Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1992 - 64

cesses are inrroduced gradually with
clear explanations and illusrrations.
Unlike many of the illusrrations in
Drafting SCellelJ, rhese illusrrations are
sized for c1ariry and well chosen ro illustrate rhe various aspecrs of the teXL The
advanrages of computer-aided drafting
are clearly presenred and illusrrated, as
are the parricular advanrages of A IItOCAD which has made it one of the most
used CAD programs on the marker.
Each chapter ends with suggested exercises which challenge the reader ro utilize the techniques learned in that particular porrion of the text, as well as
building upon techniques previously
learned. Any reader-no maner what
level of experience at a computershould be able ro take this rext, sir down
in fronr of a compurer equipped with
the AutoCad program, and learn ro
computer drafr with litrle or not outside
help. That it is especially orienred ro
drafting for thearre, television, and film
with examples of floor plans, elevations,
light plots, and other like drawings
makes it even more valuable for our discipline.
It would be pleasanr ro be able ro say
that this pair of books by Rich Rose
constirutes a complete inrroduction ro
all forms of drafting for thearre, film,
and television, but unforrunately only
one of the texts, AlitO CAD OllStage, does
well the job for which it was inrended.
W. Joseph Stell

University ofGeorgia

*****

A Biographical Dictionary of
Scenographers 500 B.C. To
1900 A.D.
by Robin Thurlow Lacy. \X'estpon, Cf: Greenwood

Press, Inc., 1990. ISBN 0-313-2- 29-0, -62 pp..
569.50, hardback.

An elaboration and expansion of a docroral disserration from more than 30
years ago, rhis dicrionary is the end
result of 40 years of research by Robin
Lacy, emeritus professor of thearre and
emeritus head of the program in production design ar Ohio University. As
the tirle indicares, it anempts ro list
with brief biographies all arrists who
parricipated in stage design and scene
painring from the rime of the ancienr
Greeks through rhe end of rhe 19th cenrury. The lisring is limited ro European
counrries and the United States, excepr
for a shon lisring for Jamaica. or surprisingly, rhe principal conrriburors are
62

1992 FAll

TD&T

France, Italy, Germany, England, and
rhe United States.
Following a brief inrroduction and
description of the format used in rhe
listing, the principal rext lisr the anists
al phabetically wirh varying degrees of
biographical derail: some arrisrs are
given barely a dare and locarion (ciry,
counrry, rhearre), while rhe biographies
of berrer known (or bener documenred)
arrists may fill a page or more. The main
form of documenration included deals
with production names, dares, and locations with occasional quotes from contemporary reviews or program listings.
Only in rare instances is personal information included. Dates provided are the
approximate dates when the arrists
flourished (as estimated by Lacy), rather
rhan the more usual binh/dearh informarion. There are 669 pages devored ro
rhis biographicallisring, wirh approximately 3,000-4,000 names being
included.
Afrer the biographical lisring, Lacy
provides a bibliography of 435 sources
from which the information abour the
arrists was drawn. Many of these references are secondary sources and selecred
hisrories. The final secrion is a lisring of
rhe anisrs chronologically by counrry.
This is a monumenral work-hopefully a labor of love, because otherwise
rhe roil involved must have quickly
become onerous. For a work of this
scope, the listings are surprisingly complete. All of rhe major anisrs have been
included wirh good surveys of their
principal work; and mosr of rhe minor
and incidenral arrisrs are ro be found
here as well. When combined with rhe
chronological listing ar the end, the
biographies enable rhe reader ro bener
undersrand the developmenr of scene
design as a profession up unril rhe
beginning of the 20rh cenrury; and, of
course, the individual listings are
extremely useful ro anybody seeking
informarion regarding a specific designer or unknown name cropping up in a
hisrorical program lisring.
Inevitably, however, there are bound
ro be omissions. A few American anisrs
who failed ro make rhe cur include A.A.
Asher (Bowery Thearre, 1857), John
Croura (Tivoli Garden, Philadelphia,
1823-25), John H. Dauberman (Sr.
Louis, 1818-21), G. Gariboldi (Daly's,
1872), and Angelo Monre Lilla(o) (Barnum's, 1842, and Casrle Garden, 18478). And, of course, some derails are
bound ro be omirred or erroneous. Lacy
is unaware, for example, rhar rhe "W.
Isherwood" named wirh "Henry
(Harry) Isherwood" was William Isher-

wood, the acror-brorher of Harry; nor
does he mention Harry Isherwood's
venrure as managerlacrorlscene-painrer
for the first thearre in Chicago and Illinois in 1837-8.
The above commenrs are mere quibbles, however, in rhe face of an enormous quanriry of valuable informarion
which is nor available from any orher
single source. This is cerrainly nor
leisure-time reading, but ir is an
exrremely useful reference book and
should be on the shelf of any universiry
library-any library, in faer, with a
meaningful secrion devored ro rheatre.
Ir would be valuable also ro any person
inreresred in rhe hisrory of scene design
in rhe wesrern world.
W Joseph Stell

University ofGeO/gia

.....
Books Available for Review
Underwear: tbe Fasbion History by Alison Carrer, ew York: Drama Book
Publishers, 1992
Drafting for the Tbeater by Dennis
Dorn and Mark Shanda. Carbondale:
Southern Illinois Universiry Press, 1992
Men's Garments 1830-1900: A Guide to
Pattern Cutting by R. I. Davis. ew
York: Drama Book Publishers, 1989

Edwardian Hats: Tbe Art ofMillillelJ
(1909) by Mme. Anna Ben Yusuf. Mendocino, CA: R. L. Shep, 1992
The ABC of Stage Ligbting by Francis
Reid. ew York: Drama Book Publishers, 1992
Anyone wishing to review these or any
otber recent books sbould contact SyLvia
HiLLyard, TD&T Book Review Editor,
176 Brittain Avenue, AtbellS, GA 30605.

.....
Correction
The last issue of TDo-T included a
review of Tbe Visual HistolJ of Costume
by Ribeiro and Cumming. The book is
listed as having been published by B.T.
Barsford, London. The book's publisher
in rhe Unired Stares is:
Drama Book Publishers
260 Fifth Avenue
ew York, Y 10001

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1992