Theatre Design & Technology - May 1973 - 61

It remains for others to investigate directors' reactions
from the dozens of artists with whom Svoboda has already worked. Burian does not dwell on the issue of production team dominance except to note that under the
best conditions, working at home with Radok, Krejca or
V. Kaslik, he "feels a sense of association, of understanding and communication sometimes based on only
half-articulated thoughts" (p. 11). It would be interesting
to know how much of the naive concern for a strong designer's dominance is legitimate, and how much is generated by photographs of sets or models calculated to show
what the scenery was like, rather than what the lit production looked like to an audience. Theatre people (who
should know better) can still be heard worrying about
actors "lost" on sets photographed to show the scenery.
Only the spectator can say for sure, and in the five or six
Svoboda-designed productions I have seen, "lost" actors
have been no problem at all.
There are many useful discussions awaiting the readers:
notes on the principle of synthesis with much broader
implications (p. 91); a good evaluation of Laterna Magika
and its limitations ("Laterna Tragika" to some insiders);
and careful discussion of how the Polyekran idea directly
influenced subsequent Svoboda designs for legitimate
theatre: relating well-financed exhibition hall innovations
to subsequent theatrical problems where budgets are
tighter (p. 93).
The book needs an index, and I wish occasionally for
more technical precision in references such as that to a
"velvet-like covering on the floor" (was it black velour,
flock, or what?) and, of the same show's floor, that it was
provided with a "slight series of lateral ridges," both of
these measures introduced to reduce parasitic light. I also
find Burian murky on the use of low-voltage parabol ic reflector units to create an insubstantial wall of light (all of
these on p. 24). Still, Burian is technically more precise
than many who write on design. The curious practioner
only wishes selfishly that the author could do even better
after having been so close to the source of information
otherwise denied us.
There is stil considerable need for more technical
reporting of individual Svoboda productions-like those
which have occasionally appeared in Buhnentechnische
Rundschau and Tabs. For this shortage Burian cannot, of
course, be faulted-but the need is there for others who
would be reporters.
It's almost pointless too, to lament the absence of color
photography in a design book published in this country
and priced at $25.00. Still, we must hope that a generation of theatre people will not have to go through their
lives knowing the man's work only in black and white.
Where are the slide set manufacturers when we need
them?
Of the books to appear on Svoboda (including the two
editions by Bablet), indeed on any stage designer in
years, Burian's is unquestionably the most careful in its

THEATRE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

scholarship, the most astute in its criticism, and the most
attractive publication job. It is bound to become dated
because its subject is a prolific genius at the height of his
power, but in the meantime, what designer would not
wish to have such a book published about his own work?
Ned A. Bowman
University of Pittsburgh

THE MAGIC OF LIGHT: THE CRAFT AND
CAREER OF JEAN ROSENTHAL, PIONEER
IN LIGHTING FOR THE MODERN STAGE
by Jean Rosenthal and Lael Wertenbaker, with
illustrations by Marion Kinsella
Boston: Little, Brown and Company, in association with Theatre Arts Books, 1972;
pp.256. $15.00.
When Robert Edmond Jones wrote The Dramatic
Imagination excitement was high because he was the
American designer, perhaps more than any other single
person, responsible for the development of the new scenic
art in this country. That same kind of excitement was
generated, and for the same reasons, when Jean Rosenthal
decided to write a book about stage lighting. The preface
states the matter best:
The validity of a book by Jean Rosenthal is obvious: She was a pioneer in the art and craft of lighting design, originating many techniques that have
since become commonplace. In her field she is a
historic figure, recognized for her particu lar creative
genius.... How she thought about lighting - the
important thing - will not change with changing
techniques.
How Miss Rosenthal thought about light - her attitude
toward it - is the subject of this book. There are three
major topic areas, the first of wh ich discusses her attitude
toward lighting, which can be summed up by her statement that, "it is important to remember that lighting is a
contributory art, a high craft serving the creative purposes
of other men. We need the artist's approach, but to
impose a separate artist's ego through light on the artistic
whole becomes destructive." Th is attitude developed because of Jean Rosenthal's special talents and her unique
opportunities and experiences in theatre. This unique
background is presented in very enchanting and forthright
autobiographical chapters.
The second area of emphasis is concerned with Miss
Rosenthal's particular approach to the actual task of designing the lighting for a production. One should not seek
specific techniques in this book, for its purpose is evocation as Jean discusses the range of theatrical productions.
It is the quality of light that is important. No two plays
have the same quality. Even different productions of the

MAY. 1973

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - May 1973