Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1975 - 5

EDITORIAL
EDITORIAL

a NEWS

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The Bicentennial is upon us. All segments of American
society are now gearing up for the presentation of events
celebrating two hundred years of Independence. With all
due respect for Brooks McNamara's fine work on theatre
architecture in the Colonial period, it is difficult, if not
impossible, to find a definitive study of a particular
American theatre circa 1776. The major theatres in the
colonies were located, for the most part, along the Eastern
seaboard in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Williams·
brug, and Charleston. Most of them were imitations of
the established "patent" houses in London while others
may have reflected continental influences. It was not
until the middle of the Nineteenth Centu ry that a
native approach to theatre architecture began to manifest
itself. Thus, it is appropriate to begin this issue with Loren
Hufstetler's description of Edwin Booth's theatre.
Built in 1869 and doomed to a very short life, as
theatres go, the Booth theatre had, nonetheless, an influence of some magnitude on similar structures which
followed. A look at Richard Leacroft's excellent work,
The Development of the English Playhouse, reveals that
rigging and winch systems in English theatre lofts of the
same period are similar to those shown in the illustrations
accompanying Mr. Hufstetler's article. The technology
for raising and lowering sections of the stage floor by
means of water pressure was also utilized in British and
Continental theatres.
What seems to set the Booth theatre apart from others
across the Atlantic is the committment to increased use
of the high stage tower for flying full stage drops and,
perhaps, even scenic units at the sides of the stage.
Though we now frown, in our collective wisdom, upon
the non-mechanized houses that followed in New York
and other major population centers with their grids,
hemp, wooden battens, and very little else, the form
gained favor and was widely imitated. It is ironic that
while the theatre lasted only fourteen years as a working
playhouse, the name of Booth himself may have influenced other Actor-Managers and their architects to
emulate some of the "technical improvements" of his
theatre.
While this Journal's major focus will remain, as always, on new developments and trends in architecture,
technology, and scenic practices, we shall take an occasional look in this Bicentennial year at some other
American theatres that have lived to celebrate their own
centenary.

Our Summer issue reported on some of the activity
at USITT's annual meeting in Anaheim, California. At
the timll we went to press we were unable to include the
names of those who received USITT awards. We are
pleased to present them here.

USITT

U.S. INSTITUTE FOR THEATRE TECHNOLOGY
USITT AWARD - 1975
PRESENTED TO
KATE DRAIN LAWSON
IN RECOGNITION OF
A LIFETIME OF CREATIVE CONTRIBUTION
TO THE AMERICAN THEATRE
USITT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ANAHEIM, CALIF.
MARCH - 1975
U.S. INSTITUTE FOR THEATRE TECHNOLOGY
USITT AWARD -1975
PRESENTED TO
GORDON DAVIDSON
FOR HIS ROLE IN FOSTERING THE
DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ARTISTS, DESIGNERS
AND TECHNICIANS FOR THE AMERICAN THEATRE
USITT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ANAHEIM, CALIF.
MARCH - 1975
U.S. INSTITUTE FOR THEATRE TECHNOLOGY
USITT AWARD -1975
PRESENTED TO
GEORGE C. IZENOUR
IN RECOGNITION OF
HIS MANY CONTRIBUTION TO
THE ART AND TECHNOLOGY OF
THE AMERICAN THEATRE
USITT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ANAHEIM, CALIF.
MARCH -1975
U.S. INSTITUTE FOR THEATRE TECHNOLOGY
FOUNDERS AWARD -1975
PRESENTED TO
ARTHUR J. BEN LINE
FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO USITT
USITT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ANAHEIM, CALIF.
MARCH -1975
The USITT Committee on Publications award for the
best Journal article in 1974 went to Christopher Jaffe.
The citation to Mr. Jaffe reads as follows:

THEATRE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

For best article in the 1974 issues of Theatre Design and
The Committee on Publications wishes to
acknowledge the distinctive contribution of Christopher
Jaffe to The United States Institute For Theatre TechTechnology.

WINTER,1975

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1975