Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1975 - 38

He says, however,
I do not believe that just any five or more dramatists
could so organize. They would have to admire each other's
work, have the same general social philosophy, and - I
think - all desire to write what I have called "important
plays."
One of the major accomplishments of the company was the
production of many important plays including three Pultizer
Prize winners, and another accomplishment was encouraging
young playwrights such as Tennessee Williams by means of the
Sidney Howard Memorial Award. Perhaps the most remarkable
accomplishment is revealed in the correspondence and notes of
meetings between the members. It is quite impressive to read
about the honest criticism which was given and taken, the
encouragement each of the playwrights gave the others, with the
result that some good plays were improved, some basically bad
plays were shelved, and the playwrights continued to write despite
private and professional problems.

theme of film versus theatre, is a valid one. His choices cover
approximately a sixty year period and his theoretical material
parallels the growth of film du ring that time. The book, however,
views the problem very much from a historical perspective. Although Hurt sees the relationship between the two forms of
expression in a constant state of evolution, he ch ooses to adhere
to the traditional opinions and theories. The more contemporary,
innovative and provocative points of view appear only in a
bibliography at the end of the book.
Focus on Film and Theatre is a basic primer which makes
an acceptable effort to shed some light on the relationship between film and theatre. It should not be considered a definitive
work on the subject, nor should it be read with the hope of
stimulating one to read it again and again.
Anne Frank

Life Among the Playwrights has many unusual photographs,
a thorough index, and two appendices which are both interesting
and potentially useful. The first is the company contract, which
might serve as a model for other playwrights, and the second is a
chronological record of the plays the company produced from
1938-1960. Mr. Wharton has written an extremely interesting
and important 'flook which focuses attention on some major
problems, and makes it clear how hard it is for a serious playwright to write for the American Theatre.
Yvonne Shafer
University of Delaware

42John H. Green, "The Development of Stage Rigging in the
United States (1766-1893)" (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation,
University of Denver, 1954).

BOOTH'S THEATRE

Contjnued from page 18

43Honaker, p. 117.
44Bunce, p. 590.
45 ,bid.
46,bid., p. 591.

47Winter, pp. 272-3.

48Honaker, p. 112.
FOCUS ON FILM AND THEATRE
Ed. by James Hurt
Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
188 pp., iIIus.

CONTRIBUTORS

Focus on Film and Theatre, a collection of articles edited by
James Hurt, attempts to deal with a question that has undergone
endless scrutiny since the earliest beginnings of the film industry.
The relationship between film and theatre is a problem that has
been vigorously discussed by nearly every major film critic and by
many dramatic and literary critics as well. It is a problem that has
confronted the actor, the director and the writer. The question
has been treated from a theoretical and aesthetic as well as practical viewpoint. Hurt has assembled the most- representative of
these discussions into one volu me.
The first part of the work represents critical material released
between 1916 and the present. It ranges from poet/critic Vachel
Lindsay's incisive analysis on the "thirty differences" between
what he terms the "photoplays" and the theatre, to Eric
Bentley's discussion on realism and film. Bentley's point of
departure is a theory proposed by Allardyce Nicoll in 1937
which states as its basic premise that film is usurping stage realism
and the theatre must therefore seek a new form of expression in
order to maintain its relevance as a popular medium. Richard
Gilman, several decades later, is still in basic agreement with that
statement. It is his opinion that theatre is artistically bankrupt,
and until its new renaissance, the movies must undoubtedly
reign. Film critic Stanley Kaufmann adds a final touch to the first
section of the book with some brief notes which unmask the
dogmatism of some of the commonly held views on the difference
between film and theatre.
Part two concentrates on commentaries made by those who are
or were actively involved in the creation of film and/or theatre.
Actors, directors and writers are equally represented. Von Sternberg discusses the basic difference between film acting and acting
for the stage, and Eisenstein traces his own creative developments in Soviet film. Also heard from are actors Henry Fonda,
Kim Stanley, Michael Redgrave and many others. Interviews with
Elia Kazan, G.B. Shaw and Harold Pinter stress the continually
changing relationship between theatre and film, and Peter Handke
sums up the book with his treatise on "The Misery of Companion,"
an apt choice.
Hurt's basic premise, to assemble representative articles on the

WINTER,1975

Loren Hufstetler is completing his doctorate at the University
of Southern California.
Lawrence L. Graham is a member of The United Scenic Artists
of America and the theatre faculty, University of Georgia.
Richard D. Thompson is an Associate Editor of this Journal and
a former Senior Consultant with George Thomas Howard and
Associates.
Joseph N. Tawil is the founder and President of a new lighting
equipment firm, The Great American Market. He was formerly
President of Berkey Colortran and the Professional Motion Picture
Equipment Association.
Ted W. Jones is Director of Technical Studies, Indiana University
School of Music.
James L. Davis is Market Planning Manager, Professional Markets,
GTE Sylvania, Inc.

THEATRE ARTS

Senior director of Theatre. Full Professor to coordinate
undergraduate and graduate theatre program. Terminal
degree or professional equivalent required. Rank and
salary dependent on background and experience. Send
resume. references, other supporting documents to:
Charles M. Dorn, Theatre Search Committee
Purdue University Theatre Division
Stewart Center, Rm. G 85
West Lafayette, Ind. 47907

THEATRE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

USITT

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1975