Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1998 - 72

evening by exclaiming, "Oh, that's subtle!"
At tlle conclusion of the session, Chairperson Gossman asked tlle guest
of honor if he wished to add to tlle proceedings, and Reinhardt responded
\\~tll an inadvei1ant demonstration of that sanle blending of histOlY, sClipt,
meaning and symbol for which he was being celebrated. Arising from the audience area, he placed hinlself downs!<1ge left of the speaker's table and unfolded and read from a note wlitten by his own high school dranla teacher in
Sand Splings, Oklahoma, Billie "Wild Bill" Hudson. In response to
Reinhardt's expressions of gratitude, Ms. Hudson had protested tlmt she was
just doing her job and "having fun at tlle same time." The costumer tllen
looked from tlle audience to the panel of his former students and colleagues,
paused, and added from bOtll his and his own teacher's text, "Let me hear
from you again."
The afternoon session, tlus time co-chaired by Gossman and Gwendolyn
lagle, was billed as an address by Reinhardt, as well as a discussion of his
design work from 1954 to 1997. After an effusive introduction, the COSnll1ler
held up his prepared matelial, and asked self-mockingl)\ "Am I my lecnlre
notes?" Leaving the answer to the audience's inlagination, he tllen went on to
a discussion of who and what had been most inlpor!<1J1t in Ius evolution as a
costumer.
Reinhardt first assei1ed tllat "we all live in an histOlicai continuum" and
that Ius development as an artist was no exception. The son of a Disciples of
Cluist nlinister, tlle COSnll1ler grew up in tlle Midwest anudst Dust Bowl povel1y and becanle involved in tlleatre at tlle prompting of tlle high school
teacher, Billie Hudson, from whom he had quoted pre~ously. During Ius second two years of college at tlle University oflhlsa, he had mentors such as director Ben Henneke ("If a scene seems slow, it's because tllere's notlung
happening. Slow it down even more so something can happen.") and designer Hank BaITows ("He showed me how to use color. In The Circle, he
painted tlle set puqlle and used rosewood Victorian furniture upholstered in
chellY red velvet. I didn't know you could use color like that."). George
KemodJe, enlinent Uiuversity of Tulsa tlleatre lustOlian, suggested tllat
Reinhardt study \\~tll Lucy BaI10n after graduation, so he lutchluked to the
University of Texas. Miss BaI10n, as it nUlled out, was vacationing on Cape
Cod but, when phoned about whetller she would allow the lUling of tlle newcomer, responded cUllly tllat all her assistant needed was an ability to sew. At
tlle end of ReinhaI'dt's first semestel; so he said, "Lucy may not have been
sure about my se\\wg but she knew I could sure as hell invent."
DUling tlus peJiod in graduate school, Reinhardt did summer work in
tlle Ashland, Oregon ShakespeaI'e Festival costume shop, where he leaIlled
from its head, Doug Russell, how to make a "designer s!<1tement," as well as
how to look at a play bOtll "as a whole" and "as a specific world." Despite
peIfOImance aspirations, tlle young man's fate was foreshadowed by a second-season biographical program entq tllat aIUlOlIJ1Ced to the public tlmt
"Paul ReinhaI'dt canle to tlle Oregon ShakespeaI'e festival as an actor, where
Ius w.Ients as a designer were immediately recognized." At a later point upon
considering yet anotller S\\~tch, tlus time from costunung to directing, he was
impressed by BaI10n's remaI'k tllat directors were "a dime a dozen," whereas
designers were a compaI'l\tively rare commodil)~ ReinhaI'dt gmduated \\~tll
an M.EA. degree in Theatre HiStOlYaIld Design in 1953, having leaIlled a
"clear, specific aIld lustOlical approach to tlleatre" from BaI10n.
His first full time position was at NOIll1\vestern luversil)' where teacher
Alvina KI'l\use, whom he found "a biilliant acting coach" ill tlle StaIlislavski
tradition, had a SubStaIltiai effect upon Reinlmdt. Designing her productions,
wd listening to her talk about "what actors need" and "how tlley work,"
taught him as much about theatre cosnUlles as he had leaIlled from BaI10n,
said the COSnll1ler. Since tlle NOIll1\vestem costumer was assigned two shows
70

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Arq(\nte
Two renderings from Scapin, 1955

Mrs. Hardcastle's garment, She
Stoops to Conquer, 1992
Rendering of Mrs. Hardcastle,
She Stoops to Conquer, 1992

Two renderings from a dance piece, Rachmaninov, 1983
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1998
