Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive

Faculty Publications

2003

Illuminating Theatre / Ariel Davis : Utah Innovator

J. Michael Hunter Brigham Young University - Provo, [email protected]

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BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Hunter, J. Michael, "Illuminating Theatre / Ariel Davis : Utah Innovator" (2003). Faculty Publications. 1406. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/1406

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Notes horses and could seat 40 children. field of elocution. 11 H er fa mily was so li vid While in U tah, Julia met James G. over her religious conve rsion that her mother I Jane Edwards, "Maud Adams' Cooper, Secretary of the Territory of Utah, said she would rather Maud May had had a Magic," Salt Lake Tribune, whom she married at the end of her Salt child out of wedlock and that she hoped her Jan. 5, 1997, j - 1. Lake stage experi ence in 1866. The Coopers tongue would be paralyzed if she publicly By]. M ich ae l H un t er 2 Edwards, j - 3. then left U tah fo r the East, but within a year defended the church.12 3 "Death of Maude Adams, Julia died during childbirth. Peti te in size ( 5'4") but strong in will End of Brilliant Stage Era," t was late one afternoon in the Daughters of Utah Pioneers and body, Maud May didn't simply come to archive, 1953. teach; she persisted in improving education, I 1860s at the Salt Lake Theatre. 4 Sandra Dean Brimhall, "Sara particula rl y fo r women. When her efforts to Rehearsal for that night's play was Alexander: Pioneer Actress and ~uud ~u-q l3ubcock establish a women's "phys ical culture" pro­ over. Artist Alfred Lambourne thought Dance1;" Utah Historical the Salt Lake Theatre was empty, but as Quarterly 4 (Fall 1998), 322. Maud May Babcock made a lasting gram were ignored, Maud May started a pri­ he was putting some fi nishing touches 5 Brimhall, 324. impact on speech and drama in Utah as the va te school fo r phys ical fitness and was one of on a scene he heard the so und of 6 Ila Fisher Maughn, Pioneer fo under of both the T heatre and Com­ the fo unders of the D ese ret Gymnasium.13 approaching footsteps. Looking up he T heater in the Dese rt (Salt munica tion departments, as well as the When students and fri ends stayed at her Lake City: Deseret Book, 1961), saw President Brigham Young inspect­ College of H ealth, Phys ical Educati on, and cabin in Brighton she took them on arduous 110. ing the water barrels and sa lt tanks that Recreati on at the U ni ve rsity of Utah. So sig­ hikes. One guest reca ll ed, "She would go up 7 Kate B. Carter, ed. Treasures stood to the sid e of the stage in case of of Pioneer H istory, 6 vols. (Salt ni fica nt was her influence that one of the the­ that hill leading all of us. It was a 3,000-foot fire. T hick crusts had fo rmed ove r the Lake City: Daughters of Utah atres at the Pioneer Memorial Theatre on the climb ... . Maud was 63 yea rs old."14 Pioneers, 1952-57), 1 :94- 95. tops of the sa lt barrels. The president U nive rsity of Utah campus is named after her. During her fo rty-s ix-year university 8 Brimhall, 330- 31. shook his head, compressed his li ps, Susa Young Gates, daughter of Brigham career, Maud May, a popular but strict teacher, 9 Brimhall, 333. and then took the end of his gold­ Young and a summer student at H arvard directed over eight hundred plays, and taught JO Emma R. Olsen, "Leading headed cane and broke the crust. Ladies for the Dramatic Arts, " U nive rsity, painted such an intriguing pic­ speech and drama to thousa nds of students. Brigham Young was anxious about Daughters of Utah Pioneers ture of li fe in Utah that her elocution teacher, One of her speech students, Joseph F. Smith, fire sa fety, and fo r good reason. As one Lesson for November 1992, 119. Maud May Babcock, decided to come and who later se rved as sixth president of The Salt Lake T heatre actor explained, 11 Jane Edwards, "First Lady of teach fo r a one-year sojourn. T hat decision to Church of Jes us C hrist of Latter-day Saints, Drama," Salt Lake Tribune, "Many a bucket of sand was th rown on 23 June 1996, j - 1. leave the East in 1892 changed the course of re marked about her insistence on excellence : a bl azing lamp to stop an insipient 12 Twila lim Lee1; "Strong Maud May's entire life, fo r she was baptized "She could scorch a student or an entire cl ass fire."1 Theatres require a lot of light Voice from the East Found a member of The C hurch ofJes us C hrist of with a look. H er students had no diffi culty and in the yea rs before electricity, fires Resonance in the ltest, " Deseret Latter-day Sai nts fo ur months later and spent whatsoever in developing humility." 