Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1988 - 59

discuss what the show would look like. It was not a
showy design in any way - it was an extremely recessive design. It didn't say "Look at me, I'm scenery." So
in the end, it was considered a non-design. 18
Clearly Kellogg's desire to support the production cost her
recognition. This is another instance of different gender
values making women less visible.
If the critical focus were broadened to include more
esthetic criteria, to consider major innovation or a broader
range of theatres, or indeed, even to broaden what its
definition of theatre is, then the names of important
women might emerge. For example, it was stated earlier
that in order to design scenery the artist needs a theatre, a
production, and the resources for materials and labor. It
has also been demonstrated that there is a bias that largely
excludes them from professional employment as scenic
designers and recognition when they do work. Perhaps
women have taken their creative design talents elsewhere.
Women's extensive involvement in and development of
performance art can be viewed as defiance of their exclusion in more traditional theatre art. Consider, for example
the philosophy of performance artist Meredith Monk:
For me, theatre, in the broadest sense of the word, is
really a place where you can take storytelling, acting,
visual images, movement and music, and put them
into a form where these elements are not separated.
And I think the only place where those things are
separated is in Western culture. In Africa, in Southeast Asia or Japan, they certainly are not.
All the elements in my work- the lighting, thne~
text, the-movement, the-music, the..YisuaLimages=
are part of one mosaic which will hopefully form as
full a perceptual, emotional, spiritual, kinetic entity
as possible.1 9

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS
OF THEATRE CONSULTING
Active projects include

Toronto Opera-Ballet House, Toronto, ONT
Bayfront Auditorium Renovation, SI. Petersburg, FL
Asolo Performing Arts Center, Sarasota, FL
Milton Academy Theatres, Milton, MA
Westminster School Performing Arts Center, Simsbury, CT
Whittier College Theatres, Whittier, CA
Cerritos Performing Arts Center, Cerritos, CA
National Ballet School Stage Training Facility, Toronto, ONT
Escondido Civic Center Implementation Plan, Escondido, CA
Lexington Cultural Plan, Lexington, KY
Orlando Cultural Policy Plan, Orlando, FL
Zachary Scott Theatre Center, Austin, TX
Chapel Hill Performing Arts Center, Chapel Hill, NC

Feasibility Studies, Planning, Design & Equipment Advice

THEATRE PROJECTS CONSULTANTS INC.
Suite 503, 155 West 72nd Street
New York, New York 10023
(212) 873-7211
New York

Los Angeles

Toronto

London

~======;;;;;;;;;;;;;;~~~~~~~~~

The performance artist masters all of the visual aspects of
the theatrical environment without the protocol or machinery of the more traditional American theatre form,
setting the visual artist free to create with or without
producers and Broadway stages.
Some feminist theatre groups even more aggressively
attack what they see as a patriarchal theatre organization - a director atop a hierarchy of artistic specialists. A
member of the It's All Right to Be A Woman Theatre
states:
Whereas theatre has been, to date, a combining of
specialists, the essence of our theatre is to convey the
collective experience ... a theatre without separation
of roles ... a theatre without a stage to separate audience and players. 2o
These feminist theatre groups set about to violate the
traditional public domain of the theatre. These range from
performing in such locations as the steps of city hall, to
conversly, bringing the theatrical experience to the traditional realm of women, the home. For example, Fefu and
Her Friends by Maria Irene Fornes literally takes place in
an affluent New England home. Control of space has become one of the major issues in feminist theatre, an issue
that most directly affects the scenic designer.
It seems ironic that women, who played a large role in
the separation of the different design roles into the specialties of costume, lighting, and scenic designer, are now

Ben N~e's
Classic

MakeupKil
Theatre professionals say it perfonns flawlessly with style
and accuracy. Valued at $65, its low retail price is $25.95.
Five color combinations: White Female, Male; Olive
Female, Male; Black Female, Male. Send for free Catalog
with Color Palette.
Add 52.50 shipping for [he first kit; 51.00 each additional.

Ben ye Cosmetics, 11571 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025 213/477-0443

TD&T

SPRING I BBB

157

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1988