spain
by Yvonne Shafer

Lucy Bonavita, Circus Milliner
by Lois Garren

10 Death, Destruction, and, Detroit at the SchaubOhne am Halleschen
Ufer
by Volker Butzmann

14 Using your Spotlight
by Louis Erhardt
TECHNICAL REPORTS

17 Experiments in Moving Scenery with Low-Friction Plastics
by Jay Glerum
RESEARCH

19 Costume Pattern Drafts: D'Alessio Dress Designer
by Kevin L. Seligman

21 A Bibliography of Dissertations
by John Howard
25 BOOK REVIEWS

29 NEW PRODUCTS
33 OISTI/NEWS/LETIERS
Cover illustration by Lawrence J. Luchtet.
PHOTO CREDITS
Courtesy of Pedro Duran Blanc~. 5
Thomas Shafer-pp. 7, 8
From Guia de Merid~. 5
Leon Brauner-p. 9
Ruth Waltz-p. 11

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An Editorial
The impressive First Biennial Scenography Exposition, held in
conjunction with the USITT annual convention in Kansas City this
year, was made possible by the hard work and dedication of Stan
Abbott, Stephen Hild, Bambi Stoll, Geoffrey Eroe, Max Beatty,
Byrne Blackwood, Tom Bliese, and many others. The Exposition
was a huge success, but it also raised some important questions
regarding the state of American design.
Can the Exposition be taken as a relatively accurate measure
of American design in 1980? On the one hand, it may be argued
that it was not fully representative: there were only a few "big
names"; the number of entries in the Juried Section, though
large, was nowhere near its potential; film, television, theme
parks, and other entertainments received only token representation; college productions far outweighed professional; Broadway
was completely ignored; and dance and opera received little attention. (These deficiencies, in many cases, existed despite the
best efforts of the Section heads.) On the other hand, it may be
argued that the exhibition was indeed representative, involving a
random sampling, a cross-section, of American design of the
past five years. These are "typical" designs, not in the pejorative
sense of "average," but as exemplary of what America has to offer. Those who want an overview of recent trends, or who want to
get a sense of American style, would do well to examine the Exposition's offerings.
What, then, does this Exposition indicate? On the positive
side, it clearly indicates a general level of excellence at all levels.
If there was ever any doubt, it is now evident that design has
come of age, and there exist scores, perhaps hundreds, of artists
capable of designing on a professional level.
What is most disturbing is the underlying conservatism-the
failure to explore new territory, or, in many instances, the failure
to reiterate recent trends. In his essay on the history of American
design in Contemporary Stage Design USA (the catalog of the
ITI/US-sponsored exhibition of 1974), Donald Oenslager stated:
"Today's designers are searching for new boundaries to contain
the theatre of the last quarter of the 20th century." This searching, this straining at the limits of traditional design and uses of
space is nowhere evident in the Biennial Scenography Exposition. Virtually every design included in the exhibit is for a proscenium stage; where is the multi-space setting, the environment, even the arena? Although the history of the New Stagecraft
is clearly evident--echoes of Jones, Simonson, Mielziner onward through Oenslager, Aronson, Smith, and Ming Cho Lee reverberate throughout-there appears to be little or no awareness
of the more recent generation of designers including Eugene and
Fran Lee, Douglas Schmidt, Santo Loquasto, Jerry Rojo, Robert
Taylor, at least among the student designers. Nothing suggests
knowledge of the European theatricalists such as Peter Stein,
Patrice Chereau, Klaus Michael Gruber, Luca Ronconi, Horst Sagert, Achim Freyer, or even Josef Svoboda. Are there no productions that might reflect the imaginative designs of Alwin Nikolais?
There is no hint of familiarity with the often striking designs of the
American avant-garde, such as those of Robert Wilson, Richard
Foreman, Mabou Mines, or The Performance Group. With few
exceptions, there seems to be little use of new or unusual materials and mechanical devices. Multi-media is confined to a few projections. Masks and puppets as scenic devices, structural, and
sculptural sets are also little in evidence. It is not simply that
these designers have ceased pushing at the boundaries, they
seem to be retreating. There were few designs that would seem
out of place in a pre-1960 theatre.
Why is the influence of contemporary design reflected so little
in the Exposition's "representative sample"? A partial answer to
this question lies with the producing organizations. Just as Norman Bel Geddes' spectacular projects remained as plans because serious commercial theatre of the 1920's and 1930's was
predominantly social realism, so today, colleges, regional
theatres, and Broadway are catering to an increasingly conservative public. The bulk of the Exposition's designs were for
Continued on page 28 ...

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1980