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The scene designs of J. Woodman Thompson
Abstract
For nearly twenty-five years, J. Woodman Thompson (1889-1955) worked as a professional scene designer in New York. In total, Thompson designed seventy Broadway productions between 1922 and 1947, with the period from 1922 to 1926 considered his most active and successful. His recognition, during these years and also later in his career, was greatly due to his employment of the unit set. This dissertation discusses Thompson's endeavors from the historical, technical, and aesthetic viewpoints. It is focused on Thompson's successful period, and his utilization of the unit set. There are 123 illustrations of original renderings, production photographs, and floorplans. Some of the photographs of the renderings are in color. The Introduction explains the need for such a study and the methodology. Chapter 1, "Life and Career", discusses Thompson's work at the Carnegie School of Technology; provides an overview of his design portfolio from 1916-1947; and reviews his association with the United Scenic Artists Union. Chapter 2, "Unit Designs of the Early 1920s", deals with five unit settings: Malvaloca, Romeo and Juliet, Queen Victoria, Macbeth, and The Firebrand. Chapter 3, "Unit Designs: (1925-1928)", explains four more of Thompson's unit sets: Cocoanuts, Iolanthe, God Loves Us, Desert Song, and The Merchant of Venice. Chapter 4, "Other Designs of the 1920s", discusses seven of Thompson's most successful designs during the decade: Roger Bloomer, The Potters, Sweet Nell of Old Drury, What Price Glory ?, Beggar on Horseback, Minick, and Deep River. Chapter 5, "Unit Designs (1930s)", explains Thompson's unit sets for Romeo and Juliet and The Warrior's Husband. Chapter 6 is an evaluation of the aforementioned designs. Appendices include a chronological listing of performances designed by Thompson; an index of the production reviews in the "Thompson Scrapbook"; and an index to "The Thompson Papers" at Columbia University.
Subject Area
Theater
Recommended Citation
Leitner, Paul E, "The scene designs of J. Woodman Thompson" (1990). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9030135.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9030135