OISTT Swedish OISTT Conference DAVID W. WEISS Those of you who attended the closing business meeting in Denver will recall the invitation offered by our Swedish guests to attend their conference in Stockholm. May 14-16.1983. Hans-Ake Sjoquist has sent further details about the meeting. Titled NOn 83 (Nordisk TeaterTeknik Arkitektur Scenografi). this conference will bring together theatre designers. technicians. and architects from all of the Scandanavian countries. The meeting. the first of its kind. is being organized and sponsored by the very active Association of Swedish Theatre Technicians. As with USln·s annual convention. this meeting will offer sessions and exhibitions on architecture. staging techniques and design. stage management. costume design and technology. sound and lighting. In other words. all aspects of theatre production. I visited the Scandanavian capitals during my sabbatical from the University of Virginia in the Fall of 1981 and am convinced that USITT members will find attending NOn 83 a stimulating and valuable experience. The theatre is very active in all these countries and there is much to be learned from their technical solutions to many of the same problems we face. It is remarkable what they are able to accomplish in a totally repertoryperformance system. Americans who are able to take advantage of this opportunity will find a warm welcome from our Swedish friends. It is worth noting that many Scandanavians speak English (even ··American" l ) with ease. making communication for American visitors a minimal problem. Visitors to NOn 83 will find that visits to other Scandanavian countries are simple and convenient. To obtain more information write to: NOn83 Svensk Teaterteknisk Forening Box 45003 S-104 30 Stock holm 45 SWEDEN For general questions about theatre or travel in the Scandanavian countries wrtte: David W. Weiss. Chairman. Dept. of Drama. University of Virginia. Culbreth Rd .. Charlottesville. VA 22903 (804-924-3326). OISTT Scenography Commission in Moscow The annual meeting of the Scenography Commission of OISTT was held in Moscow. AprtI12-17. 1982. The theme of the meeting was the influence of experimental theatre on mainstream or commercial theatre. The following representatives attended the conference: Arnold Aronson (USA). JeanClaude de Bemels (Belgium). Einar Dahl (Norway): Jochen Finke (GDR). Ivan Jordanov (Bulgaria). Ladislav Lajcha (Czechoslovak ia). 20 Theatre Design & Technology Odd Larsen (Sweden). Valery Levental (USSR). Zenobiusz Strzelecki (Poland). Paul Suominen (Finland). Kit Surrey (Great Britain). Istvan Szlavik (Hungary). Ladislav VychodiL Chair (Czechoslovakia). Roman Weyl (GFR). Little formal work can be accomplished at such conferences - the real benefit comes from the informal meetings and the exchange of ideas. To facilitate this. the Soviet Center of olsn arranged several displays of work by Soviet designers and several leading designers hosted receptions for us at their studios. In line with the theme of the meeting. five representatives showed slides of recent work that was either experimental in nature or emphasized the influence of such work on mainstream design. I showed slides of the work of Richard Foreman. Robert Wilson. and some of the California groups. as well as samples of the work of Santo Loquasto. Douglas Schmidt. Ming Cho Lee. and Eugene Lee. I was asked to repeat this slide lecture for the design students of the Moscow Art Theatre. The students were curious not only about esthetics. but training and economics as well. The designs shown by the representatives of Great Britain and West Germany were fairly familiar works from the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Schaubuhne am Halleschen Ufer. What these. and most of the other slides showed was the lack of separation between experimental and mainstream theatre in both East and West Europe. The larger. state-supported theatres encourage experimentation. especially in the area of design. although none of the samples indicated any radically new