15 News, June 15- 26, 1996, B- 1. were a com mon occurrence . By the the rest of her life as a U tah res ide nt. Although Maud May's energetic vision 13 Lee1; B- 9. time the Salt Lake T heatre ca me along, Born in of a q uality unive rsity speech and drama pro­ 14 Edwards, j- 2. theatres had been experimenting with East Worcester, gram at times met with resistance, she was 15 Edwards, }- !. lighting fo r several centuries. New York, in undau nted and eventuall y witnessed the In sixteenth-century E ngland, 1867, Maud rea li zation of many of her dreams. O ne of entrepreneurs constructed buildings for May studied at her most significa nt contributions was the the presentati on of plays. T hese the­ the Philadelphia fo rmation of the nation's fi rst university pro­ atres were circ ular and open to the sky Nati onal School fess ional theatre com pan y. with onl y the stage being sheltered of O ratory and Maud May Babcock, often ca lled the from the weather. Perfo rmances were the Ameri can "grande dame" of Utah theatre, died at age mostl y give n by daylight. H owever, by Academy of 87 in 1954. The Babcock Theatre at D ramati c Art. Maude Adams, Sara Alexander, Julia the University of Utah is She became a Dean H ay ne, and Maud May Babcock all named after Maud May. recogni zed dazzled the stage and were truly fo ur grande leader in the dames of earl y Utah theatre. T 18 P I 0 NEE R rom1862 the end of the sixteenth ce ntury, some perfo r­ street mains, gas lighting did not come into F to 1872, mances were give n in the evenings in co m­ common use until mid- ninetee nth century. the Salt pletely encl osed theatres. Stage managers Since gas lighting could be regulated and M=•n. began to use stage lighting in the fo rm of Lake Theatre controll ed, elaborate lighting effects began to a nationally cressets, oil lamps, and ca ndles. C ressets were was lighted by be used in producti ons. known actor, metal (usually iron) containers fas tened to a During this same period, another roughly 150 coal said the follow­ pole or wa ll , fill ed with blazing pine knots, important form of ill umination developed: oil lamps. The ing about his and used as a torch or lantern. Oil lamps the limelight. In 1816, H enry Drummond size of the stage were open containers with fl oating wicks. discove red that by raising a piece of lime to a 1871 perfor­ accommodated By the earl y seventeenth ce ntury, stage high temperature, it became inca ndescent mance in the 16 footlights. managers were using footlights and side­ and gave out a brilliant white light. This ca l­ Salt Lake lights. This was accomplished by placing a cium light or limelight, ca me into general Theatre: "The row of oil lamps at the front edge of the stage, stage use around 1860. It was produced by stage manager out of sight of the audience, and also by plac­ combining a burning mixture of oxygen and was a man of ing ve rtical rows oflamps just behind each of hydrogen on a block oflime. The light was so wonderful the wings at the side of the stage. At the time, concentrated and locali zed that it was used as resources and fo otlights were ca ll ed "fl oatl ights" since the a spotlight on the hero of the play. I was struck old open-fl ame oil lamps were used fo r this From 1862 to 1872, the Salt Lake particularly with purpose. As the century progressed, ca ndle­ T heatre was lighted by roughly 150 coal oil his handling of powered chandeliers were hung above the lamps. The size of the stage accommodated the light effects. stage, and brac ket lamps were placed at the 16 footlights. Refl ectors of polished tin were sides of the stage. Lamps were also placed at used to direct the light toward the actors. improved and steadied the fl ame, providing the front edge of the stage flo or. These lamps While improved candles had taken the Three lamps, one above the other, were used whiter and brighter light. were protected by shades which guarded the place of oil lamps in the seventeenth century on each of the three posts which supported By the earl y nineteenth century, the fl ames from drafts and prevented the lights and were used through most of the eigh­ the fl y ga ll eries on either side of the stage. A chimneyed oil lamp had taken the place of from shining in the faces of the aud ience. tee nth century, oil lamps ca me bac k into large central ca ndle-lit chandelier illuminat­ the candle. It was a common sight in the the­ The chandeliers and lamps held tall ow fas hi on in the late eighteenth ce ntury. The ed the auditorium. McKee Rankin, a nation­ atre to see hundreds of oil lamps hanging in ca ndles. Wax candles provided steadier and open-fl ame ca mphine burner was used ally known actor, said the fo ll owing about his clusters from the ceilings and projecting from whiter light but were also more expensive. because camphine oil was clean-burning. In 187 1 performance in the Salt Lake T heatre: the wall s, balconi es, and boxes. These lamps These tall ow candles "hung in dripping radi­ 1783 , the kerosene lamp with an adjustable "The stage manager was a man of wonderfu l were also used as fo otlights and sidelights. Inside Salt Lake Theatre (p. 20} ance ove r the stage, whether the scene por­ wick was in ve nted in France. It was fo llowed resources and I was struck particularl y with © by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. , trayed a fo rest, a city square, or a moonli t Around this sa me time, some theatres were courtesy LDS Family and Church by the Argand oil burner, which had a cyli n­ hi s handling of the light effects. Each act was experimenting with ill uminating gas lights, H istmy Archives. exterior. " 2 drica l wick and a glass chimney which perfect in that res pect and, what is more but since there were no gas plants or large remarkable, he had no gas to modulate the

