Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2012 - 65

book
names, titles, dates, and fashion trends. The appendices have three comprehensive sections.
Appendix A, Garment Type, is further subdivided
by terms such as accessories, fabrics, hats, and
headdresses. Appendix B, Garments by Country,
has a wealth of international appeal. Appendix
C, Garment Types by Era, is arranged chronologically from Ancient Egypt to the present.
Illustrations used throughout the text assist
the reader in identifying terminology. Selected
images are enlarged in a thirty-two-page color
"photo spread" organized by general topic, such
as "women's wear." A limitation in this otherwise
rewarding reference source are the colorized images in this section. These images occupy large
amounts of wasted space on each page, and the
various drawing techniques and layouts create a
confusing display. The enlarged illustrations call
attention to the inconsistencies of the drawing
style, a minor criticism that detracts only slightly
from the quality of the work as a whole.
This dictionary is a useful tool for individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds. It will
appeal to both the generalist and specialist, who
share a passion for the history and study of costume. I would hope that the next edition of The
Complete Costume Dictionary will be issued in
a CD-ROM or e-reader format or an online version, so readers can access it more comfortably,
especially at the drawing board or worktable.
Every institution and library supporting
costume research will need The Complete
Costume Dictionary. Expensive as it may be,
it is an essential resource for all of us the field
of costume and fashion.
Howard Vincent Kurtz is head of the
theatre design program at George Mason
University in Fairfax, Virginia. He has
designed costumes for theatres in the
Washington, DC, area and is associate
curator of costumes and textiles at
the Hillwood Museum and Gardens in
Washington, the former residence of
Marjorie Merriweather Post, where he
organized the exhibitions An Invitation to
the Ball: Marjorie Merriweather Post's Fancy
Dress Costumes of the 1920s and Wedding
Belles: Bridal Fashions from the Marjorie
Merriweather Post Family, 1874-1958.

theatre design

& technology

reviews
Mixing a Musical

Broadway Theatrical Sound Techniques

By Shannon Slaton; Waltham, MA, Focal Press,
2011. 264 pp. Paper, $39.95.
Reviewed by Jason Romney
To the uninitiated, the world of Broadway
sound appears to be an exclusive club with its
own secret language and a host of unwritten
rules. In his book, Mixing a Musical: Broadway Theatrical Sound Techniques, Shannon
Slaton, whose Broadway mixing credits include
Jersey Boys, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Spring
Awakening, and Legally Blonde, attempts to
demystify that club.
At first glance, the title Mixing a Musical seems a bit misleading, because very little
of the book deals with the actual fingers-onfaders mixing of live microphones. What you
learn throughout the book, however, is that on
Broadway, the person who mixes the show has
many other responsibilities. Although mixing
the show is the most important part of the job,
you can't get to that part without first preparing the system package, which involves paperwork, bids, a shop build, and a truck pack.
Then there's the load-in where you have to
install, label, test, and troubleshoot the system
in the theatre. The load-in is followed by a tech
rehearsal period where you may never actually
deal with mixing the sound out in the house
because you're spending all your time making
sure the intercom and monitoring systems are
working optimally for the performers and the
rest of the production team. Once previews begin, you get to start mixing the show. All of this
is the responsibility of the A1 or Head Sound
person, and Slaton provides the most complete
description of these many responsibilities that,
to my knowledge, has ever been written.

Complete picture
To understand the role of the mixer on Broadway, Slaton attempts to paint a complete picture
of the Broadway sound landscape. He bravely
attacks the problem of providing job descriptions for the various positions on the sound
team. The problem here, and Slaton admits
this, is that theatre sound is still a young and

winter

2012

developing discipline, and these job descriptions vary greatly from year to year and from
theatre to theatre. Still, sound people who are
new to the business will find the information
extremely helpful as they try to navigate their
way through the industry to the type of work
they are interested in doing.
Teachers of sound students will also find
this information useful as they work to prepare
their students to enter the profession. One of
the biggest problems students and teachers in
theatre sound face is the lack of a formal standardized practice in the profession. How can
you prepare for a profession when you don't
know exactly what to expect? What's the difference between a mult, a snake, a bundle, and a
loom? If you typically need to be a member of
I.A.T.S.E. Local One and you need to have experience mixing large musicals before you can
mix a show on Broadway, how do you get the
experience without being a member of Local
1? And once you get the experience, how do
you get your Local 1 card? Is there a difference
between an associate designer and an assistant
designer, or is it simply a matter of semantics?
What's the big deal about a mixing console
with VCA or DCA controllers?
Until now, getting the answers to these
questions and others often involved a painful process of discovery on the job. Slaton's
book attempts to put into print this informal
standard practice in Broadway sound. He
graciously mentions the efforts of the USITT
Sound Commission to develop some standards

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2012