blueprintsVolume XXV, No. 1 NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM If All the World’s a Stage, It Had Better Be Well Designed in this issue: SHAKESPEAREAN THEATER It’s Not What You Think A Michael Kahn Interview An Actor’s Perspective on Theater Design WITH HOLLY TWYFORD Architecture& Dance Winter 2006–07 From the Executive Director Reinventing the Globe (and Blueprints) in this issue “A pretty plot, well chosen to build upon!” This quote from William Shakespeare’s Henry VI hangs on a construction site a block away from the National Building Museum. Now under construction on that plot is the Harman Center for the Arts, which will provide much-needed additional space for Washington’s popular Shakespeare Theatre Company. The new theater’s opening, scheduled for fall 2007, is sure to draw renewed atten- tion to one of the foremost figures in literary history. Actually, 2007 promises to be a banner year for the Bard in the nation’s capital, thanks to the upcoming Shakespeare in Washington festival, organized by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts with the cooperation of dozens of other cultural institutions. The festival is a multi-disciplinary initiative, involving a number of organizations not directly associated with literary drama. The National Building Museum, for its part, will present an exhibition addressing architecture, theater, and set design, called Reinventing the Globe: A Shakespearean National Building Museum Blueprints Editorial Board Theater for the 21st Century. For this show, we have com- Editor-in-Chief missioned five architects and designers to re-think G. Martin Moeller, Jr. Catherine Crane Frankel Shakespeare’s own famous stage and create a new Director of Exhibitions and Collections Managing Editor venue for our time; I invite you to come and see the Julia Neubauer imaginative results. Until your next visit, enjoy this Scott Kratz Vice President for Education Designer issue of Blueprints, featuring articles addressing the Jennifer Byrne various intersections among architecture and Bryna Lipper Director of Marketing and Communications theatrical performance. Blueprints is the quarterly magazine G. Martin Moeller, Jr. of the National Building Museum. Senior Vice President and Curator Subscriptions are a benefit of And speaking of reinventing, you’ll notice that Museum membership. we redesigned Blueprints. We’re including more Julia Neubauer Editor/Writer images in full color, a variety of new content, be- Blueprints ©2007 hind-the-scenes Museum news, and more. We also Chase W. Rynd All rights reserved organized a new editorial board of staff members to Executive Director ISSN 0742-0552 Shar Taylor help direct and coordinate our various publications Paper contains 50% recycled content Vice President for Development (both printed and electronic), so be on the lookout for including 25% post consumer waste. other improvements to our communications vehicles in the coming months. And let us know what you think—email us your comments at [email protected]. Sincerely, The National Building Museum explores the world we build for ourselves—from our homes, skyscrapers, and public buildings to our parks, bridges, and cities. Through exhibitions, education programs, and publications, the Museum seeks to educate the public about achievements in architecture, design, engineering, urban planning, Chase W. Rynd and construction. The Museum is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations, foundations, associations, and public agencies. 2 4 8 14 21 If All the World’s a Stage, It Had Better Be Well Designed Inspired by the upcoming exhibition Reinventing the Globe: A Shakespearean Theater for the 21st Century (January 13–August 27, 2007), this issue of Blueprints considers the integral relationship between architecture and theater. In various articles, a renowned director, an actor, and a theater historian offer sometimes divergent views on ideal settings for Shakespearean plays and other dramatic works, while an architect with a fondness for dance explores the connections between the human body and built form. Complementing these thematic articles are various Museum news items, a feature highlighting an artifact from the Museum’s collection, and the ever-popular Mystery Building challenge. Shakespearean Theater: Museum News It’s Not What You Think • Museum exhibition leads to commission for Michael Kahn, artistic director of the Shakespeare Danish artist Theatre Company, explains why he had no interest in • Families flock to Museum for annual festival 18• Reception and dinner mark inauguration of 2replicating the famous Globe Theatre when commis- sioning the new Sidney Harman Hall. new Museum chair • Board welcomes new trustee from overseas An Actor’s Perspective on Theater Design • Thanks to Museum donors Holly Twyford, winner of three Helen Hayes Awards as outstanding lead or supporting actress in Wash- Collections Corner above: The set for the dance ington-area plays, discusses how the design of piece Spillout!, consisting A-maize-ing capital added to collection. of an armature covered in 4theaters and sets influences dramatic performance. elastic