Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1992 - 25

nor need co rick! Bur rhe hands musr be
movable-check whar rhe acrion will
be. I forgor on rhe drawing of rhe clock
face co draw rwo winding-up keyholes.
Ler's nor have a whire-faced clock-roo
conspicuous. How abour pale cafe a/l
lait wirh gilr figures and hands? .. I jusr
hope you'll have rime ro make rhe
blessed rhing. Time is rhe operarive
word. The old fellow on cop is 'Time'
according (0 my source ar rhe
V &A ... The clock I rook ir from was
French and abour rhe righr period!"
Always shy abour public appearances,
Moiseiwirsch spoke of her feelings abour
her career ar Suarford in a shorr address
ar a ceremony ar rhe Universiry of
Toronco in 1988 when she received an
honorary degree. The rhree-page rypescripr on exhibirion also gives her credo
as a designer. "I rhink I should menrion
rhe ingredienrs rhar go co make up a
rheaue designer, as I see rhem: dedicarion ro rhe rhearre in all irs forms,
undemanding rhe hiscory and developmenr of ir, a wish ro work in collaborarion wirh rhe direcror, rhe many crafrspeople, rhe accors, facing long hours and
many compromises, spending all your
life learning your crafr, and having rhe
grear good luck ro be ar rhe righr place
ar rhe righr rime. I feel rhar luck played
a big parr in my gening ro Canada, and
rhe wonderful welcome, uaveling in rhe
wake of rhe Gurhries, is somerhing I
cherished rhen, in 1953, and do uncil
owhere else have I felr so
rhis day...
much a parr of anyrhing so worrhwhile,
so rewarding, and so much fun. And ar
rhe end of rhe day, so much varied
enrerrainmenr ro be gor as a member of
large and enrhusiasric audiences who
have come from far and wide."
A pendanr ro rhe e)(hibirion is a shorr
video of Moiseiwirsch recalling rhe early
hiscory of rhe Srrarford Fesrival. The
designer's warm, musical voice emanares
sofrly rhroughour rhe galleries, giving us
rhe sense, as we move rhrough rhe legacy of her career, rhar we are in rhe company of a wise and generous friend who
is uncommonly modesr abour her pivoral role in rhe rheaue of rhe 20rh cencury.

anya Moiseiwirsch: Designs for Srrarford" is
rhe firsr of rwo major
exhibirions rhar will celebrare Moiseiwirsch's
arrisrry as she approaches her 80rh
birrhday. The Smarr Museum of rhe
Universiry of Chicago will sponsor a

comprehensive rerrospecrive of her
career co open in Spring 1994. Former
direcror of rhe Smarr Museum Teri
Edelsrein, now depury direccor of rhe
Arr Insricure of Chicago, is organizing
rhe exhibirion ro coincide wirh
Chicago's Inrernarional Thearre FesrivaJ.
Edelsrein says rhe show, reIHarively
rided "The Thearrical Design of Tanya
i\loiseiwirsch," rakes irs imperus from
i'vIoiseiwirsch's Srrarford colleaguesourgoing arrisric direcror David
William, lirerary manager Elliorr Hayes,
head of design Debra Hansen, and
archivisr Lisa Brandr-who wanced co

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express rheir affecrion and esreem wirh a
larger explorarion of Moiseiwirsch's conuiburion co world rheaue rhan was possible ar Srrarford. \Xfirh supporr from
rhe Parnassus Foundarion, rhe Smarr
exhibirion will draw on privare collecrions, rhearre archives, and rhearre
museums in America and England for
irs array of some 14 ser designs and
approximarely 100 coscume drawings,
supplemenred wirh acrual cosrumes,
props, and phocographs.
The plan for rhe exhibirion calls for
an inrroduccory gallery rhar will survey
rhe scope of Moiseiwirsch's career, wirh
represenrarive designs from rhe Old Vic,
Sadler's Wells, rhe Shakespeare Memorial Thearre ar Srrarford-upon-Avon,
rhe Srracford Fesrival in Canada, rhe
Gurhrie Thearre in Minneapolis, rhe
Crucible Thearre in Sheffield, England,

and rhe
arional Thearre of Grear
Brirain. One gallery will derail her work
ar rhe Abbey Thearre from 1935 ro
1938.
The exhibirion will rhen focus in
deprh on seven producrions: Cyrano de
Belgerac for rhe Old Vic in 1946; Peter
Grimes for rhe Royal Opera House,
Covenr Garden, in 1947; rhe 1951
Suarford-upon-Avon Hiscory Cycle of
Richard If, Hem)' IV, Parts I and If, and
Hen!)1 V; rhe Srrarford Fesrival's firsr
producrion, Richard Iff, in 1953; The
Winters Tale ar rhe Suarford Fesrival in
1958; The Home of~tre/ls ar rhe Gurhrie
Thearre in 1967; and Phaedra Britannica for rhe Narional Thearre of Grear
Brirain in 1975.
Accompanying rhe exhibirion will be
a major caralog wirh essays by
Roberrson Davies, Alan Barlow, Denis
Behl, and Edelsrein, incerviews wirh
Moiseiwirsch abour each producrion,
and a checkJisr of Moiseiwirsch's works.
Filmmaker Dirk Campbell, son of
accor-direccor Douglas Campbell, has
been commissioned co produce a 15minure video urilizing exisring foorage
of rhe producrions in an efforr co capcure rhe effecr of Moiseiwirsch's work on
srage.
Edelsrein and rhe Smarr Museum are
negoriaring plans for rhe exhibirion co
rravel afrer irs Chicago run. Six ciries
wirh which Moiseiwirsch has been connecred, including i\linneapolis, are
under considerarion.

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anya Moiseiwirsch grew
up in rhe midsr of London's lirerary and arrisric life. Born in 1914,
she was rhe daughrer of
inrernarionally renowned concerr musicians, Russian-born pianisr Benno
Moiseiwirsch and Ausrralian violinisr
Daisy Kennedy. Her parencs divorced
when Tanya was ren, and her morher
married playwrighr and poer John
Drinkwarer, aurhor of rhe drama
Abraham Lincoln.
In 1930, Moiseiwirsch enrolled ar rhe
Cenrral School of Arrs and Crafrs co
srudy coscume and fashion design under
Jeanena Cochrane. Cochrane, a professional designer whose Wesr End producrions included Gielgud's Hamlet and
Love for Love, inculcared srandards of
hisrorical research and mericulous
crafrsmanship rhar would become hallTD&T

1992 FAll

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1992