COMMENTARY AND PHOTOS BY Bradford Clark loud's interpretation of THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD for the Hamra Theatre of Damascus (directed by l. Skotnicki, 1992) transported the Irish play to a rural Syrian village. Stepping through the architectural portal to the S) rian exhibit, the visitor felt he was not only stepping into a different world, but a different time. I was greeted by oumanJoud, a teacher at the Damascus Academy of Dramatic Arts, the designer of both the exhibit and all the productions represented in the Syrian exhibit. He kindly explained his work to me and the circumstances under which his designs were produced. Joud is to be commended for what appeared to be a huge singular effort. One can only hope that Syria's support of the performing arts will continue to grow so that future entries in the Quadrennial may give us a look at the work of other artists as well. 42 F tI L L J 9 9 TD& T