Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1987 - 57

new production. 1ethods of construction have changed;
greater mobility, finer synchronization of effect, more
thorough transformations of scenic units are now available; lighting is far more subtle, variable and controllable, and so are sound systems, projected images, and
atmospheric and acoustic effects. Marvels are widely
accessible and can be used in almost any scale. Some
equipmenr is \'ery expensive, bllt micro-technology developed for mass marketS provides cheap and compact
elements which can be pllt to more specialized use in the
theatre; COSt is becoming less of a problem. Scenographers must work wi th directOrs and actOrs to discover
how to use the new possibilities.
Much has to be done, because old habits learned in
oUt-of-date palaces or under-equipped arenas must be
broken. Scenographers mu t not sit apart and solve their
problems, because they will not then be able to idenrify
the most useful tasks to tackle. They must listen to
everyone and watch every stage of a production. They
must work with designers and technicians of all kinds,
and with playwrights, dramaturgs, administratOrs and
accounranrs, directOrs and actOrs. The problems of contemporary thearre space will be addressed only when
they are seen as part of the still greater problem of how to
organize a theatre company so that it feeds its audience,
develops talent and is responsive, responsible and truly
entertaining.

, ,

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The Opportunity,
You Provide
The Talent:'
BFA and MFA in Design
Graduate and undergraduate assistantships available.
20 productions in 3 theatres
See designs go from paper to real ity.
Practical experience.

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Division Of Drama

UNIVERSITY OF
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
(213) 743-0347

ooking backwards, as Bablet has done, the achievemenrs to which I would draw attention are theatres
that have developed broadly, given rise to many great
artists and built up loyal audiences. Most of them were
responsible for first performances of play texts that have
proved strong enough to be reinterpreted for following
generations so that, by this means, the influence of even
the smallest of these companies has not yet entirely
waned.
First place must go to the beginnings of the Moscow
Art Theatre, under Stanislavski and
emirovichDanchenko. The company developed out of a school and
amateur performances, and it found its distincti ve style
through new plays by Chekhov, TolstOy, and Gorki. The
Old Vic Theatre under Lilian Baylis had a poor record
with living dramatists and innovative directors, but
proved a nursery and testing ground for very great actOrs.
The Birmingham Repertory Theatre, under Barry Jackson, the Liverpool Playhouse, under William
Armstrong, and the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, with a
number of strong new writers, started very modestly
before building their own theatres. As they found their
loyal audiences, directOrs, designers, writers, and actOrs
all flourished and developed. A few matinee performances at the Court Theatre in London led to longer seasons under the managemenr of Granville-Barker and
John E. Vedrenne; these established the career of Bernard
Shaw and also enabled Barker and others to plan a National Theatre in Britain and gain parliamenrary suPPOrt
for this venture. Later, under George Devine, the Royal
Court, as the same theatre was then called, became the
home of the English Stage Company. Changes were
made to the auditOrium and on the small stage new
styles of design and production were initiated; but the
chief assets of the company became the group of dramatists who wrote for it and the small additional au-

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