University of Virginia Library

Weiss To Make
Play Scenery

David W. Weiss, University of
Virginia associate professor and
chairman of the department of
speech and drama, will design
scenery and lighting for a new
outdoor drama about the establishment
of the Cherokee nation in
Oklahoma.

"Trail of Tears," written by
Kermit Hunter, dean of the School
of the Arts at Southern Methodist
University, will open in June at
Tahlequah, Okla. Set in the 19th
century, the drama is a sequel to
Hunter's earlier play, "Unto These
Hills," presented in Cherokee, N.C.,
each summer.

Dr. Weiss, who has designed sets
for three of Hunter's plays, will
introduce several new features into
this production. He will use two
small revolving stages for interior
scenes and a larger "thrust stage,"
which is an extension of the stage's
apron into the audience.

In addition, Dr. Weiss will
project changing colors onto a
screen behind the actors to reinforce
the mood of the action. He
plans to experiment with this
technique of abstract devices and
designs at the University also.

"Trail of Tears," sponsored by
the Cherokee Historical Association
at Tahlequah, will be presented in a
200-seat amphitheater now being
constructed. Dr. Weiss was an
adviser on staging facilities for the
amphitheater, which will become a
study and cultural center for the
historical association.

A graduate of the University of
Wisconsin, where he also earned his
master's degree, Dr. Weiss received
his Ph.D. from Indiana University.
He is a member of the U.S.
Institute of Theater Technology
and is consultant on theater design
and technology for the Institute of
Outdoor Drama, Chapel Hill, N.C.