The Industrial Exhibition Building. Fig. 1 temporary nature, care has been taken to secure stability of construction and the agreeable and harmonious interior of a permanent structure.~ The detailed and carefully planned approach to the building is shown in the design of the stage and the auditorium as well as the large lobbies and the approaches to the theatre. The design of the stage reflects the importance the architects placed on arrangements for elaborate scenery and quick scene changes. Adler commented: A very large space should be assigned to the mechanisms for the production of scenic transformations "'TORE. and illusions. Nothing is more annoying to American audiences than the excessively long waits between acts so characteristic of operatic performances on a large scale as we know them on the American stage. 9 The stage was 80 feet by 120 feet, one of the largest in the country, and had a proscenium 60 feet wide. The curved arch was 40 feet high at its center. The stage projected 20 feet in front of the arch. The rigging loft was 61 feet high to allow "the handling of drops the full height of the proscenium opening.'d 0 The stage was fully trapped and equipped for scene shifting. At the sides of the stage were 11 dressing rooms measuring ROOM Fig. 2. Plan of the Grand Opera Hall in the Industrial Exhibition Building. Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago. 10 FALL. 1977 THEATRE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY I USITT