Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1993 - 47

Designing
the
Designers
and
Technicians
for the Next
Century
ARTHUR

L.

DIRKS

hearre in America will
remain a powerful art form
in rhe 21sr cemury, bur ir is
likely ro be a righrer job
marker for designers and
rechnicians, according (Q
four designers and rechnicians who are
involved in rhearre rraining. They also
agree rhar changes in rhe legirimare rhearre over rhe nexr 40 years of a rypical
career are no more predicrable rhan
changes such as rhe growrh of regional
rhearres were in 1951. The answer is ro
prepare for rhe uncertainry and for a variery of opportuniries.
During fall 1991, a panel ar rhe
USITT New England secrion conference
held in New Haven, Connecricur
addressed rhe ropic: "Professional Thearre Training: Designing rhe Designers
and Technicians for rhe Nexr Cemury."
The focus was on undergraduare prepararion, and career and rraining choices in
anriciparion of rhe furure rhearre environmem.
The panel-which was assembled for
diversiry in geographical reference, rhearrical specialry, reaching environmenr,
personal background, and producing
venues-included:
John Ezell, scene designer, professor ar
rhe Universiry of Missouri-Kansas
Ciry;
John Lee Beatty, New York Ciry-based
scene designer, visiring professor ar
Nonh Carolina School of rhe Arrs;
Sarah Nash Gates, cosrume designer,
USITT Presidenr, professor ar rhe
Universiry of Washingron; and
Richard Stephens, rechnician, USITT
Vice-Presidenr for Commissions,
rechnical direcror ar rhe Universiry of
Texas ar Ausrin.

What is the current state of theatre,
design, technology, and education?

EZELL:
The siruarion has certainly been bener. If
is difficulr to ignore rhe bleakness of
Broadway, rhe indeb redness and lack of
leadership in LORT rhearres, rhe

exploirarion and diminishing support in
colleges and universiries, rhe weakness of
advocacy groups, and rhe "ar besr mixed"
signals from rhe Capiro!. While arguing
for me ongoing imponance of rhe legirimare srage, Ezell feels rhar rhe currenr
direcrion could become so desrrucrive
rhar "ir has ro come apan before ir can be
pur back rogerher again .. .1 rhink ir is
useless ro speculare whar we are preparing our srudenrs for in rhe furure. Whar I
would suggesr is we're preparing rhem for
rhe unknown, and I do rhink we can
address mar. The only rhing we do know
is ir will be differenr from whar ir is
now."

Do students really understand the range
ofpossibilities to which they can apply
their training in theatre design and technology?

BEATTY:
"Somerimes I feel like rhe Larin reacher
in high school, rhar I'm reaching people
ro work in rhe legirimare meane in New
York as if rhere were one, and all rhese
people in from of me are having ro learn
mis son of ancienr language. I'm looking
ar rhem rhinking, 'I'm reaching rhem
Larin; rhey're going to go our and do
somerhing rorally differenr.' The chances
of rhem doing whar I'm doing righr now
are infiniresimal, and ir would be very
remarkable if any of mem would ever be
pur in mis posirion," alrhough he admirred one of his srudenrs is designing a
Broadway show rhis year.
Srudems really should follow rheir
inreresrs and ralenrs. "There are a lor of
imeresring jobs our rhere you don'r even
know exisr," he said, and memioned srudenrs and friends who do such rhings as
evenrs programming or backgrounds for
roy acrion figures. Many of his friends are
happier wirh rhe menraliry and remperamenr of rhe business world of indusrrials
or rhe world of relevision or film because
"you're nor jusr buying inro a design
field, bur you're also buying inro a way of
life." He acknowledged rhere are more
designers employed in relevision and film
rhan rhe mainsrream rhearre, which
TD&T

1993 FALL

45
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