Studio: international art (82.1921)

THE ART OF THE THEATRE

HOUSE IN GROSVENOR ROAD, WEST-
MINSTER—THE ENTRANCE HALL. G.
AND A. GILBERT SCOTT, ARCHITECTS

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light helps to preserve the unity of at-
mosphere, and floods of golden light give
way; to a narrow focus of illumina-
tion' conceived in colourful moods of
greens and purples. This direct appeal
to the imagination of the audience was
strengthened by the elimination of every-
thing having no vital bearing upon the play.

The task of transposing and adapting
the ancient text of this drama to the con-
ditions of the modern theatre was singu-
larly difficult. The scene represented a
great wall with the portals of Medea's
palace at Corinth. It was conceived in
bold, solid lines with the double doors
in the centre, rolling backwards and

forwards. Doors and walls were painted
in accordance with the principles of
" punctilization," a method first employed
for modern stage decoration by Joseph
Urban, I believe. According to the
quality and the volume of light thrown
upon the permanent setting, it assumed
a variable aspect from one moment to
another, each of which synchronised with
the ever-shifting mood of the play. a
Like one or two other producers of
Greek plays, Maurice Browne removed
the chorus from the orchestra to the
stage, and the manner in which he carried
out this transposition was a great artistic
triumph. E. O. H.

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