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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 4, 1949)
Aleut. fynw&iAitif, ^Ueat&i Readied pto y fWinte?idetr Cast Prepares for Opening The full cast for “Winterset,” the University Theater's first pro duction in its new theater, was an nounced yesterday by Director Horace W. Robinson. It will be the first show of the 1949-50 season. Gordon Ericksen, Mio in “Win terset,” played Tom in the summer Gordon Ericksen production of “The Glass Menag erie.” He was one of the Polo bro thers in the spring term production of “Marco Millions.” Ericksen also designed the set for “The Glass Menagerie.” Cliff James, who plays Judge Guant, is a veteran University The ater player. A graduate student in speech, he has twice been winner of the University Theater award, for best performance in a leading role and as a supporting actor. Paul Wexter Terrance Roseen New to the stage of the Univer sity Theater this year is Barbara Pasquan, who has “Winterset’s” female role, Miriamne. A sopho more, Miss Pasquan performed as a dancer in the McArthur court production of “Marco’s Millions” last year. Terrance Roseen, who plays Trock, is new to the University this year. He has attended Drake uni versity and played two years with the Seattle Repertory Theater. He is a senior. Fred Schneiter, who played the lead in last year's “The Show-off,” is Shadow. Paul Wexler, who plays Esdras, last year played in "Mar co’s Millions.” He has also ap peared in “The Adding Machine” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” He spent the past sum mer playing roles in the Ashland Shakespeare Festival Theater in southern Oregon. Clifton James Other members of the cast in clude Martin Weitzner, Richard Bentz, Richard Walker, Rex Bal lentine, Dave Ward, Adrian Shir ley, Priscilla Cuthbert, Dorothy Clark, and Robert Chapman. 'lAJiatesilet' Qeti tyisilt jb^ama Cniticl' Awasui It was back in 1934 that Maxwell Anderson’s “Winterset” was one of the big hits of the Broadway sea son. That was also the year that “Winterset” didn’t win the Pulitzer Prize, highest American award for writing. When Anderson’s poetic tragedy of contemporary life first arrived on the New York scene, the big town critics called it, in effect, about the best work the American theater had as yet produced. Fur thermore, with Burgess Meredith and the Mexican actress Margo as the ill-fated lovers, the play en joyed a good run. In the spring, as the time came to award the annaul Pulitzer prize, “Winterset” was about the only play that was seriously mentioned for the honor. Yet when the an nouncement came, Anderson’s name did not lead the rest—“Win terset” had been slighted. When next the Drama Critics’ Circle, honorary for N.Y. drama critics, met, they officially voted “Winterset” the first New York Drama Critics’ Award play. And, as awards are such a good idea, they still give them. C'ditosi'4. Note Stories on this page were written by Marge Scandling and George Dorris. -Academic Pla^Uo-uAe, £cuf,± jbi'iecta>i The new University Theater is the best academic theater in the United States, according' to Horace \\ . Robinson, professor of Speech and director of the theater. Robinson has seen many college and university theaters on an extensive tour of the coun try.^ ^ "There may be some finer theaters in general, but thev are all purpose ones which are used for concerts and other shows,” Robinson addedt “Ours will be used strictly for plays and other theater productions.” The new theater is thorough ly modern in appearance, with such colors as goldenrod yellow and madron brown used with light birch hardwood. The interior of the lobby features a glassed-in box of fice with yellow and brown walls, and a soft, grey carpet. The theater interior ranges from a dusty rose to a maroon. The seats are blue and the main stage cur tain, not yet in place, is expected to _ %m.X, Barbara Pasquan be a deep blue. The 400 seats of the theater are described as “extra wide’,’ with curved contour backs. Rows are widely spaced to prevent inconvenience with the arrival ot late-comers. The plane of the theater is of maximum steepness for better visi bility from any row. The front of the theater features an orchestra pit which can be adjusted to differ ent heights. An audience-enclosing forestage brings the stage right next to the audience. These side wings can be used as separate units and have separate wings and en trances. The stage floor is “trapped” for an area of 20 by 26 feet. “This means that it is removable and can be used to create a dungeon or underground effect,” commented Technical Director William E. Schlosser. “In the first production, “Winterset.” we will use it to repre sent a lower-floor apartment.” Directly behind the stage is the scene shop, a large, well-lighted room to be used in the construction of settings, flats, and backdrops. Since it is on the same level as the stage, handling is facilitated great I'III'I i— ly. Previously sets were constructed in a separate building- and had to be transported to the Johnson Hall stage. A large removable door sepa Horace Robinson rates stage and scene shop. In cases where a deep stage is needed, the door can be removed to provide 30 more feet of stage space. Fred Schneiter Three “wagon stages’’ are in cluded in the behind-scenes setup of the new theater. Settings can be mounted on them, and transported to the stage area on large caster wheels. This feature will also be in troduced in the first play. There is as much off-stage room as acting room behind the curtains. Technical Director Schlosser added that the size of the stage in com parison to the house capacity is unique. Most commercial theaters, he said, would have a larger capac ity to match the large stage. Tha smaller seating capacity adds in formality and greater audience con tact, he felt. The grid system above the stage will control “flying” sets which can be suspended. Ten counterweight ing balances are necessary. The stage front itself will have an ad justable opening. The regular size 32 by 20 feet, can be condensed to smaller sizes, according to the ef fect desired. Schlosser said that the light bridge above the stage is a feature found in few academic theaters. A semi-electronic switchboard is used for the general lighting, and is con trolled from the rear of the theater. It can also be controlled from un Lejeune Griffith Business Manager derneath the stage. The theater’s technical director said that it was by far the most modern system in any theater on the West Coast. A cyclorama-type curtain, will enclose three sides of the stage later on. Various lighting effects can be used with it. Schlosser summarized the new theater’s technicalities by calling it, “A field day for the technician.” Two more theaters are located in Villard, which is connected with the new theater. An arena theater, not as yet completed, will have the play in the direct center, with the audi ence surrounding it. No footlights, curtains, or other such theatrical trademarks will be used in this modern method of presentation. The experimental theater, locat ed just in back of the main scene shop, will seat about 80. It is to be used primarily in class work for drama students. Plays will be pre sented for class examination. William Schlosser