bands, which the dancers engage during the performance. Photo Lessons from the Study of 20 by Gary Gold. Historic Theater Architecture Mystery Building Why is it that some theater spaces seem to bring “I see a ship!” out the very best from relatively mundane produc- 8tions, while others can deaden even the most spirited performances? Theater historian Franklin J. Hildy 21 shop! seeks answers from the past, with an emphasis on the Elizabethan era. Shakespeare’s Globe: An Interactive Pop-Up Architecture and Dance: Open this book to reveal Intersections and Collaboration an amazing pop-up model of the Globe, just as it Architect and dance enthusiast Frances Bronet may have appeared in talks about her work on performance projects and Shakespeare’s time. Then 14teaching strategies that bring together these two grab the accompanying disciplines. play books and bring to life scenes from a dozen of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, including Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Perfect for ages 8 and up. $18 Museum members/ $19.99 nonmembers. Visit the Museum Shop during Museum hours or call 202.272.7706. u Winter 2006-07 blueprints An Interview with Michael Kahn by Martin Moeller hakespearean Theater:It’s Not What You Think Michael Kahn has led the Shakespeare Kahn is currently leading the Theatre Company in Washington, DC, Shakespeare Theatre Company into for 20 seasons as artistic director, a new era with the creation of the creating what The Wall Street Journal Harman Center for the Arts, a two- Scalls “. .the nation’s foremost venue performing arts center (including Shakespeare company.” He is also the new Sidney Harman Hall, currently the founder of the Academy for under construction, and the existing Classical Acting at The George Lansburgh Theatre) that will expand Washington University and the former the company’s offerings while creating Richard Rodgers Director of the Drama opportunities for artists from around Division at Juilliard. His Broadway the world to perform in Washington, credits include a Tony Award nomination DC. He is also serving as curator of the for his production of Show Boat. Shakespeare in Washington festival, top: Michael Kahn, artistic which was conceived by Michael Kaiser director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Center for the of the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Performing Arts. opposite: Rendering of a performance at the new Sidney Harman Hall. Courtesy of Diamond + Schmitt Architects Inc. continued top page 4 u blueprints Winter 2006-07 It’s Not What You Think Learn more about the new Sidney Harman Hall by visiting the National Building Museum’s exhibition Reinventing the Globe: A Shakespearean Theater for the 21st Century. The design for the theater is presented through architectural renderings, a model, and a computer animation explaining the flexible stage design. Winter 2006-07 blueprints Shakespearean Theater: It’s Not What You Think continued Martin Moeller: What were the motivations behind the city-wide Shakespeare festival? Michael Kahn: The idea began in a conversation that Michael Kaiser [president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts] and I had, about how this city is so culturally rich, and in many ways people don’t know about it. People know that Washington is the seat of power and also the home of extraordinary monuments and history, but I don’t think they really understand the depth of cultural life here. So we talked about a festival of Shakespeare, and Michael asked that I curate it. I began to see it as a city-wide festival, including not just the major performance venues, but as many of the city’s cultural institutions as possible. The idea was to celebrate Shakespeare not just as a playwright, but as perhaps the most influential person in all the other arts, because so many operas, music, ballet, painting, books, poetry, and dance have come out of people’s responses to Shakespeare. MM: To what extent do you think the design of a given theatrical space influences the character of the performances within it? MK: I think it always has. Shakespeare’s plays would not have been written the way they are if the theaters of the era had had proscenium stages. Shakespeare’s plays are written almost cinematically, and that really comes from the idea that you’re not changing the scen- ery. So there’s an extraordinary fluidity that you didn’t get once the proscenium was created, and as a matter Interview with Holly Twyford by Martin Moeller An Actor’s Perspective on Theater Design Holly Twyford has been acting professionally for over a decade, appearing in more than 40 productions in the Washington area, plus others in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Santa Cruz. Twyford has been nominated for nine Helen Hayes Awards for Washington-area theater and won three, including two Outstanding Lead Actress Awards—for her portrayal of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet at the Folger Shakespeare Library and as Evelyn in the Studio Theatre’s The Shape of Things—and an Outstanding Supporting Actress Award for her performance in The Two Gentlemen of Verona.