New York Studio and Forum of Stage Design

New York Studio and Forum of Stage Design

The Studio and Forum of Stage Design was started by Lester Polakov in Greenwich Village, NYC (circa mid 1960's).

Mr. Polakov was born in Chicago in 1916 and studied in New York with George Grosz and at Columbia University. He began his career designing sets in summer stock and in 1939 made his debut in New York City as the scenic designer for The Mother. This was quickly followed in 1940 by designing the costumes for Reunion in New York, as well as assisting scenic designer Harry Horner on Lady in the Dark. After service in World War II, he resumed designing and also painting, with several exhibitions of his paintings as a result.

In 1958, he established the Lester Polakov Studio of Stage Design, later known as the Studio and Forum of Stage Design, where he employed some of the best known designers of sets, lights, and costumes to teach design. In addition to teaching and overseeing the operation of the school, he continued to design sets and costumes for the stage.

In 1999, Polakov was the recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award in Scenery presented to him by USITT. His credits include Call Me Mister (1946, scenic design), Crime and Punishment (1947, costume design), The Member of the Wedding (1950, scenic, costume, and lighting design; also replacement stage manager), The Skin of Our Teeth (1955, scenic design), Great Day in the Morning (1962, scenic and lighting design), and Charlotte (1980, scenic design).

He was a scenic designer who, through his years of working in theatre, gathered together a group of like-minded designers to create a teaching environment that was second to none (citation?).

Through this school (and the corresponding work done by union members of United Scenic Artists l.u. 829 (now a part of the I.A.T.S.E) they created and promoted the idea of conceptual based designing.

All the teachers in the school were working professionals, usually Broadway based designer. Their names read like a "Who's Who" of American theatre designers. The list included: Lester Polakov, John Gleason, Tom Skelton and Arden Fingerhut.

The school had courses that included scenic design, scenic painting, still life sketching, costume design and lighting design.

Today, none of the original creators of this school survive.

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • New York Innovative Theatre Awards — The New York Innovative Theatre Awards (IT Awards) were founded in 2004. These annual awards honor excellence in Off Off Broadway Theatre and help nurture and promote the Off Off Broadway community. Contents 1 Mission statement 2 IT Foundation… …   Wikipedia

  • Culture of New York City — The Theatre District around Times Square is the center of commercial theatrical activity in New York City and the U.S. The culture of New York City is reflected by the city s size and variety. Many American cultural movements first emerged in the …   Wikipedia

  • Architecture and Civil Engineering — ▪ 2009 Introduction Architecture       For Notable Civil Engineering Projects in work or completed in 2008, see Table (Notable Civil Engineering Projects (in work or completed, 2008)).        Beijing was the centre of the world of architecture… …   Universalium

  • Thomas R. Skelton — (1928–1994) became prominent among Broadway lighting designers. By the 1950s he was published regularly in Dance Magazine with his lighting methods. He taught at both Yale University and New York Studio and Forum of Stage Design. Most of his work …   Wikipedia

  • Media and Publishing — ▪ 2007 Introduction The Frankfurt Book Fair enjoyed a record number of exhibitors, and the distribution of free newspapers surged. TV broadcasters experimented with ways of engaging their audience via the Internet; mobile TV grew; magazine… …   Universalium

  • Business and Industry Review — ▪ 1999 Introduction Overview        Annual Average Rates of Growth of Manufacturing Output, 1980 97, Table Pattern of Output, 1994 97, Table Index Numbers of Production, Employment, and Productivity in Manufacturing Industries, Table (For Annual… …   Universalium

  • Hobart and William Smith Colleges — Seals of the two colleges Established 1822/1908 …   Wikipedia

  • Art, Antiques, and Collections — ▪ 2003 Introduction       In 2002 major exhibitions such as Documenta 11 reflected the diverse nature of contemporary art: artists from a variety of cultures received widespread recognition for work ranging from installation to video to painting …   Universalium

  • The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music — Established 1986 Type Private President David E. Van Zandt …   Wikipedia

  • Guys and Dolls — This article is about the musical. For other uses, see Guys and Dolls (disambiguation). Guys Dolls Original Cast Recording Music Frank Loesser Lyrics …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”