Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1985 - 39

Editor: L. Garren

:tion is stressed-negati\·ely. The same
)roach prevail in the earlier disquisition
:heatrical pace in whal the aUlhor refers
1S lhe "Dark Ages." h seem 10 me that
relationship of lhe performer and the
lience through lhe use of the performing
Ice should be very relevant 10 the aUlhor'
iberations on this continuing concern in
.h periods. At lhe very leasl, they should
be glossed over. Because of the large
pe of the book many lerms, descriplions
I summalions are slighted 10 the detrint of the le:>a. It doe read easily, howr, lhanks to the translalOr, who receives
title page credit but i relegated 10 lhe
;[ wrapper and the acknowledgments.
The confusion can be further illuslrated
lhe daling of the Renaissance and Balue periods, as is the author's staling an
sive relationship among the Renaissance/
zabel han / ViclOrian periods in England.
~re is no real discussion of private thealre
Iduction in the Elizabethan period and its
[uence on ReslOration theatre practice,
lOugh there is greal stress on the public
atre that, in combination, may have re:ed in the ReslOration theatre playhouse.
1 0 clear distinction i drawn between
dramatic text itself and the space lhat
rounds it, all hough it soon becomes evil! that the architect in the author is most
tcerned about adaplable space for lhe
lsing of drama. It seems clear that once
ma reached a text uallevel in its developIII lhe primary means of communication
ween aClOr and audience was the text, alugh there have alway been promineIll
I-textual form of theatre. While on the
ject of text / structure I must point out
t Athanasopulos also overlooks the clear
I!ionship between periods of great nalalism lhat produced great playwriting
cient Greece, the Elizabethan period, the
den age in Spain, 17th century France)
Imade architecture and spectacle subserIl. Certainly he is correct in equating
phasis on spectacle with poor dramatic
ting.
Another confusion i how the variou
[clUral shape derived. II seems evideIll
t they came from the requiremeIlls of
h the dramatist as well a the audience in
'specific theatre period, not solely from
text.
In addition 10 other seeming confusions
re are many details lhat seem 10 be
ged because of a lack of knowledge of

theatrical facts. Space here must make one
uch fact stand for many: the theatre built
10 Richard Wagner's theories is only a
temporary struclUre. Because of concern
about losing the fine acoustics, the projected permaneIll truClure has never been
erected; the temporary has become permanent although this was not his inlent. Otherwise I do agree with the author about the
playhouse's improvements over its peers.
Despite these comments there are elements in lhe book worthy of commendation,
lhe most important being the number and
quality of the illustration. They are generous in frequency and ize a well as in
excellence of reproduction. There are two
very helpful tables: the evolution of elevation and plan in theatre architecture (although there is no reference in the table or
text to the transitional Renaissance theatre
al Sabionella) and the hislOrical chronology
of lheatre forms and trends. The author is
very gracious in his discussion of George
Izenour's cOIllributions to theatre technology and the resulting inOuence on the
author is obvious.
Arnold Rood
Dowling College

Opportunities in Theatrical Design
and Production by Ann Folke and
Richard Harden. Lincolnwood, Illinois:
VGM Career Horizons, 1984. ISB
0-8442-6257-9, ix + 147 pp., S5.95 paper,
S8.95 cloth.
This volume is part of a serie titled
"Career Horizons" that i aimed primarily
at high school and college placement officers. II is quite interesting 10 find theatre
technology listed with more convelllional
professions such as accouIlling or public relations as a part of this series. The stated
purpose of this guide is 10 "give all the information you need for illlelligeIll career
decision maki ng."
Given the large numbers of high school
and college slUdents allracted 10 theatre as
a career choice, a volUJlle giving concrete,
realistic information aboul job opportunities is a welcome addition.
nfortunately,
lhis work fails to come 10 grips with any of
the serious issues of theatre employment.
The first five chapters describe the production process for a typical Broadway per-

formance. These chapters do not seem appropriate 10 the stated purpo e of this book.
These chapters are analogous 10 trying 10
describe the legal profession from "Perry
i\lason" mysteries. They seem 10 be wrillen
in a fairy tale style and are incredibly simplistic. For example: "A bit of stage business evolve in a rehearsal: our leading lady
must have a handkerchief. Is lhere a pocket
on her dress? There should be. Check with
the Costume Designer."
ext, the book oUllines "other than
Broadway" theatre, technical and design
unions, and educalional theatre. Each of
these chaplers is very sketchy and is al best
only descriptive of these area. The informalion is for the most part very basic and
can be found through many other sources.
The lasl chapter, tilled "Get ling
Started," begins 10 get 10 the heart of whal
should be the focus of the book. Just how
does one get a job in technical theatre? The
most important items for the jobseeker: the
resume, the portfolio, and the interview, are
covered in only four pages. There should
be a chapter devoted 10 each of lhese.
The authors have de\·oted 100 much
space 10 how theatre is produced while not
delivering on most of their claims mentioned on the back cover. For example, JUSt
what is the employment outlook in theatre,
or what are the salary opportunilies? Or,
just how many LORT theatres employ
United Scenic Artists members? Or, what
percentage of theatre designers and technicians are able 10 remain steadily employed
without being allied with an educational institUlion? In addition, the sound console in
the pholOgraph on page 119 appears 10 have
been produced in the 1950s and is more a
piece of broadcast equipment lhan theatre
sound equipment.
If the book is supposed to highlight career opportunities, then it should deal with
that subject openly, candidly, and completely. Since it does not, lhe value of this
text is diminished, and perhaps is even
misleading.
Phillip Grayson
J ames Madison Uni\'ersilY

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SITT / Spring 1985/Theatre Design & Technology

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