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Lighting and setting designs for Holberg's Erasmus Montanus Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Russell, Rufus Talmadge, 1931- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 23/09/2021 21:39:25 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/551387 LIGHTING AND SETTING DESIGNS FOR HQLB1RG?S ERASMUS MONTANDS ■ fey / ; ; ■ ■ • ' Rmfms T» Russell A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the ■ DEPARTMENT OF DRAMATIC'ARTS In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements . For the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS In the Graduate College UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1 9 5 9 This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfill ment of requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknow ledgement of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in their judgement the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED r X APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: A/O ROBERT C. BURROUGHSitte A Associate Professor of Dramatic Arts TABLE OF COITEITS Chapter Page INTRGBWCTieH ooooo oo oo oooaooooo o o ooooo ooaoo o o I HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF HOLBERG,o o o o o o o o o do o 1 II A REVIEW OF THE STAGING METHODS DURING HOLBERG?S REIGN AS A PLAYWRIGHT0........ 14 III AN ANALYSIS OF THE PLAY... o o o o o o o o p o o o o o o o t> o 26 IV THE DESIGNER’S APPROACH TO BiHASMH S • MQNTANU3 000000 ooooo 000000 0000000 3D V CONCLUSIOMo000000000000000000000000000000000 70 Ao OO OOO O OOOOOOO OOOOO O OOOO O p o O OOOOOO 74 So O O O OOOO OOOO OO OO O O OOOO OOOOO O 0 o o do o 77 S XSi/IO OSAPSTY* O OOO OOOOOOOO O O OOOOO OOO 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 O 78 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Page G0LOR SIODIOPGEjS o o o o o o o o o o o o a O O O O O O O O O O tf O O O O O O O O 0 O O O O 0 o o 46 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 6 o-o o o o 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o o oo o o 4 7 GROUND PLANS oooooooo o oooo oooo o 0 * ^ 0 o ooo ooo o o o coo oooo o o U 48 0-0 0 0 0 ooo o ooo o oooo po ooo oooooo oo ooo oooo ooo<>o 49 FRONT ELEVATIONS DROPS O OOOOOOOO o oooo o o oooo o o ooo o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 50 o o o o o o oo ooo o o o o o o Oooo O 0 O 0 ooo o o o o o o ooo o o o o 51 WINGS o o o o o 6 o o oo o O o o o o o o ooo o o oooo o o ooo o o o oooooo 5 2 o o oooo oooo oooo o o o o o o o o oooooo o o o o oooooooo o o 5 3 BORDERS oooooo ooooo o o ooo ooo o oooooo o o o o o o o o oo-ooo 54 ooo ooo oooooo oooo ooo ooo oooooo o o o o oooooo 0 55 REAR ELEVATIONS DROP O O O O O O O O o O o OOOOO O 0 O O O P O O O O O O OOOOOO O o o o o ooo 55 WIN OS o o o o o o o ooooo o o ooo 0 o d o o o o o o o o o o oooo o o o oooo 57 ' o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 'o oooooo o O O O O O O 0 o o o o o 58 BACKING m i T o ooooooooooo ooooo ooo oooo OOOOOO oooo oooooooo o LIGHT PLOT o o O O 0 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o INSTRUHENT SCHEDULE SHEET....o o oooooo oooo ooo o o o o oooooo.. 67 SWITCHBOARD SET-UP CHART....o o o o o o o o o 0 o o ooo ooooo O 0-0 0 00 0 0 68 DETAIL DRAWINGS.o....o.....o..o .....o........... ...... 60 ■ ■ - 0 0 . 0 0 0 . 0 0 . 0 0 . 0 OOOO. o O 00 0 0 .0 0 . 0.0 0 0 0 69 ACKNOWLEDGMENT The author wishes to express sincere gratitude to Professor Robert 0. Burroughs, director of this thesis, and to Professor John Eo Lafferty, whose guidance was invaluable in this study* Also, appreciation is extended to Professor Oscar Jo Campbell, Jr., for his assistance and interest in this project. ' RTR INTRODUCTION Ludvig' Heiberg was perhaps one of the most gifted philosophers, playwrights, authors, and men of letters ever to emerge from late 17th and early 18th Century Europeo He fathered the drama movement in Scandinavia which eventually produced men such as Henrik Ibsen and his naturalistic style of drama. The main functions of this thesis are threefold: First, to analyze the man Holberg and to learn how and where he acquired the flare for quick wit and comic timing which some authorities feel borders on genius| to learn how and where his writing style developed^ to shed light on the nature of theatre in his day; and to acquaint the reader with the volumes of work, both literary and dramatic, which this man formulated. Secondly, to review the particular methods of staging during the period in which Holberg was active as a playwright; to touch upon the trends of theatre immedi ately prior to his tenure as a playwright; and to illustrate how these trends affected his writing style and his methods of play construction. i Thirdlyy to submit for consideration a complete set of designs for the setting of Holbergfs Erasmus Montanus. These designs include ground plans/ front and rear elevations, detail drawings, reproductions of color sketches, and lighting plots with instrument schedule sheets and switchboard set-up charts= The purpose of these designs, is to show how the humor and warnith of the play may be captured, how the style of setting chosen may support a play of this type, and how the universality of the play can be brought to the attention of a prospective audience/ The thesis contains three types of material: First, the regular typed text, or body, of the work; secondly, the series of design plates which have been photostated and reduced to regulation thesis size; and lastly, color reproductions of watercolor sketches which have been mounted on the proper-sized paper for insertion into: the body of the thesis <, ii CHAPTER I HISTORICAL BACKGROWHD OF HOLBERC Ludvig Holberg was born in Bergen, Norway, on - ■ i December third, 1684, the youngest of twelve children, At that time, Norway was under the crown of the King of Denmark, so he is generally considered as being Danish, His father was an army officer, and his mother was the granddaughter of a bishop, In his youth Holberg attended a German grammar school and later went to a Latin school, both located in Bergen, In 1704, after two years of study, he graduated from the University of Copenhagen, While there, he studied English, French, Italian, and several other languages, all of which aided him immeasurably in his travels during coming years, It is interesting to note that philosophy, one of his principal subjects while attending the University, was to become the satirical sub ject for some of his later plays, although he actually cared little for the study. Unless otherwise noted, the bulk of information con cerning Holberg ?s life was obtained primarily from the books of Oscar James Campbell, Jr,, Professor of English, presently on the staff of the Huntington Library, Columbia University, New York| a leading authority on the life and works of Ludvig Holberg, All other sources for Holberg?s biography are duly noted in footnote form throughout the 'text, 1 ;/ ' ■■ ' . 2 - ' ’ During Helberg?s youths Bergen was considered one of the leading cultural centers of Europe5 consequently, its citigens traveled extensively and lived in an atmos phere of cosmopolitan worldlinesso Due to this atmosphere, the cityvs population was able to take better advantage of Europe8 s intellectual centers, such as Holland and England, and they (the citisens) considered themselves more mundane than averageo Holberg taught in Bergen for a short time after graduation, then went to Holland, where it is believed he intended to follow the vocation of his father and enter military serviceo This never materialised, however, because after a year in Holland he ventured further to England and finally enrolled at Oxford, where he spent two years in inde pendent studyo Leaving England, he went to Germany as a traveling companion to the son of a prominent Danish family.