The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-06-26
PAINTING THE SCENERY.
How the Artists Are Working in
New Theatre.
THEY THINK IL is ONE OF BEST
HOUSES In COUNTRY.

Something About the Method of Scene
Painting and the Men who Are Doing
It-A Man Who Makes Marble and
How 1t Is Done.
High up above the stage of Portland S
new theatre, above the net work of
carpenters stagings, the bewildering
maze of scaffolds and of temporary
structures of all kinds, the scenic artists
Messrs. Gates and Morange with their
assistants are busily engaged in preparing
the scenery which is to dazzle the eyes
and startle the patrons of the brand new
theatre which theatrical people say stands
among four or five of the very best houses
in the country. To reach the bridge on
the fly gallery where these gentlemen
are at work it is a rather mystifying
journey. One begins by getting in the
wrong door of the theatre at first and
finds himself confronted by barricade of
barrels and timbers. If his light spring
suit will stand the task he will laborious-
~ climb over these souvenirs which the
plasterers have left behind them, only to
find when on the other side that he has
had his labor for his pains and might
have entered the place by taking side
door which is not barricaded.
But the visitor is looking for the scene
painters bridge. He wanders about in
the maze of dressing rooms and passages
traverses many staircases and finally,
when about discouraged, finds himself on
the stage itself. Here the magnificent
scale on which this theatre has been
constructed, impresses itself upon the
visitor. He finds that the space behind
the proscenium arch is large enough to
manipulate a squadron of cavalry to set
up an ordinary sized house or to juggle
a small circus. Another feature of the
stage and the soldility of the whole build
ing is here recognized. Everything is not
only constructed on the most liberal scale,
but all is substantial, modern and above
all, perfectly fire proof. In this building
there is to be no gorgeous decoration in
the body of the house, with mere shell
of a stage. The ornamentation will in it.
self prove an educator to the theatrical
patron and rival in artistict merit any,
thing that is to be seen in New England
at the least, but that which at once
pleases the thetrical man, and paralyzes
arrangements, the commodious dressing
rooms, and the perfect arrangements even
to the smallest detail.
man, in fact several men, are engaged
in fastening together huge frame which
the visitor at once comes to the con-
clusion is shortly to be covered with
canvas. These men must be connected in
some way with the scenic artists for
whom he is looking. He ventures
question, is politely directed and once
more begins his wanderings.
No admittance.' This sign at the top
of a short ladder but the visitor timidly
climbs to its top. Here he steps off on an
iron scaffolding known to the aprofesh''
as the fly gallery. Before him, suspended
over the stage is the bridge" On
either side of it are hung large frames
covered with cloth and rapidly being
transformed into scenery. On one of these
drops" young man is daubing on a
sticky substance known as printing. He
is an artist in his way and handles the
big brush as dexterously as do the scene
painters themselves. Occasionally, in or
der to reach some part of the hugh stretch
of cloth it is necessary for him to manipu-
late rope and the big frame is hauled
up or lowered as the occasion may re-
quire To give some diea of the size of
these frames it should be understood that
they are, some of them. thirty by sixty
feet and some of the drops are forty two
by twenty-six feet.
Messrs Gates and Morange are very
agreeable gentlemen to meet. They
are two of Americas most. distin-
guished scenic artists with reputation
the country over for the fineness of their
work. They have painted much of the
scenery for the great scenic productions
in extravaganza, which have met with
the best success on. The road and captured
the metropolitan audiences. These gentle
men call New Yo1K their home and have
their painting loft at the Murray Hill
theatre in that city, but many of the
handsomest theatres in the country have
had their outfits of scenery painted by
them, and Portland is indeed fortunate
in having secured the services of such
distinguished artists to paint the scenery
for the new theatre.
Standing on the fly gallery the visitor
sees before him three men clothed in
drop which hangs by the side of the
bridge. The drop is portion of the
scene plot of the interior of palace and
will form a part of one of the best sets of
scenery in the new theatre. 1t is elaborate
ly decorated and shows some elegant
fresco work on the supposed walls of the
palace and the columns in the foreground
are very finely done. These artists who
are plying the brushes on the s'leg DROP
seemingly have no design to work from
and depend almost entirely on the eye
alone to guide them in their work. With
rapid strokes they fill in the details of the
elaborate scene, bringing out all of the
ornamental work on the columns of the
palace tbsaights and shadows on the
walls I'll the magnificent room in the
back ground, the paintings, the
draperies, the carvings the scroll work of
the pillars, and SO rapidly do they work
tina the visitor stands in wondering
admiration while the plain cloth grows
under their wondrous touch into the
beautiful interior, the canvas frame is
transformed into an exquisite palace scene
and all so quickly done that it borders on
the miraculous.
The brushes used vary in size from one
The Ideal P9nacea