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A Life of Theatre

Retrospective of set design by Marty Gilbert

The Humanities Center Gallery will exhibit a retrospective of set design by Department of Theatre Arts professor James M. “Marty” Gilbert in A Life of Theatre March 30–May 27 in the Trinity hallway.

Gilbert was first introduced to theatre in the fall of his senior year in high school when he decided to take a public speaking class from instructor Dennis Holt. After a year of studying engineering at the University of Arkansas, he transferred to Ouachita College in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, to work with Holt for the next three years. Gilbert planned and executed the scenery, lighting, and sound for at least 14 productions, including Death of a Salesman, The Glass Menagerie, Antigone, and Ah! Wilderness. In 1959, he entered the University of Arkansas again, this time as a master’s candidate in speech and drama. He was technical director/designer during the sabbatical of his instructor Preston Magruder.

“Mac” (Magruder) and “Doctor K” (theatre history professor George Kernodle) were instrumental in the development of Gilbert’s future career at Wayne State University, Wilmington College, New Mexico State University, and, finally, CSU, Chico. In a directing class at Wayne State, Gilbert met Mercedes “Midge” Frontera, who became his wife and for whom he designed many productions over the years. The couple have three children and four grandchildren.

A Life of Theatre will encompass representations of work from almost five decades. Most will be original renderings, including more than 100 pencil sketches and pen and watercolor washes. There will also be 2-D and 3-D computer renderings and production and scale-model photographs. Those who have attended or participated in CSU, Chico theatre department productions will recognize sets and scenes from the past 25 years.

Gilbert writes, “Theatre is a collaborative effort requiring directors, actors, designers, crew members, and even administrators. The scenery alone requires many people to build, paint, shift, and light. The scenery design process requires collaboration beginning with preliminary meetings with the director and other artists and ending with the last technical rehearsal. The resulting design of a production—and the finished production on stage—are the result of collaboration.”

The Humanities Center Gallery is open Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm. A reception honoring Gilbert will be hosted by the Department of Theatre Arts and held Monday, April 5, 5 to 7 pm, in Trinity Hall.

Thomasin Saxe