Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1984 - 15

A special system was installed to light
this dome and the surrounding stage.
"New" lighting instruments capable of
directional focus, and dimmer switches
capable of variable intensities and increased power, made possible the application of Adolph Appia's "living light"
theories at the Detroit Theatre.
As described by Sheldon Cheney,
the adaptable setting had:
... four pylons, constructed of canvas on wooden frames, each of the
three covered faces measuring two
and one-half by eighteen feet; two
sections of stairs three feet long, and
one section eight feet long, of uniform eighteen-inch height; three platforms of the same height, respectively
six, eight, and twelve feet long; dark
green hangings as long as the pylons;
two folding screens for masking, covered with the same cloth as used in the
hangings, and as high as the pylons;
and two irregular tree forms, in
silhouette.
The pylons, Oats and stairs, and
such added pieces as the arch and window, were painted in broken color,
after the system introduced by Joseph
Urban, so that the surfaces would
take on any desired color under proper lighting. 3

The Wonder Hat

The Tents of the Arabs

able setting, it was an innovative replacement to the backdrops of the commercial theatre with their obviously
painted perspectives. Using light, the
designer could create an infinite number of effects. During an exhibition of
the ew Stagecraft at the Stage Society
in New York in 1914, for instance,
Monroe Pevear, a designer, demonstrated his lighting principles on a model
of a dome. He took his audience from
dawn to sunset, and then from moonlight to an absolute void. The everchangeable sky-dome was more versatile than the painted sky-drop, which
wrinkled in a slight breeze and usually

could present only one type of sky.
Scene changes took less time and cost
less money, but, most importantly, the
dome gave a truly three-dimensional
appearance. It looked like a "cushion
of air.'"
The plaster dome was built on a
metal frame. Laterally straight, it ran
the entire width of the stage and rose
straight from the floor for several feet,
then curved gently forward over the
rear of the stage. Unlike other domes
of its time, the one at the Arts and
Crafts Theatre did not curve at the sides.
A curve at the top, however, created an
illusion of enormous height and space.

Joseph Urban's system, which he
called "pointillism," entailed the application of di fferent colored dots over a
base coat of paint to the surface of a
flat or set unit. Under colored lighting
only the dots of a single color would
stand out vibrantly. With a change in
the color of the lighting those dots
would recede and other dots would appear, resulting in a change in the color
of the flat or scenery, and thus a change
of mood.
Lighting and color were ways of
changing the effects of a stationary setting, but another method was to rearrange the set elements themselves.
Moving a stair, pylon or flat could create startling alterations of the stage setting. The addition or subtraction of
any element of the permanent setting
created even more flexibility in the visual image. With all of these options
available, Hume's most important tool
was the imagination of the designer /
director.
There were many advantages to this
system. Once the initial cost of building
the flats, pylons, stairs, and so on was
met, there were no other great expenses. Modifications to the system
could be accomplished for very little.

USITT/Summer 1984/Theatre Design & Technology

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