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he tallow candle followed T the open-flame lamp, dat­ ing from the first centu1y. In the T he open-flame gas burner 0 ne of the earliest f01m of theatre, candles were usually was invented in Scotland in block of lime heated to n 1808, Sir Humphrey Davy pen-flame oil lamps in light source was the blaz­ protected by shades, which 1782. This form of lighting was lh e kerosene lamp with an fter the candle in domestic A incandescence by an oxyhy­ I invented the electric arc. In 0 which the wickfloated in ing pine knot. An iron basket served the double pwpose of used wherever the requirements T adjustable wick was A lighting came the open­ drogen blowpipe was used for the 1840s it came into use on the oil were used in prehistoric called a "cresset" acted as holder guarding th e flame from drafts were sufficient to justify the invented in 1783 in France. The flame camphine burner, which many years as a spotlight in the the stage and later superseded times. Lamps of this type are for the flaming wood. The and cutting off the light that expense ofa gas generating and glass chimney quickly followed. consisted of one or more round theatre. From this practice the the limeligh t. The earliest lamps found in ruins dating back to design shown here was used in would otherwise sh ine in the distributing system. One of its It was many years before it wicks inserted into a vessel of expression ofbeing "in the lime­ provided for adj ustment of the 7,000 and 8,000 B.C. the fifteenth century. faces of the audience. earliest uses was in the theatre. came into general use. clean-burning camphine oil. light" originated. carbon by hand.

