Theatre Design & Technology - Oct 1966 - 51

The downstage cutaway of the elevated greenhouse forms
a quasi-gothic arch and, with the other two arches, it
recalls the three-portal sellings of the medieval mysteries
in a modern guise. Is the greenhouse really a natural
heaven opposite man's bOllled helll Is the center-stage
sofa the delicate fulcrum of the earthly ground between
them] What purgatory lies in the kitchen kaffeeklatsch]
Between metaphysical implications and the innocuous traditional living room, Ritman too has achieved a sensitive
equilibrium.
Theoni V.Aldredge's costumes point up the JUXtapositions.
Agnes is unruffled in mauves and pastel grays while
Tobias wears the baggy black of banker's oStensible
sobriety. Sister Claire is clothed somewhat masculinely

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

in casual slacks and thereby suggests the balance she
achieves in the household. Edna and Harry wear country
tweeds with doll-like and super-casual unreality. And
daughter Julia frets about in frenzied chic.
Tharon Musser's lighting gently manipulates the shadowy
distance and the clear reality downstage.
Perhaps appropriately, one can feel ambivalent abOut the
play: it is not a wholly pleasant experience; it is not
even sensationally unpleasant. But it has a hairy humor
and a wild laughter in its portrayal of man's isolation
within his traditionally most secure human relationship,
and it provides an underStanding that is a compassionate
extension.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ GARy W. GAISER

Following the outlining system listed in this deportment in the production topics, even as did the USITT in its Toronto
October, 1965, issue, the first two digits of the identifving code meeting reported eXtensively elsewhere in thiS issue.
heading each item below refer to the operating orea, the second

digit refers

to the organizational phose, and the third digit The production experts (ATuV) comprise a section of the

refers to the operating level.

00.0.0. A general resource of bibliographical materials,
issued without COSt by the Federal Government, is available from the Clearinghouse for Federal Scientific and
Technical information. While almost all of the material
still must be interpolated to specific theatre applications, these bibliographies point out the potentially rich
developments scallered widely in the mounting technical
literature.
In the electrical area, this list includes control and servo
systems, cool ing, miniaturization, and transducers; in the
scenic area, luminous coatings and markers, fibreglass
and laminates, sandwich construction and honeycomb
cores; in the audio and visual areas, research, tests,
lenses and optics; and in a general area, foreign technical dictionaries and PERT programming. The list is
suggestive for research and development.
For a list of the U.S. Government issue of the selective
bibliographies, address the clearing house at Port Royal
and Braddock Rds., Springfield, Va. 22151. ThiS department will be happy to report particularly appropriate items
any reader discovers.

more comprehensive general theatre organlzalJon In Germany, GDBA. Meeting in the famed Wagnerian center,
Bayreuth, the Conference had opportunity to visit theatres
and attend a rehearsal of the Wolfgang Wagner-directed
Das Rheingold, and to hear diSCUSSions of topics ranging
from administration and management to the various backstage technicalities.
12.3.1. "lnteropera - a new clearing house for production,"
supplies all technical needs in a coordinated design for
seven opera groups. This Texas-based organization (2407
Radcliffe, Houston) capitalizes on European and American
resources and serves an internallonal clientele. Rexford
Harrower and a staff of technical assistants accompany
each "rental: to help with the integration of sets, lighting, costume, and wigs.
Panelists for the "State of the lighting Art" report for I.E.S. in May
at Chicago. From left 10 right, they are Gene Ibsen - "Power and ElecIro·Mechanlcal DeVices,"

Imera

Fiorentino· "Production Lighting,"

Fredrick Bentham - "Lighting Progress in Europe", Herbert More"Television Lighting," David Frick· "Automation and Electronic Devices," Charles Neenan - Moderator, Rollo G. Williams - "Theatre
Lighting," Richard Glickman· "Film Lighting," Charles Clark - "Light
Sources" and Kenneth Pallus - "Stadium and Arena Lighting for Color
Television ...

06.2.0. Concentrating Oil lighting for the performing arts,
the Illuminating Engineering Society, In itS third "Theatre, TeleviSion, and Film Lighting Symposium," gathered
more than 300 experts in Chicago on May 9 and 10.
The institutional actiVities of the IE Society towards Improving and promoting the art of lighting, suPPOrt the
similar purposes of USITT In all areas of theatre.
The scope of papers and diSCUSSions tapped the resources
of experts In thiS area and ranged over a diversity ot Institutional needs, particularl\ color teleVision, and from
new developments (particularly the quartz-halogen lamps)
to the state of the art In all departments. For reprtlllS,
address Charles eenan, Bridgewater, ConneclJcut 06752.
Thus far thiS specialization In lighting, allowing a treatment in more depth, has no counterpart In any other
production area of the performlllg arts III this hemiSphere.
06.2.0. Another meeting, In Germany later III the summer (July 10-13), ranged over a stimulating variety of

OCTOBER 1966

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