Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1992 - 14

I shall speak of marrers which
directly concern you as they have
concerned me. Perhaps you will
be good enough ro accept this
talk as a ventilation of some
ideas that have occurred ro me in
quiet and silence, and that have
been seasoned by much reflec(Ion.
I am talking ro you about the
theatre as an "Arr." I never talk
about it in any other way. I never
think about it in any other way.
And I am talking ro you abour
the American Thearre. The
American Thearre is my business, and it is your business. The
European Thearre can ger along
very well withour our help. We
may remember with profit ro
ourselves, if not exacrly wirh
pride, that the most signiflcaIH
production of receIH seasonsOedipus Rex-was written by a
Greek, adapted by an Irishman,
directed by a Frenchman, and
acted by Englishmen; and that
America had nothing ro do with
it except ro furnish a rather inadequate playhouse for ir. 1 It is the
American Thearre that we are
interested in. But I must say,
frankly, that however deeply we
may believe in the furure of the
an of the thearre in this counrry;
the an of the thearre in this
counrry, at this time, is very hard
ro find.

us-in the very air we breathe.
But the odd thing is, it isn't in
INTRODUCTION
the theatre. In the face of the
almost unbearable tensions of
On 14 January 1941, Robert Edmond Jones emered
our everyday living, the thing
inro arrangemems with the Lee Keedick Agency in
thar is happening behind the
New York for a series oflecrure raurs. Promotional litproscenium arches of our playerature from the Keedick agency circa 1948 noted
houses inevitably seems harmless, and repid, and cute beyond
that Jones was prepared by thar time ra speak on three
words. A "parry-cake theatre," I
rapics: "The Thearre Of The Future," "The Art Of
The Thearre," and "Why We Have Thearres."
sometimes call ir.
Following his agreement with the Keedick Agency,
There is something in our thearre like a miasma, like a conJones visited many colleges, universiries, and arts
organizations during the next 11 years.
spiracy, that seems ro make us
In 1952 Jones delivered four lectures at Harvard
shy away from profound and
passionate emotions. \Y,/e miss
University under the general tide "Towards A New
Theatre." The lectures were recorded by Professor
the qualities that give "a noble
turn ro rhings." \Ve miss the
Frederick C. Packard and two of them-"The
Theatre of the Future," and "The An of the
freshness, rhe caprice, the splendor, the austerity, rhe elevation;
Theatre"-were released under that general title by
whar H. L. Mencken calls, "the
Professor Packard as a limited edition Vocarium
grand crash and gliuer ... "; whar
Record in November 1955, following Jones' death on
Isak Dinesen calls, "the gleam,
26 November 1954. It is in this form that they are
known, if at all, raday.
grandezza, the wild hope." Bur
these exrravagaIH qual ities are
In 1963 Vocarium Records released the other two
the life blood of the thearrelectures in the form of a 7 1/2 IPS, two-track, reel-rathe sap, the vital fluid. Without
reel tape. One of these lectures seems ra be the third
lecrure advertised by the Keedick Agency, "Why We
them the thearre ebbs away inro
Have Theatres." The other lecture on the tape,
Broadway show-business.
"Curious and Profitable," had been privately printed
There is something in our thearre that is synrhetic, ersatz, secas a pamphlet and circulated by Jones sometime earliond-hand-copying copies of
er.
copies, reflecting refleered reflecAll four lectures were recently located by Delbert
Unruh, contributing editor to TD&T and head of the
tions. It has a kind of hearsay
design program at the University of Kansas. His tranquality. Our comemporary thescriprs of the leerures, along with suitable commenarre tells us, with great clearness
tary, have recently been published in book form by
and expenness, what thearre
Proscenium Publishers. The lecture that is reprinted
would be like if it were only
"thearre." It reminds us of the
here is "The Art of the Theatre," listed as Number 2
e all have
in the Keedick brochure.
crack made by Margaret Hallsey,
our memoThis leerure shows Jones at his poetic, romantic
in the days when jeering at
ries, In my
best: exhorting workers in the theatre ra dream, to
England was still fashionable,
case
enthat English women's shoes
imagine, and to "Let the dynamis of the true artist
chanted
enter into you. Take the little gift you have into the
looked as if they had been made
memories, of a thearre that is
hall of the gods." This is heady stuff. Poetic, inspiraby somebody who had heard of
gone. We all have our hopes and
a shoe but had never seen one.
tional, romantic, and awe-inspiring-this is the Jones
our dreams of a thearre which is
of The D1'1lmatic Imagination. Other lectures in the
I am not talking about showro be. But when we arrempt ro
book reveal Jones as a visionary and also as a blum,
busi ness, remember; I am talkdiscuss the thearre of the presenr
ing about the thearre as an "An."
outspoken critic of the American Theatre.
day with any seriousness, we disI am talking abour creation, a
cover at once that we have very
-DELBERT UNRUH
terrifying word-crearion-the
litrle ro discuss. \Vhat we are
liule shy flickering flame of life.
practicing roday in the name of
I am talking about ardor, and
theatre has almost nothing ro do
wonder, and innocence, and
with the theatre. Ir is so unrelated ro real
I realize thar rhis statemenr is a chalhorror, and despair, and rhings that are
thearre that sometimes it aerually seems
lenging one. I rhink we have no choice
haunred and fraught wirh dreams, and
as if you would have ro grow a new set of bur ro accepr ir. All we have ro do is ro
magniflcences, and raptures, and glories.
faculties ro create theatre with. This
look ar whar is going on in our rhearre.
I am ralking abour the beating of the
thing that I am saying is not a whim, nor
There is no doubt rhar we have come ro
human hean in the rhearre and rhe pulsa beef, nor a gripe. It is a faer. \X/hat we
be sarisfled wirh a very inferior grade of
ing of life along irs veins. And I am sayare taught ro call thearre roday isn't thegoods. Life at rhis momenr is unbelieving rhar rhe life of rhe rhearre is almosr
atre at all. True thearre isn't, with the
ably dramatic. Glance rhrough rhe
exringuished. The flame is burning
rarest exceptions, ro be found in our
columns of any newspaper. Listen ro any
alarmingly low. I rhink ir is for young
playhouses. It has gone out of the winpeople everywhere ro cherish and nUrfure
broadcasr. Read rhe morning's mail. Pick
dow. It has hidden itselfbiuerly away.
up rhe relephone. Drama is all around
rhat flame and rry ro bring back life inro
12

1992 SUMMER

TD&T

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1992