Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1992 - 22

Our experience here in Searrle has been
one of exrraordinary inrerdependence-a
recognirion rhar cooperarion and collaborarion would serve us besr as an arrs communny.
The mosr imporranr evenr of rhe lasr
half cenrury as ir relares ro rhe arrs in
Searrle was rhe Searrle World's Fair in
1%2. Unril rhar rime, in many people's
minds, Searrle had been a somewhar mysrical, magical ciry in rhe upper lefr-hand
corner of rhe map, shelrered by rhe
Cascade Mounrains-a ciry rhar you
passed rhrough on your way ro somewhere
else, Alaska, Hawaii, or maybe Asia. Our
cui rural hisrory, prior ro 1962, was inreresring bur nor very disringuished. From
rhe ciry's founding ro rhe gold rush, rhere
were local rhearre companies, vaudeville
houses, and various enrerrainmenr venues,
bur mosr of rhem fell srricrly inro rhe
enrerrainmenr caregory. Our symphony
orchesrra, however, was founded in 1903,
and a museum followed in 1917.
In rhe subsequenr decades, some bus
and rruck rours of Broadway shows passed
rhrough rown and rhe Universiry of
Washingron developed a fine and energeric rhearre deparrmenr. An impresario
named Celia Schulrz, rhe Sol Hurok of
rhe Norrhwesr, booked rouring acrsRussian dance companies, balalaika players, and gypsy violinisrs-for eager audiences. The Ladies Musical Club presenred
musical arrisrs. They srill do afrer 100
years. Mosr or our cui rural life was
imporred. All in all, rhere was nor an
awful lor of homegrown professional
acnvlry.
Sir Thomas Beecham was conducror of
rhe Searrle Symphony from 1941 ro 1944
and during one of his more rurbulenr
periods srared rhar Searrle was in danger of
becoming a culrural dusr bin. Searrleires
srill refer ro rhis sraremenr bur now wirh
amusemenr insread of indignarion.
A major change gor underway in 1957
and demonsrrares rypical
orrhwesr
resourcefulness. A group of forward-looking civic leaders decided rhar a big, flarfloor audirorium should be renovared as a
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home for rhe performing arrs, parricularly
as a place where rhe symphony could play.
Their firsr success came wirh a public
bond issue rhar raised funds for a complere remake of rhe building which is now
called rhe Opera House.
This Commirree rhen decided ro
expand irs mission ro creare a park around
rhe audirorium. This park grew inro an
exposirion. The exposirion became rhe
1962 Searrle World's Fair and rhus were
planred rhe seeds rhar grew ro creare
Searrle Cenrer, rhe Norrhwesr's besr
known cui rural cenrer.
The World's Fair was a significanr ruming poinr and broughr many of rhe world's
grearesr arrisrs ro Searrle. Opera, symphonies, and dance companies came. The
orrhwesr saw ir and loved ir. The window wenr up on rhe ourside world once
and for all.
The Searrle World's Fair was rhe firsr in
hisrory ro make money. This 74-acre sire,
jusr a mile from rhe hearr of downrown,
had become a civic cenrer, wirh a series of
buildings up and paid for. And rhe communiry had over $1 million in rhe bank.
Thar was jusr a small parr of rhe exrraordinary legacy ir lefr rh is ci ry.
During rhe World's Fair, Hal Holbrook
had played ar rhe Searrle Cenrer Playhouse
wirh /\{ark Twain Tonight. He had
become friendly wirh a number of
Searrleires and ir was he who suggesred
rhar rhe Playhouse be used as a home for a
professional reperrory rhearre. Searrle was
becoming parr of rhe newly forming
regional rhearre movemenr.
In rhe early '60s, Tyrone Gurhrie
announced rhar he was going ro found an
American rhearre company and ciries bid
on having rhar honor. Minneapolis won,
and in 1963 rhe Tyrone Gurhrie Thearre
was opened. Orher rhearre professionals
were leaving New York ro spread our
across rhe counrry as well. The decenrralizarion of American rhearre was raking
place. Searrle was nor ro be lefr our. Whar
was happening in rhe early '60s ro professional rhearre is nor unlike whar is happening roday wirh professional foorball.

Any rown of a credible size and aspirarion
wanred ro have a professional rhearre
company.
For rhe arrs, rhe '60s were an exciring,
pioneering era. The Kennedys were in rhe
Whire House and regularly invired arrisrs
ro perform rhere. The presidenr and firsr
lady were seen going ro rhe opera and
symphony. The counrry was becoming
cui rural.
In Searrle, a group of civic-minded cirizens headed by Bagley Wrighr, one of rhe
men who had builr rhe Space Needle, ser
our ro fill rhe cenrer buildings wirh culrural organizarions. They approached Hal
Holbrook once again and asked for advice
on hiring an arrisric direcror for a new
rhearre. Holbrook recommended Sruarr
Vaughan, a New York direcror, ro pur
rogerher rhis new company. In early 1963,
Vaughan rravelled ro Searrle wirh 20
acrors and assorred designers and rechnicians ro found rhe Searrle Reperrory
Thearre.
A board and a volunreer group were
srarred and before a producrion had ever
been presenred, more rhan 9,000 subscriprions were sold for rhe firsr season of
rhe Searrle Reperrory Thearre. This facr
made rhe Rep one of rhe largesr rhearres in
America before irs firsr producrion had
been mounred. The Searrle Opera
Company was creared in 1964 and builr
off rhe success of rhe Rep.
Greg Falls, who is being honored here
roday, played rhe nexr imporranr role in
Searrle's posr-World's Fair culrural developmenr. In 1965, Greg-rhen head of rhe
Universiry of Washingron School of
Orama-reacred ro rhe Rep's success wirh
rhe feeling rhar more conremporary and
currenr rhearre should be available. Thus A
Conremporary Thearre-ACT-was born.
Greg called rhe Rep and asked for rhe
lise of irs mailing lisr. The Rep said yes
and ACT was able ro arrracr an audience.
From early on, in posr-World's Fair
Searrle, cooperarion became rhe modus
operandi. I don'r rhink we knew how
imporranr ir would be for liS ro funcrion
as one arrs communiry in rhe beginning

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