Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1986 - 64

SCENOGRAPHY IETHICS continued from page 19 ...

duction problems inherent in Wagnerian opera.

Proposition 4: ThaI with change eSlablished as lhe norm of

As long as audiences lhroughoul the world use lhe medium of lhe lheatre as a means of coming 10 lerms Wilh lhose
problems which are of concern 10 lhe whole of humanilY ...
il will always be necessary 10 find ever new forms of inrerprelalion and presenralion ... so as 10 creale 'life' on slage during performance and a 'living experience' for lhe audience."

presenr-day life, lhe capacilY for innovalion and for recasling
old an inlO new forms has become a primary vinue in an.
The capacilY of an in our civilizalion depends upon ilS
role as lhe lesling ground of lhe conditions and possibililies
of creation. Imitation of the an of earlier
THE Proposition 5: ThaI the break bel ween lhe
HAT
cenruries, as lhal done by Picasso or Modipresent and lhe pas I makes lhe fUlure
gliani, is carried on nOl in order 10 perpeTHEATRE MIGHT
opaque and plunges an inlO a permanenr
(rale ancienr values but 10 demonslrale lhal
ACTUALLY AFFECT Slale of uncenainry.
new eSlhelic orders now prevail. In our era,
THE FUTURE, IS A
ThaI condilion in which lhe fUlure canan lhal ceases 10 seek lhe new becomes at
DISTURBING IDEA nOl be depended upon 10 resemble lhe paSl
once inrelleclually insignificanr, a species of
FOR THEATRICAL conslilUles a slage of crisis. Or, if one prehomecraft. The nalure of originalilY is open
DESIGNERS. fers, a Slale of permanenr expeclancy. Un10 debate-in facl, needs desperately 10 be
der such circumslances an takes as ilS poinr
debaled. BUI no disagreemenr exists regardof depanure lhe effon ro arrive al or creale vallles ralher
ing lhe value of lhe new in an. IJ
than 10 accommodale ilself 10 existing crileria. 16

It is worth recalling at this point that during the 1950s
Robert Edmond Jones, in despair over the lack of ideas in
the theatre, said in a series of lectures at Harvard University,
that the theatre was not an exercise worthy of the adult mind.
Jones' despair was fed by what he perceived to be a lack of
imagination in playwriting. In this he echoed the thoughts
in Lee Simonson's challenge to the playwrights. However,
the acceleration of life since 1950 has made that philosophical position untenable. Design is no longer the dutiful handmaiden of playwriting. Design is a force for change, designers are its agents, and they operate in a world that demands moral choice.
The validity of this proposition is bolstered by the following comment from Wolfgang Wagner concerning the pro-

.Graduate Professional & Undergraduate
Pre-Professional Training

An assumption about theatrical production in the past
has been that value was a given of the text, and only the text.
The function of design was to accommodate that pre-existing
value by illustrating it in an acceptable fashion. This passive design only accommodated the given and provided a
suitable, conventional background for the known. Eternal
values were illustrated, and we saw what we already knew.
Yet we don't want to see what we already know. Eternal
values don't need illustration. They are, after all, eternal.
We want to see what we don't know. To accommodate this

continued on page 64 ...

ACTING D COSTUME DESIGN D COSTUME
CONSTRUCTION D SCENIC DESIGN
LIGHTING DESIGN D TECHNICAL
PRODUCTION D PLAYWRITING
Temple offers well rounded. imaginative and sensible training. Our
graduates are employed in ew York and regional theaters throughout the
United States.
Six mainstage, four studio and two Children's Theater productions are
presented to the public each year.
Faculty are working professionals employed throughout Philadelphia's
thriving cultural community. in ew York. regional theaters, in ballet and

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Philadelphia larch I and 2

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62

The:lln' De';:,:n & Technolo:,:)

SITT Spring 1986

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1986