It takes a lot of backstage toil and skill

to produce the widely acclaimed DU PONT SHOW at the New York World's Fair

Off stage, tidal floods of energy Putting on any theatrical show is a taxing experience; mounting Du Pont's 1964 World's Fair show was a staggering exercise in logistics. Making use of twin theaters, Du Pont's staff staged 44 performances daily. Each half hour, from mid-April through mid-October, more than 600 fair-goers watched a unique spectacle in which live actors carried on conversations with filmed images, blew out candles on movie screens, or seemed to pass roses back and forth with girls projected in brilliant color. Costuming of casts required many improvisations. Dressing room contains three giant revolving racks to store complete sets of costumes needed for the six casts on duty each day. During show, most costume changes were actually made in cramped corridor behind backdrop (below) because each cast had to hurry through 25 costume changes during each stage performance. Out front the audiences saw shows conducted with the casual grace that marks a highly professional production, hardly aware of the tightly-reined frenzy of behind-the-scenes effort. Making up for show is traditional dressing room activity. Each of seven casts included two female, two male dancers plus a narrator; there were six standbys. Before the 1964 season, over 3000 auditioned for 35 roles. While audience was watching smooth, swift-moving theater shows, backstage was a constant turmoil involving seven stage managers, 10 wardrobe ladies, six stagehands and six projectionists. Many of 1964 cast expect to be back for 1965 season. Rehearsing of new cast members or standbys took place wherever sufficient space could be grabbed: on the pavilion roof, on stage between shows, or in actors' lounge (below). Here, dancers Myrna Strom (left) and Sheila Forbes, who had worked in different casts, smooth out one of their routines under the direction of Stage Manager Jack Timmers. By season's end, more than 2.4 million visitors had seen the 1964 Du Pont show. Thanks to mechanical refinements which will permit an additional two shows each day, an even greater throng is expected to see the 1965 version to be launched at the World's Fair this April 21. Communicating with outside required two phones in lounge. Dancer Joyce Devlin uses one limited to out-going calls; the other was limited to incoming calls for emergencies such as last-minute substitutions in the cast. Relaxation in actors' lounge between shows or before "shift" changes enabled performers to shed glamor of stage trappings. Lounge features color TV, self-service snack bar which, last year, dispensed 18,000 cups of coffee, 6500 cups of tea, 9300 cups of chocolate and 11,000 cups of soup.

Du Pont Pavilion at the Fair is shown in the foreground, along with the ever-present line of visitors waiting to enter.

It takes 203 actors, actresses, singers, dancers, hosts, hostesses, musicians, technicians, projectionists, stage hands, crew members and administrative staff to stage 48 shows daily at DuPont's "Wonderful World of Chemistry." Here are all 203 of 'em!

Source: Colorfoto by Bill Eddy, New York Sunday News, June 13, 1965