20 P I 0 NEER W I N TER 2003 21 lectric effects with, as the entire house was lighted Experiments with inca ndescent lamps in the­ E lights front and rea r with coal oiJ. "3 atres bega n in 1880. H owever, it was not until Ariel Davis: appeared The oil lamps fre quently overheated and dev ices fo r regulating electrical current and in Salt Lake broke into fire. Buckets of sa nd and water manipulating the va ri ous ci rcuits were City in 1880, and barrels of sa lt we re kept on the gall eri es inve nted that electricity was able to take the above the posts where the sidelights were place of gas for lighting theatres. These Utah but were not mounted. During one lecture, three oil lamps devices were called dimmers , and they revo­ installed in the in the footlights ca ught fire. Brigham Young lutionized theatre li ghting at the beginning Salt Lake stepped out onto the stage, fa nned out the of the twentieth ce ntury. Electric lights Innovator Theatre until fl ames with his broad-brimmed hat, and appeared in Salt Lake City in 1880, but we re some years returned to his box without remark. not installed in the Salt Lake Theatre until By]. Michael Hunter later. The limelight was first used in the Salt some yea rs later. 'T Lake Theatre in April 1866. The operator co uld carry the lantern and the two gas tanks discussion of theatre lighting in with him as he moved. H e usuall y positioned Note s A Utah would not be complete with­ himself in the fl y ga ll eri es. out mentioning Ariel Rua! Davis. Gas lighting was install ed in the theatre 1 Fuchs, Theodore, Stage Lighting (New York: Benjamin Davis was a famous inventor of theatrical in July 1872. Gas lighting provided increased Blom, Inc.), 1929. lighting equipment. He held nearly sixty 2 H artmann, L ouis, T heatre Lighting (New York: DBS patents in the field of theatre lighting control. control as well as additional illumination. A Publications), 1970. gas man operated the va lves to increase or Davis was born 14 February 1912 in 3 H omblow, Arthur, A History of the Theatre in Provo, Utah, to Rua! D . and Mary (Kitchen) decrease lighting as it was called for. Ameri ca (Philadelphia: f. B. L 1ppi11cott), 1919. In 1878, Paul Jablochkoff caused a se n­ Davis. He attended Provo High School. Harlen Adams, a professor at Chico State sa tion in the theatrical world when he intro­ Sourc e s duced his electric candle, which consisted of University from 1939 to 1974, said this about Davis: "In September of 1924, I went to two carbon rods mounted side by side and Pype1; Geo1ge D. The Romance of the O ld Playhouse. Provo High School, teaching two sections of separated by an insulating compound. The Salt L ake City: Deseret News Press, 1937. compound would melt away just fa st enough Theatre Lighting: Past and Present. M ount Vemon, beginning French and two sections of sev­ N. Y.: Ward Leonard Electric Company, 1923. to permit continuous burning of the arcs enth grade English. There's one student I Todd, Therald Francis. "The Operation of the Salt L ake ac ross the upper ends. In 1879, Thomas shall never forget because that young man, Theatre, 1862- 1875." Ph.D. diss., University of Oregon, named Ariel Davis, spent all day dreaming. Ediso n in ve nted his incandescent lamp. 1973. Fifteen years later, when I came to Chico State, the dimmers on the stage of the audi­ torium were '.Ariel Davis' dimmers, invented and built by that young boy." 1 Davis graduated from Provo High in 1931. H e then attended Brigham Young Circle inset: University where he received his B.S. in Pulling dimmer physics in 1936. He was a consultant on switches required a great stage lighting technique at BYU with deal of coordination and T. Earl Pardoe from 1932 to 1940. In flexibility on the part of 1937, Davis went to work for the the lighting operator. This Farnsworth Television Company in is the switchboard to the order to "assist with research that is dimmer bank shown above hoped to make television a reality in dison's incandescent lamp at the New Yo rk Efinally settled down to a Hippodrome. the average American home."2 He mar­ he first really commercial carbon filament as the results of ried Dorothy Jean Harding in 1941 and T arc lamp was the so-called inventions of various engineers. served in the U.S. Navy during World Fablochkoff candle, which con­ T he incandescent mantle in Right: J.Viird Leonard War II. After the War, Davis started sisted of two carbon electrodes he first incandescent elec­ connection with the gas he present-day representa­ Dimmer Bank installed in Ariel Davis Manufacturing in Provo. insulated fi'om each other by T tric lamp was invented by burner, invented in Germany in T tive of the incandescent the State Theatre in Jersey H e changed the name to Electro material that was broken down Edison in 1879 and was provid­ I 890, was an enormous lamp is the tungsten filament, City, N. f. This dimmer Controls in 1953 and moved the and consumed by the arc as the ed with a filament made by the improvement over the open or mazda lamp. For the high­ regulated the colored lights in the elaborate chandelier above the auditorium, as well as the stage company to Salt Lake City, where he electrodes wore away from the carbonization of a bamboo flame and was quickly adopted power units these lamps are lighting. The Ward Leonard Dimmer in the New York Hippodrome controlled 5,000 amperes and his brother Myron sold stage action of the arc. fibre. by the theatre. usually filled with nitrogen. required for lighting effects in the early twentieth century.

