Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1993 - 56

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Drafiingfor the Theatre
by Dennis Dorn & Mark Shanda. Carbondale, IL: Somhern
Illinois Universiry Press, 1992. ISBN 0-8093-1058-4, 262 pp.,
ill., 524.95 spiral bound paperback.

tion to rectilinear precision found in many
drafting books. This same approach is found
in virtually all sections of the book-clear
discussions, well-founded and reasonable
techniques, and time-saving shon curs where
feasible.
.
In particularizing drafting techniques

*****

Firearm Safety Onstage with Robert
B. Chambers
Produced by Theaue Am Video Library, 174 Andrew Ave.,

In rills book Dennis Dorn and Mark Shanda
Leucadia, CA 90204; 619-632-6355, 40 minmcs, VHS Color,
provide clear detailed infotmation and
5129, Conraa: Ron Ranson.
instruction in the drafting
This new safety video,
skills necessary for theatrical
Firearm Safety Onstage
design and technical presenwith Robert B. Chambers,
tations. The book is divided
BOOK REVIEWS
into the following sections:
was an important parr of
"Tools, Standards, and
my property supervIsIon In
Basic Techniques," with
our production of Stephen
Sondheim's Assassins. The
information on rools and
rool use, graphic standards, lettering, and
and procedures ro the theatrical process,
information on the video could save acmrs
geometric constructions; "Multiview drawdetailed attention is paid to designers' draftand technicians from severe harm or even
ings," describing orthographic projections,
ings such as ground plans, shift plots, as well
death.
section drawings, and various auxiliary
as various types of elevations, prop, and
For this production there are eight differviews, with additional instruction on dimendetail drawings. A great deal of attention is
ent guns and eight different assassins. All the
sioning and notations; "Pictotial Drawings,"
guns fire during the show. The actors who
also given to shop drawings and construction
planning. In these sections there is a concern
came to this production had a wide range of
including isometric and oblique views and
not just for drafting techniques but, more
experience with guns, all the way from havmechanical perspective; "Specialized Techniques," dealing with transfet and enlargeing grown up and hunted with them to
importantly, for the application ofgood conthose suffering from out-and-out terror of
ment methods, sketching, drafting shoncuts,
struction and engineering practices to the
and computer-aided drafting; and 'Theatre
even being around firearms.
strucrures illustrated in the shop draftingsI had to train and assimilate all of these
Applications," which includes designers'
so much that these chapters constitute
almost a primer on stage construction techdraftings, various types of shop drawings,
actors for their gun work within a few days
niques. The section on computer-aided
and get the rest of the show ready, roo. I
and drafting for lighting designs. Appendices
include the USITT standards for scenic
drafting, which focuses primarily on Autoshowed the video, with the original intent of
design and technical production and for
CAD, is necessarily brief bur provides a usepresenting what I considered only the necesful introduction to the technology.
lighting design, conversion factors for metric
sary parts, to the Equity actors. These actors
units, and a set of standard dimensions useAJj chapters in the book conclude with
were so interested in what Chambers had to
ful for theauical drafting, among others.
exercises and worksheets designed to provide
say that we watched the entire tape, periodiThe information is presented clearly and
hands-on experience in the techniques
cally rewinding it and discussing what we'd
described in that parricular chapter.
supplemented with well-chosen and preciseseen, as we went through the 40-minure prely drawn black-and-white illustrations. All of Throughout, the book is well designed for
sentation. They were impressed with the
instructional use, and these worksheets and
the principal drafting elements and symbolbasic and thorough information presented to
them and even referred to "what Bob said in
ization employed in the book are based on
projects provide excellent classroom exercises.
This book is a welcome addition to an
the US ITT standards for drafting scenery
the video" during some of the subsequent
and lighting. The description of basic drafttraining and rehearsals.
increasing number of books dedicated to
ing tools and their use may well be the best
various aspects of drafting for the theatre. In
I strongly recommend that stage manof any drafting book, and the section on
agers and property masters present this video
the area of manual drafting it is by far the
best of the crop currently available and defiusing the tools and techniques to achieve
to all company members (Equity and nonnitely should receive strong consideration for
equity) at the beginning of the rehearsal perivarious geometric constructions is comprehensive enough ro serve as a reference for
use as a textbook by any instructor of theatriod with guns. I would have had a difficult
job in ttying to convey this volume of inforcal drafting.
even the most experienced draftsperson. The
discussion of lettering takes a vety commonmation in the amount of time I had. I also
W Joseph Stell
sense attirude to the topic, illustrating readUniversity ofGeorgia felt that I had a great deal of "auromatic credibility" on my side that I
able and stylish lenering and
giving examples of common
might not have had, in the
eyes of the Equity actors at
problems and inconsistenSYLVIA HILLYARD, EDITOR
least, had I not shown the
cies found in beginning
drafting, but without
tape as part of the whole
requiring the slavish attentraining process.

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1993 SUMMER

TD&T

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1993