Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1982 - 29

Editor: L. Garren

sional graphic artists in which they discuss their approaches to problems posed
by graphic design for the performing
arts.
The book concludes with two short
chapters on photography and \\'orking
with a graphic designer. These chapters
are not as fully developed as succeeding
sections. The book contains a valuable,
annotated readings and resources lis!. In
future editions or reprintings, it is hoped
that an index would be included which
would improve the usefulness of the
book as a reference source.
Robert C. Hansen
Bowling Green State niversity

The Tasteful Interlude: American Interiors through the Camera's Eye,
1860-1917 by William Seale. Second
edition, revised and enlarged. ashville:
American Association for State and
Local History, 1981. ISBN 0-91005049-X, 284 pp.
First appearing in 1975 in a decorative arts eries, The Tasteful Interlude
evidently has surmounted the difficulty
of its contents being seen as mere
"camp" and is now recognized as a
scholarly photo study of a curious and
remarkable era in American life and
decorative arts. The book's title refer
to an approximate 40-year period from
just after the Civil War to the infant
years of the 20th century, a revolutionary era which saw the products of
mass-manufacture revolutionize American domestic interiors.
The work is a chronicle which documents, with an excellent geographic and
economic balance, the decorative arts
rather than life-style, history, or domestic customs of the period. As the author
points out, there are no bathroom,
kitchens, porches, or garages. And one
is just as glad. There is a sense of containment and completeness about the
book that is most satisfying.
Part of this stems from the work not
being a "fine arts" book. i\lost of the
rooms pictured have no great artistic
merit, but are simply pre ented as an
historical perspective on American
customs of interior decoration and liv-

ing. Some of the photos are extraordinary, ranging from an 1872 log ranch
house in the Idaho Territory, to Leland
Stanford's Sacramento finery, to an
1876 New Hampshire Shaker Retiring
Room, to an 1878 Colorado miner's
shanty.
The accompanying texts are short
and informative, and unobtrusive. The
original photographs-most reproduced
for the first time-take center stage and
keep it. The book is a marvelous photo
compendium of Americana in the 19th
century.
0
Robert Zyromski
Lake Erie College

Joseph Byron: Photographs of New
York Interiors at the Tum of the Century by Clay Lancaster.
ew York:
Dover Publications, 1976. ISB 0-48623359-6, xvii + 154pp. (including 131
plates), $6.00, paper.
This book, one of a Dover series on
ew York City, contains reproductions
of the interior photographs of Joseph
Byron, from the collection of the
Museum of the City of New York.
Byron was a succesful commercial photographer who did a wide range of
work. The plates reproduced here are
representative of his work between 1894
and 1914.
Approximately two-thirds of the
plates are of upper class interior, largely parlors, drawing rooms, and bedrooms, but including kitchens, bathrooms, and halls. The remaining plates
are of commercial establishments,
These include hotels, restaurants, bank,
offices, and retail establishments.
Among the latter are the food counter
at Macy's, and the interior of Abercrombie and Fitch. A photo of the 1904
Easter display at Simpson, Crawford,
and Simpson, is indescribably ornate,
and the book is worth buying for this
plate alone,
The plates are exceptionally well
reproduced. They contain a multitude
of fine detail of great interest to the
scenic designer. The plates form an in\'aluable reference to upper class and
commercial interiors of this period.
Clay Lancaster, in his introduction,
discusses the history of the photographs,
and the evolution of interior design in
the late 19th century, In his text, which
follows the plates, he devotes a para-

graph to each plate. He includes brief
historical or sociological referencesthe architect, furniture manufacturer,
and other significant details.
0
David Mardon
Western Canada Theatre Company
Kamloops, B.C.

Producing Theatre: A Comprehensive
Legal and Business Guide by Donald C.
Farber.
ew York: Drama Book Specialists, 1981. ISBN 0-89676-051-0,
xvi 382 pp. $17.95 cloth.
A must for any theatre producer and
a sure legal helping hand for playwrights, performers, directors and the
like, Farber's fifth book on business in
theatre is a succinct and teacherly overview of the myriad aspects of producing
theatre. An update of Farber's Produc-

ing 011 Broadway: A Comprehensive
Guide, Producing Theatre deals with
raising money, obtaining a property and
getting it onstage. Union contracts, coproduction and limited partner agreements, option agreements for various
types of productions, offering circulars,
theatre license agreements, movie deals,
the League of ew York Theatres, filing with the Securities and Exchange
Commission and the Attorney General,
and much more are covered. A section
of appendices gives examples of commonly used legal forms and contracts
and is very helpful indeed.
And the book is just plain interesting
reading, covering the many shrouded
vagaries of professional production such
as front money, associate producers'
role, house seat allocations, and the
like. Footnote histories, too, are intriguing sidelights-for instance, the
difference between an author's script
control on a play and lack of it on films,
What eems most characteristic of
the work i the speciali t-teacher's care
for detail and outline. The book is a set
of definitions. Bold section titles provide visual clarity for short, concise
paragraphs. Bre\'ity is a trademark.
All in all, this i a thorough analysis
of all procedures im'olved in producing
theatre, written by a noted theatrical attorney for both slUdent and professional
alike.
Robert Zyromski
Lake Erie College

USITT \\'inler 1982 Theatre Uesign &

Technolog~

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1982