Theatre Design & Technology - May 1965 - 16

to move the wagons too often, and usually it is
only done between productions, certainly not as
a daily routine. The possibility for rehearsals
with one arrangement and performance in another
exists and onlv lack of sufficient manpower (required to move items other than wagons) and
sati sfactory rehearsa I area elsewhere has prevented such use.
The four elevators have seen much use both as a
part of the flexible seating arrangements and in
giving a versatile acting area. In several productions entrances have been made using the
moving floor although the speed seems too slow
for normal stage action. The successful use of
the elevators is attributable to the backstage
controls which offer sufficient command of operation and very accurate limit adjustment. The
orchestra pit elevator, having the greatest travel
of the four, is frequently used for moving items
to the basement for storage.
Variability of the stage opening is achieved
through the use of the tormentor wagons, winchoperated teaser, and eight full-height movable
apron panels. One person may position these
eight-foot-wide panels which slide along tracks
in the ceiling and he will need assistance only
if they are to be reversed, since one side is dark
brown, and the other white. The variety of positions avai lable for these panels permit masking
of lighting from the small balconies along the
walls on either side of the apron, as well as

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masking for entrances in the arena arrangement.
For the proscenium design the panels alone
may reduce the opening to as small as forty feet.
On stage the opening is further controlled by
the twenty-two-foot-high tormentor panel s mounted
on heavy wagon s whi ch are awkward to move,
and the motor-operated teaser which is fortyfive feet wide. The sizes of these are aeTermined by the ovai lable width of the fly loft ond
the ceiling height offstage in the wings. Sightlines further determine the smallest opening, and
little trouble is encountered with any reasonable
width or height to the maximum 26 feet by 60
feet.

As part of the flexible arrangements the torm
wagons serve other functions as well. Both
wagons have mounti ng s for Iighti ng equ ipment
together with a number of circuits from the patch
panel. The stage right wagon serves as the stage
manager's desk and has the master intercom station, clock, work light switch, outside telephone
and internal telephone line (there are only three
other stations: lighting control, stage left, and
house manager). The stage left wagon houses
the controls for the four elevators besides its
internal phone station.
The lighting system is controlled by a Century
52 dimmer, 10 preset console located in one of
the control rooms above the back of the auditorium. From the control room one may enter the catwalks over the ceiling for access to the three
recessed lighting "beams" and the side ports
over the apron at the extreme left and right. The
patch panel and actual control units for the system are located above the auditorium ceiling over
the proscenium opening. Whi Ie th is location minimi zes the cost of wi ring, it is not easi Iy accessible and is a problem during hanging and focusing
operations. Over 160 outlets are di stributed
along the beams, ports, and balconies in the
auditorium and about the stage in hanging cables,
floor pockets, and along the light bridge associated with the teaser. Since the room is soundproof the lighting control system has its own
intercom station in addition to a separate phone
to the patch panel.
In general the lighting system has served well,
and imaginative designers have not found the
presets, number of circuits, or power available
to be a severe limitation. On a few occasions the
ten presets have had to be changed six or more
times during a show, but this is the exceptional
case. Instrument mounting areas are sufficient
for the varieties of proscenium productions; however, there are numerous problems in the two
other basic arrangements. In using the thrust
stage it is very difficult to properly light the
area under the teaser if platforms raise the actor
off the floor level, and numerous problems arise
on the apron. The side ports, so very distant
from the acting area, are limited in use because
of light spi II onto and beyond the far si de of the
acting area, and the illuminating angle obtainable
using the beams is limited since they extend
only twenty feet either side of the center. The
problem becomes more acute in the arena arrangement, for the 26 foot ceiling heightand restricted
light mounting area severely limits choice of
angle and offers almost no sati sfactory solution
short of hanging a separate grid below the ceiling. The mandatory aisle lights appear to have
been an after-thought and are in the ce iii ng over
the fixed seats, rather than along the floor and
steps, making blackout exits impossible much of
the time.
In addition to the lighting control room, located
along the toprear of the auditorium, are the sound
control room, projection room, and a soundproof

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THEATRE DESIGN AND TECHNOUX;Y

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - May 1965