departures. In fact. the conference seemed to indicate that little that could be called new has happened in design in the past few years. The Soviets treated us to exhibits of the works of Valery LeventaL Alexander Vasiliev. Boris Messerev. Sergei Barkhin. Alexander Boehn. C.B. Benediktov. V. Aryefev. Yuri Kononenko. Lyushin. M. Levin (d. 1946). as well as student designers. and. of course. several performances. What struck everyone. especially the Western designers. was the painterly quality of the vast majority of Soviet renderings. Not only were they ··works 0 arf· - capable of being hung on display by themselves - but they seemed to harken back to the style of Benoit. Moreover. i was Virtually impossible from looking at a rendering to determine how he piece would look on a stage. In some extreme cases. such as the designs of Yuri Kononenko. the renderings were Imagistic or impressionistic and conveyed no a picture of the stage but the artisfs impression of the work. The most stunning designs were by Sergei Barkhinso stunning in act that he apparently has difficulty getting them produced. There are few directors with whom he can work As one of the primary goals of the conference was the exchange of ideas and information. TD&T will publish a portfoliO of Eastern European design in the Spring 1983 issue. -ARNOLD ARONSON Foreign Journals New Publications: London Theatre Record is the British equivalent of the New York Theatre Critics' Reviews. It is a biweekly publication recording all pertinent facts of London productions as well as the reviews of most British media. Published by Ian Herbert. subscriptions are 595 per year. There is also an annual Index. For information write London Theatre Record. 4 Cross Deep Gardens. Twickenham. Mddx.. TWl 4QU ENGLAND. Theatre International is the latest journal to be published by the International Theatre Institute. For subscription information on the quarterly journal write to International Theatre Institute. UNESCO. 1 rue Miollis. 75732 Paris Cedex 15. FRANCE. Bauten der Kuttur (1.1982). published by the East German center of olsn: Ruth Stein. ··Cultural Centers in a Socialist SocietyReport on an International Conference:·· Milagros Ayala Blanco. ··A Theatre for Havana·s Young Pioneers:·· ··Ancient Amphitheatre in Plovdiv Used Again for Theatrical Performances:·· ··Prague Fair Palace Awaits Reconstruction:·· Rudolf Skoda and Volker Sieg. "The Main Auditorium in the Leipzig Neues Gewandhaus:·· Ernst Wipprecht. ··Friedrichsfelde Castle in the Berlin Zoo - Restoration and Utilization:·· Ulrich Hammer. ··Reconstruction of the ··Zum. heiligen Kreuz" Convent in Rostock:·· Gunter Bredenbeck. ··On Some Aspects of Ventilation and Air-Conditioning in Theatres:·· Gerd Franke. ··Economical Use of EnergyNew Lighting Installation in a Rehearsal HaiL·· BUhnentechnische Rundschau (April 1982). published by the West German center of olsn: Klaus Wever and Rudolf Biste. ··The Acting Concept of the ··enacted space·· and Its Technical Realization in the MendelsohnBau. Berlin:" Valery LeventaL ··Some Problems of Modern Scenography:·· Horst Schneider. ··Working Hours Against Culture:·· Carl Randon. "Technical Installations in a New Theatre:·· Paul Tolnay. ··Obituary.·· Cue (May June 1982). published by Twynam Publishing ltd .. Great Britain: Francis Reid. ··Lighting the Actor:·· Stephen Chambers. ··Natlonal Student Drama Festival 1982:·· Francis Reid. ··Greek Theatre - Ancient and Modern:·· Eileen Gray. ··Stars in their Courses:·· Frederick Bentham. ··Colour Music HaiL·· Medlemsblad (March 1982). published by Svensk Teaterteknlsk F6rening: Lars-Olof Janflod. ··Teaterakustik:·· ··Buddhabild eller Jarnrida:·· ··Arena Teaterbaten:·· ··Schaubuhne am Lehniner Platz: . "Nagra Rad Vid Byggande av Fargerier.·· Podium & Techniek (March 1982). published by the Dutch center of OISn: Paul H. Anderssen. "Welke Schijnwerper Waar?·· ··Workshop: Verder Werken met Geluid:·· Cees Cornelisse. ··Profiel: Courchaine - Het Begon met Licht:·· ··Geluidsapparatuur· Wat I~ HetWaard T USITT Fall. 198