Roosevelt High School - Bwana Yearbook (St Louis, MO)

Page 15 text:

30.78135 Phny also tells of an IDUCDIOUS arrangement by whlch the two wooden theaters were made to revolve on plvots so that together they could form an amphl theater ln the afternoon after being two separate theaters ln the morn nv ln the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries a favorrte kmd of theatrlcal representatlon was ln the form of masques with PYOCCSSIOHS of Urotesquely attlred actors and scenic effects of Great splendor and mechanlcal lnvenulty At that perlod lnxgo ones an Englxshman designed very costly and compll cated scenes wlth Gorgeous bulldmgs landscapes clouds and mountains whlch opened to display mlmlc dCltlCS thrown 1nto rehef by colored llvhts ln the tlme of ames V1 a representatxon of Paradxse was deslred l order to arrange such a scene curtalns and cloths of sxlk were hung around at a helght that would allow the persons supposed to be ln Paradlse to be VlSlblC from the shoulders upward Flowers leaves and trees were set about so as to lend an lmpressron of extreme dellcacy About l880 a movement known as the Stage Reform orxglnated ln Austrla lts prxmary purpose was to encourage very careful lmltatlon of nature ln the presentatlon of opera and drama From then on true scenlc art was to take the place of the rough lmrtatlon usually UIVCTI As the need for reform was recognlzed ln other countrxes the movement spread and slmllar move ments originated elsewhere England practically completed the experlmental period wlth the modernization of the Royal Opera House of Covent Garden where by the openlng of the season of I902 the stage managers were pro vlded wlth the latest Improvements of mechanlcal skull for almost complete re equlpment of stage scenery Thls new equipment provided for the sus penslon of scenery from above the electrical application of llght ln four colors and the deslgnxng of all scenery to accord as nearly as posslble wlth nature The flat stage was then Introduced nn place of the sloping stage of old Splendor ln scenery IS taken for granted now but It has been ln exlstence a comparatively short time Slmple scenery conslstlng of mere back ground cloths was seen on the stage as early as l605 but the built up stage prctures famlhar to us as set scenes are sand to have been used first IH I777 The old way of producmg lxghtmng was to blow powdered resln with bellows through a Hame However more effective lwhtnmg IS now pro duced by Hashlng the electrlc hght behlnd a scene painted with clouds ln whxch a zigzag aperture has been cut and filled with a transparent substance Thunder IS made by shaking large sheets of Iron ln olden days thunder was lmltated by means of rolllng stones ln metal Jars A machine with a cogged cylinder whlch revolves against coarse cloth txghtly stretched causes a sound like that of wind The sound of ram IS produced by shakmg parched peas In a metal cylinder Yet we slt through a play whlch requlres all of these wonderful devices without thmklnv of the many things that are golng on behlnd the scenes BEATRICE. ADDR-AIN Elmer' 3 D Y Y 5 1 - , . g. :T V 3 D ' J y V s ' - ,, . . . , D . J . . . n ' 5 - . D . I 7 - . V - . , , - . Y . w ' 2 - , , 5 .

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NEW ST LOUIS THEATER STAGE About 450 B C Sophocles a Greek traglc poet Introduced painted scenery for drama but there was very seldom a change m scenery durmg a play When a change was necessary lt was effected by means of revolving prisms Some of the appliances used at that time were exceedmgly crude For instance a low platform on rollers was pushed forward when an actlon supposed to take place ln the mterxor of a scene must be shown and a crane the parts of gods On the balcony was a narrow platform upon whlch gods supposed to be stationary ln heaven could appear Ghosts ascendxng from the underworld mounted a platform on the lower stage The Roman theater was patterned after that of the Greeks and It used sxmllar equipment but the Romans were more elaborate ln their stage settmgs They had three types of movable scenery first for tragic drama they used facades wlth columns representlng public bLllldll'lgS second for comic plays private houses with wlndows and balcomes were considered flttlng thlrd for SBIIYIC drama there were rustlc scenes with mountains Caverns and trees About 50 B C the Romans began to construct permanent buxldlngs ln place of the outdoor theaters the success of which depended on the nature of the place where they were located There IS record of one splendid and costly theater of that tlme vwhxch seated no less than eighty thousand people I fuur!r'x:.'r17',XrLA S1 Inns l '.'u1rr - - . , . - . was arranged for the sake of elevating into mid air those actors who played , . 1 , ' . . , . . . . z , . ' . ' u . .3 . ' T. VT

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BKUEHH STAGE SETTING N a dead nearly forgotten world the first attempts In stage settmv and stage scenery were made ln Rome Athens and other Important cItIes ID the tIme of the Acropolls a season of the year arrlved presumably autumn when man wanted to show gratItude and Joy for a good crop of corn for wIne for warm mghts and cool days or for bodlly comfort a thlng of rarIty In those days He wanted to dance to smg to do somethIng anythlng to show everybody how happy he was Then thIs vxllage would have ltS autum festlval and a dance or a song would be glven by anyone who wlshed In the open aIr theatre of that trme A blank wall a group of trees wIth a Wlnd passmg through the leaves a woods anythlng mrght be the background smce the attentlon of the populace would be on the actor and not on the settlngs There was no need for Illuslon The actor was slmply expressmg the unbounded Joy of every person there and the whole thing was sIncere Then gradually the people wlshed to be entertamed at all seasons of the year They wanted to forget the worrles and cares of the day and enjoy themselves for a tlme ThlS longmg on the part of the people was a slgn of a laggmg of Interest In the plays of that trme and became a demand for entertamment The need for Illuslon was great No longer was smcerlty the key note of the festwals but sham and make belleve became the methods by whlch the actors amused the people Words were lles and to make them real great effort on the part of the actors was necessary Faclal expresslon and gestures dnd lIttle to Improve the sltuatxon Somethlng was lackmg A vague Intanglble thmg thls somethlng was eluslve different And then somehow the wlll 0 the WISP became real Somebody used a natural settlng as atmos phere background for the play and the Interest of the observer was once agam awakened But another dlfflculty soon presented Itself The people not content to be amused by plays In falr seasons demanded entertamment In foul weather Artlhclal settIngs were needed F3CllltlCS for producmg a play IH bad weather were hard to Invent The ltallans were the first to palnt backgrounds and use them In theIr plays The Ideas In artIf:IcIal settmgs we of thls modern tlme owe to the ltallans The development of stage settmgs and props IS extremely Interestlng but is no more Interestmg than the use of them ln thls cIty we have one of the finest and best equlpped stages ID Amerxca l would lIke you to see the stage and audltorlum of the ScottIsh Rltes Cathedral The blllldlng alone IS somethxng at whlch to marvel, and wrll delnght you wlth ltS bewIlderIng proportlons As one ascends the steps to the entrance of thls bulldmg he IS surprlsed by the strange front and entrances The front of the blllldlng gives the ImpressIon of a masslve stone wall wIth huge openlngs left to pass through Turin 1 1 I., ' 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 1 ' 1 1 ' 1 1 1 , . Y - ' 1 1 . . , 1 1 - 1 1 1 1 1 - 1 , . - 1 , . . 1. 1' . . .