Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1991 - 50

and the audience next.
So we provide system training. Before
they apply co a higher school, our
prospective srudents go ro secondary arrs
schools where rhey do drawing and
painting for several years. When rhey are
enrolled for rheatrical training, rhey
continue rhese srudies along wirh theatre

Members of the Soviet delegation.

design and orher basic skills and
rechnologies needed for work in rhearre.
Because our srudenrs have been
drawing and painting since childhood,
rheir professional careers seem ro be
prederermined. Bur rhey have freedom ro
choose whether rhey go on working in rhe
mearre or in "pure" fine art. Some make
rhe larrer choice and prove quire
successful. Perhaps rhe reason why rhey

serrle for rhis sorr of career is rhar our
higher schools reach less undersranding of
rheatre as a whole rhan your universiries.
Mosr of our graduares, however, work in
rheatre and regularly show rheir work ar
our exhibirions.
We did see rhis difference. Any
conclusions? We should do our besr ro
allow studenrs ro learn living
rheatre more fully, freely and
wirh more fun, yer we should
preserve our arrirude roward
drawing and color as rhe basis of
rhe srage designer's profession.
And anorher observarion: We
were all quite impressed by rhe
USITT congress in Milwaukee.
Certainly, I am nor ro judge me
deprh of irs debare. Bur I found
rhe arrangements made for rhe
congress and rhe ropics chosen
for ir highly rhoughr-our and
beneficial. Ir was a good rhing
rhar rhere was an exhibirion of
scenography and com pany producrs. I
feel rhrilled remembering rhe final
banquer and rhe srudent show and, more
imporranrly, me armosphere of sincere joy
and well-wishing rhar prevailed.
And rhe lasr thing I'd like ro say: Ir
seemed ro us all rhar you cherish all rhe
good rhings happening in your
profession. One sign of rhis was rhe

moving ceremony concerning rhe
presenration of the 1987 Prague
Quadrennial rop award ro rhe American
exhibition. You carefully resrored your
Prague pavilion (all of us who were in
Prague liked ir very much) and you said
kind words ro all rhose who had helped ro
creare and fund it.
Whar you had in Milwaukee was a
holiday and you enabled all your
colleagues ro see and appreciare rhe work
of rhose who had received a cop
internarional award. Thank you for rhar
holiday. \'(Ie in rhe Sovier I1lon wanr ro
learn some of your ability ro ger some fun
our of our hard work.
As for the future, we hope rhar despire
rhe war in rhe Gulf and our economic
difficulries, our relarionship will continue
ro develop and we will have many more
opporruniries ro learn more abour each
orher and strengrhen our good relarions
wirh joint projecrs and visir exchanges.
Meanwhile, we are looking forward ro me
American OISTAT Centre returning a
visir ro rhe Sovier Union and we are
prepared ro show our Russian hospiraliry,
despire all crises and problems.

m

Alia Mikhailova is the Chflir of the Art
Criticism Commission in the Soviet
O/STAT Centre find fluthor of numerous
books find flrticles on Soviet scenography

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48

1991

SPRING

TD&T
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1991
