Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1991 - 59

they pass on. However, someone like Lee
Warson (TD&T, Spring 1990) needs little
additional documenting. He is one of the
few who has left us a written and visual
record of his thoughts and designs. But
what of the highly skilled craftsmen
working daily in set, prop, costume and
scenery construction shops, on road
crews, and in the theatres throughout the
world who have valuable wisdom ro
impart but have no forum? We need that
knowledge saved and displayed. And we
need to go the extra mile to make sure
that these skills see the light of
publication.
WoodenBoat magazine has truly set the
standard for saving and showcasing this
kind of technical information. They do
articles about craftsmen: surveyors, shop
foremen, caulkers, sailmakers, riggers and
the like. And, yes, they locate these folks
historically and in the context of their
disciplines, but the primary focus is
usually on their work. These articles focus
on documenting (in photos and
illusuations) the traditional or innovative
techniques that form the core of these
craftsmen's contribution to their field.
There are step-by-step photos, drawings
and text giving specific information that
readers can apply in their own shops. This
is the kind of tribute we need to pay to

the technical theatre craftsmen in our
ranks. It's the objects created and the
processes developed that form their life's
contribution to our field. Hazy and
embellished stories told to a tape recorder
one night are an inadequate tribute to the
work of a lifetime.
When I think of all the master
craftsmen that have worked in theatrical
shops over the years who have never had
the opportunity to share their great
knowledge and tricks of the trade with
anyone more than a few fortunate
apptentices, I am deeply saddened. And
think of all the commercial theatrical
shops that have seen their day in the
forefront of our business and have since
closed their doors! What a loss not to have
published documentation of their refined
processes, building scantlings, and
exciting engineering discoveries. But we
can start now. And the best way to start is
by beginning to document what is
happening in shops today. We need to
somehow provide a forum where
technicians are anxious to share their
knowledge. And we need to create a core
of journalists and graphic artisrs dedicated
to showcasing that valuable knowledge.
This is the information age. Let's take
advantage of developments in information
graphics and starr communicating with

What?!
You're not using

each other by documenting the skills and
accomplishments of craftsmen and shops
across the country. Just think of the rapid
development of technical know-how if we
were truly disseminating advanced
technical theatre knowledge.
Where does this leave us? Mostly with
a single large issue to address: Do we have
the will (and the pocketbooks) to improve
the quality and volume of technical
theatre information? Who's going to
address this? USITT? Theatre Crafts? Yale's
Technical Briefs? No one? Everyone? An
alternate publication? It's something we all
need to kick around.
Steve Nelson
Lansing, MI

Editors' Note: ~ appreciate your insightftl
comments and observations, and, as a
journal dependent on volunteer editorial
and visual contributions, we eagerly look
forward to your first submission. In the
meantime, you-and others interested in
this aspect of technology-might wish to
obtain a copy of the 90-page catalog of the
1991 Theatre Technology Exhibit which
premiered at the Boston Conference and
contains 33 "solutions" to a variety of
technical theatre "problems." For details,
contact the USITT National Office.
IE

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TD&T

1991

SPRING

57
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1991