22 P l 0 NEER WI NTE R 2003 23 rioneer ~~otli~nt

lighting equipment throughout the U.S. ::!:1u- and Canada. D tionized The company became famous for its theatre light­ "Davis Dimmer Switch." At the time, the­ ing by creating atre lighting equipment consisted of a great a simple board cumbersome switchboard located in the of sliders and back of the stage. Most lighting boards were keys that six feet high and weighed up to five thou­ looked some­ sand pounds. As a production was in ~N ~TAGE AND AT ff ~ME what like an progress, three or four people would franti­ organ key­ cally hover about the board pulling switch­ By Ma r ilynne Todd Linfo rd board. es. If fewer lighting operators were avail­ able, the operators were required to run along the lengrh of the board in a frantic n 1916, at age thirty-six, Emma Lucy attempt to manage the complex lighting I Gates signed a recording contract with produced by the various switches. The Columbia Graphophone Company, now switchboard was also a dangerous place Columbia Records. Her recordings were so because it was a great jungle of wires and popular that today we would say she was connectors which could shock the operators number one on the charts. "There was a time and even catch on fire. . .. when she sold more records than any other Davis revolutionized theatre lighting singer of her type."1 A 1983 Deseret News arti ­ by creating a simple board of sliders and cle categorized Emma Lucy as "the most keys that looked somewhat like an organ fa mous woman musician in Utah history."2 keyboard. Davis's slider was a lightweight Also in 1916, she became Emma Lucy Gates aluminum box about the size of a suitcase. Bowen, marrying a widower with twin sons. The small box was easy to control with one Exa mining her life as musical genius and ele­ operator, who could slide buttons up and gant woman on stage, and at home as wife and down to make any combination of lights stepmother, revea ls both sides of this woman needed. Theatre lighting suddenly went whose portrait hung alongs ide Maurice from four frantic operators pulling switches Abrav anel's in Kings bury Hall on the to one operator sliding buttons along a University of Utah campus for over fifty years. panel. Davis came up with the idea of mov­ Emma Lucy's talent, according to famil y ing this portable box and its operator from lege nd, evidenced itself at age two when she the back of the stage to the back of the the­ picked out chords on the piano; by fo ur she atre behind the audience where the operator was playing tunes. At this time her family could clearly see what lighting was needed. li ved in H awaii , where her parents were LDS The University of Utah's theatre was one of miss ionari es, and Lucy had the opportunity the first in the country to install this system. to sing, dance, and pl ay the ukulele for Davis was a consultant on stage lighting to Queen Kapiolani ."3 H er skill at the piano Lowell Lees at the University of Utah from brought her notori ety at age fourteen, when 1947 to 1964. His system of lighting is used she won the Welsh Eisteddfo d piano compe­ worldwide in most theatres today. tition, whi ch was held in the Salt Lake In 1961, Davis received an award of Tabern acle. She was the yo ungest person recognition from the Utah Engineering ever to win this award. In 1898, Lucy's half­ Council for his developments in stage light­ sister Leah Dunford we nt to Germany with ing and dimmer controls. In 1970, Brigham her husband John A. Widtsoe fo r his gradu­ Young University presented him with the ate educa tion. Lucy, whose talent demanded Franklin S. Harris Fine Arts Award for his the best training, went with them to study unique contribution in the field of theatre. piano in Goettingen, German y. In Notable Names in American Theatre, One day her professor heard her singing An.el Davis photos and line Davis modestly listed his hobbies as fishing, and in sisted that she turn her attention to the drawings (p. 20-23) courtesy ]. Michael H1mte1: All rights inventing, and cooking. Ariel D avis died on study of vo ice eve n if that meant putting her reserved. 6 February 1997 at the age of84. T formal piano training on hold . She therefore enro ll ed in the Berlin Conse rvatory of Music

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