Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1977 - 38

anything of the calibre of The Ascent of Man, Shoulder
to Shoulder, Victory at En tebbe, Roots, or The Fight
Against Slavery?
In the 20's, when the American cinema was beginning
to climb out of its baby-crib, the American theatre could
boast that its offerings were more "daring" than anything
in the movies. The opposite is now true. Current stage
drama lacks the boldness of films like The Last Detail,

The Godfather, Sounder, The Exorcist, Helter Skelter,
All the President's Men or The Voyage of the Damned to name a few titles at random.
Speaking for myself, I find a special excitement in the
immediacy of live theatre, and I can imagine no cultural
disaster worse than its permanent reduction to a minor
art. Fortunately this is not likely to happen. If popular
audiences as enormous as those of film and TV accept
material of greater scope and pertinence than that of the
stage, a minority, at least, of the theatre audience will
not remain satisfied with the self-imposed limitations
of its favorite medium. I bel ieve our contemporary stage
practice must in the end give way to one more willing
to reflect the incredibly dramatic period of history in
which we live. It is not a small thing to find in Theatre
Design and Technology a challenge to the sophomoric
"advance guard."
Sincerely,
Mordecai Gorelik
" See The Absurd Absurdists (N. Y. Times, Aug. 8, 1965).
Dear Sir:
I was about to call you today regarding your article
on the G rand Opera House (TD&T, Spring, 1977). but
I understand it has already been printed. On the whole,
it is a good article but there are a few minor facts which
I would like to correct.
1. Total cost of restoration is about $4.5MM, not
$5.5MM. The balance represents operating funds
from the beginning.
2. There were four floors in the auditorium, not five.
3. The ceiling catwalk works on a winch drum. The scissors jacks do not raise or lower the catwalk they only
stablilize it.
4. There is no hinge lip on the light slot.
5. There are no floor pockets in the stage floor.
6. I never insisted that a motorized winch system be
used for the rigging. I was concerned that the rigging
design be efficient in operation, utilize minimal manpower, and take up minimal room.
7. Healy never functioned as a general contractor.
8. Regardless of whether a pipe is loaded or whether it is
moving up or down, it always moves at exactly the
same speed. Furthermore, the noise problem has been
entirely eliminated.
9. The orchestra shell is not covered with duvetyne but
rather with black velour.
Sincerely yours,
Lawrence J. Wilker
Executive Director
Grand Opera House
38

FALL,1977

Opera Festival

Continued from P. 13

NOTES:
1. "The Paramount Requirements of a Large Opera House, 'The
Inland Architect and News Record, X (October, 1887), p. 45.
2.Albert Bush·Brown, Louis SuI/ivan (New York, 1960), p. 7.
3.The Autobiography of an Idea (New York, 1924), p. 251.
Sullivan wrote this using the third person.
4. "Synopsis of Building News," The Inland Architect and News
Record, V (February, 1885), p. 14.
5.J.B. McClure, Stories and Sketches of Chicago (New York,
1880), p. 174.
6.1bid.

7. "Synopsis of Building," op. cit.
8."A Mammoth Opera House," The Inland Architect and Builder
V (March, 1885), p. 25.
9. "The Paramount Requirements of a Large Opera House," op.
cit.

10."A Mammoth Opera House," op. cit.
11. "The Opera Festival," The Chicago Tribune (March 1, 1885).
p.7.
12.Scott Russell's outlooks were similar to those of Adler and
Sullivan and his isacoustic and isaoptic curves were based on
mathematical equations which insured equally good sightlines
for all and an equal dispersement of sound throughout the
auditorium.
13. "The Paramount Requirements of a Large Opera House,"
op. cit.
14. The Autobiography of an Idea, op. cit., p. 293.
15."The Opera Festival," op. cit.
16.1bid.
17. The Autobiography of an Idea, op. cit., p. 292.

18. "The Paramount Requirements of a Large Opera House,"
op. cit.

19. "Acoustics of the Convention Hall," The Inland Architect and
Builder, III (June, 1884),p.64.
20."A Mammoth Opera House," op. cit.
21.1bid.
22.1bid.

23.Hugh Morrison,LouisSul/ivan (New York, 1935). p. 67.
24. "The Opera Festival," op. cit.
25."Synopsis of Building News," op. cit.
26."The Opera Festival," op. cit.
27. The Autobiography of an Idea, op. cit., p. 293.
28 .Culture and Democracy (New Jersey, 1965), p. 385.

CONTRIBUTORS
Yvonne Shafer is a member of the Freshman Honors
faculty at the University of Delaware. She is the author
of several articles on historic theatres and has contributed
book reviews to this Journal.
Helmut Batzner practices architecture in Karlsruhe. He
was chief of the Architectural design team for the new
theatre in Karlsruhe.
Walter Huneke is former Technical Director of the National Theatre, Munich. He is now engaged as an independent
Theatre Consultant in West Germany.
Marion E. Wiley is a member of the faculty in Languages
and Literature at the University of Delaware.
Beeb Salzer is a painter and scenographer. He is a member
of the United Scenic Artists of America and teaches at
Herbert H. Lehman College of the City University of New
York.
Robert Long is a 1976 graduate of the department of
Theatre Design and Technology of the Yale School of
Drama. During the last year he has been employed as
specifications writer for the theatre consulting firm of
George C. Izenour Associates of New Haven, Connecticut.

THEATRE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

I USITT I

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