Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: CITT, August 18, 2018
Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: CITT, August 18, 2018
We started the day fairly early. Rick Boychuk and I walked to the conference center to see Peter McKinnon’s session about the creation of plays being inspired by theatre architecture. After a lively discussion, we took a quick trip over to Niagara Falls. I had never visited this famed site. There is nothing quite like looking at a composition that I have sketched from photographs! The experience exceeded all of my expectations.
A view of Niagara Falls from the Canadian side.The famed Horseshoe Falls viewed from the Canadian side of the border.
By the evening, we attended the final happy hour reception. A group of us then walked over to have dinner at the Blue Mermaid. We all splurged and enjoyed a fabulous meal at this fine dining establishment. The biggest surprise of the day for me was the piano player. At 83, he was still working in the basement bar and had quite a following, What a perfect close our wonderful evening.
Dinner at the Blue Mermaid with Richard Nix and Rick Boychuk.Dinner at the Blue Mermaid with Eric Mongerson and Mary Dupuis
However, I am exhausted and ready to go home.
To be continued…
Author: waszut_barrett@me.com
Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett, PhD, is an author, artist, and historian, specializing in painted settings for opera houses, vaudeville theaters, social halls, cinemas, and other entertainment venues. For over thirty years, her passion has remained the preservation of theatrical heritage, restoration of historic backdrops, and the training of scenic artists in lost painting techniques. In addition to evaluating, restoring, and replicating historic scenes, Waszut-Barrett also writes about forgotten scenic art techniques and theatre manufacturers. Recent publications include the The Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple: Freemasonry, Architecture and Theatre (Museum of New Mexico Press, 2018), as well as articles for Theatre Historical Society of America’s Marquee, InitiativeTheatre Museum Berlin’s Die Vierte Wand, and various Masonic publications such as Scottish Rite Journal, Heredom and Plumbline. Dr. Waszut-Barrett is the founder and president of Historic Stage Services, LLC, a company specializing in historic stages and how to make them work for today’s needs. Although her primary focus remains on the past, she continues to work as a contemporary scene designer for theatre and opera.
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