Boxoffice-November.24.1951

Are You Planning
I
To Redecorate
Your Theatre?
Here Are Three Color ChartsI
To Help You Do the Job Wei
Here ;s o modernization job done with color only. The ceiling ond walls of this foyer in the
Lakeside Theatre, Chicago, III., are painted a warm gray. The entrances to the auditorium
are flamingo red. Decor is in tones of gray, chartreuse and black with accents of white and
flamingo. Observe how the auditorium wall appears like a handsomely decorated free-standing
screen. The effect is highly ornamental and the decor is easy to maintain because of the
kaleidoscopical changes of color, a factor of interest to all theatre owners.
by HANNS R. TEICHERT*
'
Vt E
E HAVE BEEN ASKED many times if
there is not a certain set of rules that can
be apphed to the decor of the theatre—
basic color scheme that can be followed
a simplified approach to the problem. Obviously,
the answer has to be no, for the
simple reason that every theatre is of a
special design—good, bad or indifferent
following either a certain period or the
modern architectural lines. Scale, exposure,
lighting, the name of the theatre,
or even the clientele of the theatre all
have to be considered to design the right
job.
However, in cases of smaller communities
with smaller theatres that are architecturally
not too novel in design, merely
functional design without to much detail;
where shape of auditorium, lobby and foyer
space, are average it is comparatively easy
to decorate correctly by following certain
.specific color schemes. Here, we are confronted
only with the problem of using
colors that blend into a general scheme
that is pleasant to look at, still keeping in
mind a theatrical approach of dynamic
contrasts and a more dramatic effect than
our regular living quarters. The public's
craving for excitement and new, strange
surroundings has to be satisfied in order
to get people to leave their homes.
will. It is the theatre atmosphere.
Great strides have been made by color
magazines, newspapers, and Technicolor to
educate the masses and make them colorconscious.
Color is not only a necessity
today but a demand. The appeal of colorful
surroundings is greater now than ever
and is specially sought after in the entertainment
field.
Individual colors have a special affinity
to certain individuals, and are made even
more appealing in a right combination of
more than one color. Some people like
cool colors, others prefer them hot—but
the right combination of colors appeals to
most people without their being conscious
why, or may even overpower their preference
for certain hues. While some lady
might think of no other color than a light
turquoise blue for her living room walls,
she will admire a magenta red combination
in a theatre; or if she is dead against a
lemon yellow in her home, she will be
thrUled by this taboo color in the right
combination used in the lounge of her
favored theatre. ,.
Wishy-washy color schemes are defin-ifff
itely out of the picture today. Nothing
COLOR SCHEMES FOR FOYER AND STAIR HALLS
The antidote for the television craze is
to add a festive note to the theatre visit,
and to create the desire to be entertained
royally and differently. Not only does the
large screen dwarf the effect of the small
television picture but, also the scale and
decor of the theatre add to the enjoyment
of a moving picture—they do and always
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