Theatre Design & Technology - Oct 1965 - 31

for

the original Geodesic dome is

patents,

112,682,235. (For copies of

write the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D.C.

20231: Domestic charge is 25¢ for two weeks delivery and 50¢
for early delivery.) The Stage Design and Technical Developments Project of AET A has issued a lang Ii st of patents from
the lost few years covering theatre auditoriums, stages, Ii ghting

apparatus, etc. (Write to Prof. David Thayer, University Theatre,
University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa. Additional patents of interest include: Auditorium Structure (3,002,233, G. Obota): Chair
Coupling Construction ( ti 3,009,738, H. Pikerl; Portable Stage
(112,978,754, Kermit H. Wilson); Foldable Stage (,'!3,021,575, H.
Heislerl; and Scaffold (113,016,105, H. L. Housel.

On September 29, the White Hause announced the installation of
a newpartable stage for the East Room, designed by Jo Mielziner
built be Feller Scenic Studios, with custom lighting by Century.
Discussions of the Izenour Winch System hove been many and
varied, but they have frequently locked specific information.

Reference to the patent application (;;2,942,879, Scenery Handling Apparatus, may help. Tiffin Scenic Studios has installed a
25' turntable at Xavier UniverSity, Cincinnati, Ohio. The accompanying illustration reveals a method for determining the true

center of a revolver with the use of a rolling trammel. The frome
for this friction·drive revolve will be powered by two ~~ hp.

electric motors. Weight-bearing capacity is specified at 10,000
Ibs .

Whi Ie

Strand

Ltd.

does

nat have

any

quartz

instruments to

Two items of interest in the area of scenery offer possibilities
for a new material and an improvement in construction techniques: Science News Letter announced the development of a

announce at the present time, both the Canadian and American
outlets (the latter, Norcostco) announce a decidedly advantageous

stronger corrugated fiber board (Aug. 21, 1965, p. 121). A claim-

feature in their Pall ern 264 Bi-Facal ellipsoidal-reflector spat.

ed increase in top to bottom compressive strength of 30% to 40%

This

suggests possible applications for stage use.

framing shutters to the conventional four hard-edge ones.

convenience

consists

the

addition

four

soft-edge
..

The area of stage lighting continues to be one of the most active
in the production field. Just as Kliegl Brothers led the way in
the development of the SCR dimmer in 1958, so now they are
first to announce on entire line of instruments specifically designed to exploit the advantages of the quartz-iodine lamps.

The Kliegl ellipsoidal spotlights in this series depend largely
on two sizes of quartz-iodine lamps, a 300 or a 400 watt and a

1,000 wall size. In fact,much of the firm's equipment is designed
around these two lamp sizes. For the smaller lamp a tiny ellip-

soidal spat only 14" lang by 5" in diameter has been developed,
which

comes in four angular fields of illumination. For longer

throws the 1,000 wall lamp is employed in 6", 8",10", and 12"
lens sizes. Bath of these lamps are rated at 2,000 hours. It is
this last fact that has made a decided lang·term difference, for
the
T-12 and T·20 lamps so widely used in ellipsoidal and
spherical
600

reflector spots heretofore are rated at 200 or at most

hours. An additional premium comes

to the user of these

lamps in the freedom to burn them in any position; only the 500
watt lamp used for striplights
essentially horizontal positi"n.

and

scoops

restricted

to on

The

Century Lighting Company has also recently announced a

line

quartz-iodine

instruments.

Ranging

from

3~"

lens

ellipsoidal-reflector spat through the 8", 10" and 12" sizes,
these a Iso use the 300 and 400 wall and the 1,000 wall, 2,000
hour life lamps. Century has developed two types of floodlights,
one with fixed focus and one adjustable from a 90° to 150 0 beam
spread. In the spherical-reflector field a very modestly-priced 6"
fresnel

In the light control field, twa items of interest can be noted.
Skirpan Electronics, Inc. has announced a newly-designed line of

lens instrument is shown, as well as on

and a

12"

size. Their borderlight is designed to take A-shape or reflector
lamps; the laller now are avai lable either in the standard PAR
38 at 300 walls or the PAR 38 with a 250 wall quartz-iodine
lamp, the farmer rated at 2,000 hours and the laller - - a real
bonus - - at 4,000 hours. Century's striplight is of new design,
including die-cost aluminum and plates with a conventional
spring-hinged cover.

SCR dimmers in capacities of 2, 3, 6 and 12 KW. Claimed 97%
efficient,

they

appear extremely

compact and

light

weight.

Activated by a 24 vdc signal at 1.65 mo., they are amenable to
individual potentiometers or ensembles in console arrangements
and feature square law choracteri stics and fi Itering ta prevent
radio-frequency interference and lamp noise. Finally, of particular interest is the fact that these dimmers are avai lable for
switchboard
facturers.
In

specification for use by recognized control manu-

the field of theatre sound, only a single item, a potent, has

been noted. U. S. Patent $3,025,701; D. Kleis, Et 01., provides
a method for using time delay in two sets of speakers surrounding an audience to cause a preferred sound to be localized.

Gary W. Gaiser

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Oct 1965