Theatre Design & Technology - Oct 1969 - 7

connected with the production, probably
Tommy Farrar or Gerstle Mack, there is a
recollection of Geddes' problems with translation in rehearsals:

The presence of both Russian and French actOrs
on the stage slowed things dovvn a bit. After
my every directorial word, the \'\'hole production
would come to a halt while translations \-vere
made into the two languages. Fortunately my two
assistants, Gerstle Mack and Tommy Farrar, a
brilliant young man who had recently joined me
and \\ ho was to remain with me for many years,
were excellent translators and my French secretary filled in where they could not. Eva was, of
course, of great help in getting precise shades of
meaning across to the actOrs. 12

I remember one or two funny inCidents in connection with the production of Jeanne d' Arc by
Mercedes de Acosta at the Theeatre de la Porte
Saint-Martin ,n Paris in 1925.

During a rehearsal for one of the scenes (representing, if I remell1ber correctly, Joan of Arc's
entry into Orleans)
BG insisted that the crowd
of soldiers and townspeople should drift oli the
stage verv slo\\ly, almost imperceptibly. Time after time he rehearsed the scene, but the actors

Further evidence of the directorial style that
Geddes employed in Jeanne d'Arc can be
found in the manuscript material for his autobiography. I n a note suppl ied by someone

Figure 5: Page from final prompt script of
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nmrr:::J THEATER DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

OCTOBER. 1969

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s~ran e 8 pearance of
oauses'in her curiosity

One of the terrified interpreters carne up to
and whispered tirnidly:

IBG

"Pardon, monsieur, [here is nobody here. Everyone has gone to the cafe across the streee"
BG almost burst a blood vessel: ··What the
hell do they mean by leaving the theatre in the
middle of a rehearsal? Bring them back at once
or fire the whole lot, beginning Vvilh yourself!"

La Gallienne's account of the progress of
the reh earsals leads to th e final catastrophe:
Rehearsals went on ... Dress rehearsals began under great difficulties. Geddes had had an entire
electrical equipment of the most advanced type
shipped from New York. '0 one in Paris knew
how to work it; everything was considered "im4
possible" because our methods of stagecraft were
so unfamiliar to the French'stage hands and
electricians. They looked upon us as three lunatICS.

The night of the dress rehearsal things \vem
wrong with some of the clothes, and Geddes in
his excitement gave the \o\'ardrobe lady a rap on
the arm with his megaphone. Then there vvas
pandemonium, in the midst of which Geddes
escaped'

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"Wilat"s happened to those goddam people]·'
NBG yelled. "Tell them to get back on the stage
and do the scene over."

Geddes was horribly handicapped by not knowing
the language. The dress rehearsals were a torture .

"he children d.raw bac": from Jel'lnn6.

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'3asant

This time the results were better but still not
good enough, so NBG called the cast back to
try again. To his astonishment and fury, not a
soul appeared on the stage.

H ere is another suggestion that directorial
concern was concentrated upon the action
of the scene rather the acting .

.OA Jen.nr.B· s oboe theme: parts tV/o

,

··Tell tilem to get off tile stage slOWly! Very
slowly!! Tres, tres slowly!!! Tell them to take
ten minutes to leave the stage! ..

Eventually the mix-up \Vas explained. The interpreters had translated "take ten minutes to leave
the stage" as "leave the stage for ten minutes;"
and the weary actors had joyfully scurried to the
nearest bistro to relax Over coffee and beer. It
took almost an hour to round them up and herd
them back to the theatre. 13

Dhe ta)ces a few steps and then
st3n.~ with h~r heAd throvm bRCk
as on'~ tremendousl y exal teo,
whil~ P strqr.ge radiance
lows
on her fA,ce.

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,

could not or vvould not move slowly enough.
After several unsatisfactory trials NBG shouted im·
patiently to the interpreters'

The company was like a hornet's nest. \lVe were
all "des sauvages," "des barbares Americains."
The actors refused to open until he had apologized. I rushed all over Paris looking for him,
but he was worn Out and had hidden a\ovay
somewhere in despair.
The next day I called the company together and
begged them with tears to play that night. They
finally consented to go through with it for Illy
sake; I think they really felt sorry for me. 14

Le Gall ienne' s account seems somewhat
Ihealrical when compared to Geddes' memories of the incident. To Geddes the problem was one of language:
Then we had a ridiculous, impossible incident. I
was sitting at my desk all the auditorium platform with my secretary and assIstants on either
side. Sitting partv\,ay down the ramp which joined
this specially constructed platfom1 to the stage
was Madame Paleologue, \\ho had executed my
costume designs exquisitely under the watchful
eye of Tommy Farrar. The trial scene-a very
noisy affair,.
was being rehearsed. I noticed,
suddenly, something very wrong with thecosturne
of Cauchon, the chief Inquisitor I called to
Madame Paleologue. She didn·t hear me. I cupped
my hands and called again. She still didn't hear.
Cauchon would change his position in a moment
and it would be too late_ I gral,bed my megaphone, leaned forward, tapped her on the shoulder,
and shouted: "Cauchon! Cauchon'"

7
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