Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1996 - 31

12. Quoted in tl1e official program for tl1e \ational
Theatre production. p. 19. Pra!la: \arodnf Dil'adlo,
1993.
13. The ruptured. tom surface of tlle cam'as echoed a
similar liolent image in an earlier production,
.II/add Gmda [The Young Guard]. by A. Fadejev and
\1. \lldman, in 19 . AII'all fonned of SLX joined.
smootl1 surfaced panels is at center stage. During tlle
action. tl1e surface of tl1e panels is progressivell' tom,
ripped, and demolished to tl1e point IIi1ere only tl1e
frames of tl1e panels and a fell' shreds of tl1eir surface
remains.
14. Albertova, Helena. Text for a touring exhibit of
Czech scenography, 1994.

15. Roszkopfova, letter
16. Roszkopfova, letter
17. Zboi'ilova. V71ab Reiie a Scenograjie II
Inscenacfcb EIJ' TrflsM II Dh'(fdle Hlisa Na
Prou/zkll [The Relation of Direction and Scenography in tl1e Productions of Eva Talska in tl1e Goose on
a String Theatre]. Unpublished dissertation, DAJ\\U,
1993, p. 12.
18. Zbofilova. personal interl'iell;june 15, 1988.
19. Roszkopfova. personal letter
20. Zbofilol'a, unpublished dissertation. p. 2.
21. Zbofilova, personal interviell~ June 13, 1994.
22. Zbofilova, personal intervielv.June 13, 1994.
23. \ot tl1at Svoboda has nel'er been pla}ful. For example, consider Illsec/ Comedy, 1946; !Vas/rels in
Paradise, 1946; Elet'el//b Commal/dmen/, 1950);
and, indeed, "actional," before tl1e concept was formulated: Tales oj HoJ!inal/n, 1946; Revizor, 1948;
71Je En/er/ainer, 1957; 71Je Mill, 1965, to name a felv
instances. See J. Burian, 71Je Scenograp/~)1 of}osif'
SL·oboda. ~\iddletoll~l, CT: Wesleyan niversity Press,
19 l.
24. ~ly sources for tl1e Long Days }olll'l/ey 111/0
Nigbl productions were, in addition to intefl~elv comments from Zbofilova and her rendering prior to tl1e
productions, two reliel\ tl1at cOl'ered botll productions: Stepanol'a, Karola. "O'i'\eill On \Ioral~an
Stages." Lidod VOl'iIZJ' [People's \eI\ paper] (I
\Iay 1995): n.p.; and ~Iaza:ol'a. Barbara. "A
Drama-and \\11at To Do Witl1 It?" Dimdelllf
NOl'iIZJ' [Theatre :\'ell'spaper] (2 ~lay 1995): 1,4.
25. Roszkopfova, letter
26. As tl1e deadline for tl1is article approached. I receil'ed a valuable letter (dated August 5, 1996) from
Zderek Kala:. a leading contempor,uy Czech director
who has worked on numerous productions l\itl1 botl1
ROZ5kopfova and Zboi'i1ova, including two of tl1e
O'Neil productions mentioned in tl1is alticle. 1 had
written to him almost a year ago, requesting a felv

comments on his experience l~tl1 tl1ese two
scenographers. HOIl'el'er, his schedule as botl1 professional director and teacher of directing (at tlle Theatre Academy in Bmo) prel'ented his writing until
nOlI' 1 shall excerpt and paraphrase some of his remarks to supplimentll'hat I hal'e already written and
to prolide anotller perspective on tl1ese two artists
Kala: interestingly notes tl1at ROZ5kopfova has a
distaste for traditional proscenium stage space, especially when tlle proscenium arch is embellished 1\~tl1
gilded plaster bas-reliefs tl1at evoke tl1e eAtravagance
of past eras. Kala: sees her tendency toward tl1e use of
coarse, obl~ously used, el'en ugly real objects and materials as a way of counteracting tl1e "superficial
gilded embellishment" of such auditOliums. Kala:
also notes otl1ef reasons for her practice of accumulating such ojbects: "because of the secrets implicit in
tl1eir contact II~tl1 tllOse who used tl1em, 1\~tl1 people
and tl1eir destinies," or "to create, at tl1eir best, emotion-awakening, S)l11bolic ·sculpnlres.' But such objects are sometimes inactive, passive, witllout tl1e
ability to interact l~tl1 tlle actor"
Shifting to Zbofilova, Kala: obserl'es tllat she tends
toward "a magically suggestil'e treatment of stage
space... [and] uses a minimum of stage objects to di~de and define tlle space. These scenic objects... are
capable of rapid melan1orphosis by simple manipulation but most often by lighting, and tl1is capability
gil'es tl1em an affinity to an actor's perfonnance, witl1
which tl1ey interact.'·
Kala: makes note of botl1 scenographers' talents as
costume designers, as well as Zbofilova's special aptitudes in lighting: ''To an extent, she could fill tlle role
of a lighting designer in your tlleatre." Kala: is especially appreciative of tl1eir master)' of production requirements: "Botl1 scenographers are outst,lI1ding in
monitoring tl1e realization of tl1eir designs through
the stage shops, and in supel'l~ing tl1e installation of
scenery as well as costume rehearsals."
M1i1e valuing tl1e sensitil~ty ,lI1d intelligence tl1at
botl1 scenographers bring to tl1e reading of a teA1 for
production, Kala: is appreciative of ROZ5kopfovfs
"humorous insights." and. especially. Zbofilovfs
"capabili~' of independently reading tl1e text of a play
,lI1d on tl1e basi of her 01\11 'lI1al} i coming up IIitl1
a tentatil'e production concept conl'eyed in an initial
scenic proposal. This approach i inspirational for a
director; he can confront concretely his OW11 ideas and
his concept l\itl1 tl1e concept of tl1e designer at tl1eir
l'elY first meeting,"
Researcb for Ibis ar/icle I['{IS sllppor/ed ill pmt
~J' a grall/ from /be Ill/ema/iollal Researcb alld
El'cballges Bomd (IR£'(j. [['i/b fllllds prollided ~)I
/be Na/iollal Elldowmell/for /be HllJllaJlllies alld
/be UnitedSlates Depar/mell/ ojS/a/e. NOlie oflbese
orgalliza/iolls IS respollsible for /be vieu's el'pressed.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1996
