Theatre Design & Technology - Oct 1965 - 24

The ultimate in a sparse and unadorned environment which sets the actor in "high relief" and
focuses attention on him, is the creative objective of the director G. Torstonogov (Figure
17). He feels the auditorium and stage should be
a single volume surmounted by a sphere. In the
theatre project developed from his requirements,
three-dimensional scenery is moved by tracked
slip stages and elevated platforms which may
be rolled onto double concentric revolvers, there
being no gridiron. The spherical ceiling over the
auditorium forms a panoramic cyclorama, and
permits a varied use of lighting effects and
projected scenery.

(Figure

15}.Project

for

Theotre

Studio of

Pontomime;

Director, A. Gripich; Architects: Mol'tsin

and

Bykov

1. Auditorium (600 seots)
2

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Lobby
Projection gollery
Stoge
Revolver (25 ft. diometer!
Rotating ring
Elevotor orchestro pit

Side wogon storage, property and construction

shops

9. Upstage storage
10.

Rear projection rooms

11. Sli pstages
12.
13.

Actor's green rooms
Dressing rooms

The art of native folk dancing has received marked attention in the USSR, and is extensively
developed. The leader of the internationallyknown State Dancing Troup, I. Moiseev, has
proposed construction of a Dance Theatre intended specifically for the performance of large
choreographic and choral groups (Figure 16). To
meet the particular requirements of this kind of
theatre, the stage has a floor of substantial
dimensions for the accommodation of large numbers of choral and dance participants, and is
provided with ample anci Ilary areas for actor
preparation and storage of properties, scenery
and musical instruments. Lateral offstage areas
are equipped with slipstages for supporting fragmentary three-dimensional scenery and conveying
it to the stage floor, on which is also provided
elevator platforms permitting formation of an
amph itheatre for the performance of a choi r or an'
orchestra.

Section

Plan of Second Floor

The forestage, which is substantially extended
into the auditorium, can be transformed into an
orchestra pit. With its relatively shallow stage,
this solution also permits the playing area to be
extended well past the proscenium. The upper
part of the stage is equ ipped with a counterweight system for wing and drop scenery and
borderl ight s.
The extended forestage is connected with side
stages over which actors moy pass in view of
spectators from the auditorium to the stage. This
entrance solution meets a specific problem in the
dance theatre, enhancing the solemn and festive
atmosphere of the dance performance. The auditorium is a single amphitheatre in shape, particularly adapted to the requirement of seeing and
hearing a dance company.
The studio theatre for pantomime projected recently in Moscow (pantomime being a new type
of show for our audiences) demands rather specific technological equipment and requires unusual
stage organization (Figure 15). For the construction of this theatre a number of additional experimental solutions were prepared.

The unique staging requirements of a pantomime
theatre which dictate its form can be summarized
as follows: The principal object of attention is
the performance of a single actor. Stage equipment and technology on Iy serve as a mean s for a
maximum concentration of attention on the artist.
The setting in a pantomime, spatial as ,a rule,
emphasizes planes in relief only in a few ases.
Again, the peculiarities of pantomime ~all for
the development of the stage floor into the auditorium, bringing the performing area closer to the
spectators; as well, it requires spectator seating
on a single amphitheatre, so that the actor's figure is seen both from the lowest and highest
rows of seats in approximately the same foreshortening with respect to the horizon. This

IUSITT

THEATRE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOOY

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