Sigma Alpha Iota

sai-national.org • Summer 2022 19 right. Seeing our surprise, she explained that actually there were twenty-four bedrooms in the building, which also housed members of the court. is first bedroom was part of the suite for Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz, the building architect who later became theatre director. Walking through other rooms with original stucco and wallpaper, we saw costumes, furnishings, and musical instruments on display and framed paintings on the walls. Soon we arrived at the auditorium entrance where Pia paused before unlocking the door labeled Teatr. "When you go inside," she said, "take a few minutes to inhale the atmosphere." Wow indeed! Silent and in awe, everyone took a place on wooden benches in the dimly-lit theater. Using our imaginations, we traveled back in time. e decorations on the front sides of the balconies as well as the boxes, which look as if supported by massive stone corbels, are actually made of ornately painted papier-mâché. Nearest the stage were trumpet boxes for musicians; the king's box was stage le, and the queen's box was stage right. But the royal boxes were only for special occasions, such as birthdays. Usually the king and queen sat front row center in the red armchairs as monarchs do today. Listed on UNESCO's World Heritage sites, Drottningholm eatre, one of the few remaining 18th-century European theaters, still uses its original stage machinery in performances each summer. Along with a gentleman named Tom, I volunteered to go backstage — in what turned out to be the very edge of the area — and operate two of the apparatuses for sound effects. For wind, he cranked a big open cylinder with transverse rods scraping against hemp cloth. For thunder, I pulled down on a long rope attached to a wooden box filled with stones that rolled from one side to the other and back. Authentic sound effects for sure — or (the Norse god of thunder) and e Rolling Stones all in one! Unfortunately, I had no opportunity to be lied in a flying chair or disappear in trapdoors beneath the stage floor. e stage had a gentle, upward incline toward the back, which gave the illusion of depth. Apparently, about thirty sets have been preserved, but we didn't see any. To keep construction cost low, real gold and marble were not used. Nonetheless, with low lighting, the wood walls painted like marble did not look fake; the trompe l'oeil ceiling (the French term even sounds better) looked genuine. Today, flickering-flame, electric candles with low wattage replicate the same light level during performances of old when real candles were not extinguished. Queen Lovisa Ulrika's theater opened on July 9, 1766, and had its heyday when her son Gustav III was on the throne. Aer his untimely death, the theatre building was used for storage, falling into oblivion around 1850. Continued on page 22 A Wld of Music A display in one A display in one of the theatre's of the theatre's 24 bedrooms. 24 bedrooms.

• Cover