Edward Gordon Craig and The Pretenders: A Production Revisited

Edward Gordon Craig (1872–1966), was a theatrical visionary whose work has had a profound and lasting effect on the develop­ment of scene design in this century.

The Markers provide a detailed critical study of one of Craig’s most significant ef­forts, the historic but virtually uninvestigat­ed production of Ibsen’s The Pretenders at the Danish Royal Theatre, Copenhagen, in 1926. In addition to copious newspaper reviews and other published evidence, the Markers consult a wide range of unpublished sources and documents—promptbooks, “signal books” containing sound and light cues, the stage manager’s records and floor plans, and the daily rehearsal schedule. They also rely heavily on Craig’s own notebooks and memoranda.

Discussing Craig’s designs for principal scenes, the Markers refer to actual stage floor plans, surviving scene photographs, designs for older productions, and sketches from the promptbook of the director, Johannes Poul­sen. Craig’s correspondence with Poulsen also yields a wealth of illustration. Of special interest is a series of designs and preliminary sketches for costumes. The majority of the 40 illustrations in this book are previously unpublished.

This first detailed study in any language of Craig’s Pretenders will interest students of modern stage forms and theories. It will also serve as a supplementary text for courses in modern stage design and theory. This is the first volume of a Special Issues series to be published in cooperation with the American Society for Theatre Research.