Tim Hanson creates model of Drottningholm Slottsteaterl

Tim Hanson creates model of Drottningholm Slottsteater

By Eddie Castle

Tim Hanson, chair and associate professor of theatre, took on an interesting project during his sabbatical during the fall 2019 semester. He created a scale model of a legendary 1766 gothic theatre in Sweden; a project that has been attempted before, but never the way Hanson intends his to function.

For his sabbatical, Hanson and his wife, Salle, visited Sweden this past summer, staying a few miles away from the Drottningholm Palace, home to the theatre. Hanson received a faculty research grant that helped fund his travel abroad and study during this time.

Hanson decided that his sabbatical project would follow his passion for theatre, construction, and design by creating a functioning model of the Drottningholm Slottsteater, which is inside the Drottningholm Palace. The palace was originally built as a summer home for Swedish royalty. This theatre was constructed in 1766 and is still in use today.

When Hanson originally spoke about the project before he started to build and bring it to life, he was very excited. It was obvious the large project was something he was passionate about creating. The staff at Drottningholm Slottsteater were just as excited, and made Hanson promise to share photos of the finished model. “I knew it was a big project going into this. I have only seen photos or drawings/sketches of existing theatres like this. I have made mechanisms like this in life size but never scale model size. There was a lot of ‘uncharted’ territory for me, so I knew there was going to be a great deal of improvising to make this function as I wanted to,” Hanson recalls.

It was an enormous task to create a scale model of this theatre, but he was up to the challenge. He worked tirelessly on this model for weeks having to make several tweaks along the way.

Hanson has held his position on campus for more than 15 years. Because of his time as faculty and experience, Hanson has become a well-known face on campus and has always been known for his humor and support of the IU South Bend students. He is a multi-faceted faculty member, functioning expertly as lighting design professor, advisor, and scene shop supervisor.

However, Hanson is not new to improvising. Since he is a shop supervisor, he often must deal with improvising when it comes to building certain sets for productions. Construction for the shows can be hectic and things can change direction quickly. It is necessary to be flexible with taking chances while considering what is best for everyone. Hanson quoted words of Louis Pasteur, “Chance favors the prepared mind.”

With this scale model, there were some challenges that arose, but Hanson was prepared.

“Whenever you build a scale model there are always things that do not translate well to scale such as joinery with the wood or the way fabric moves. Other challenges included, “finding tiny pulleys that function, finding string that is in proportional scale to rope, getting my hands into small places to tie tiny knots and to glue hard to reach joints.” Many obstacles were overcome for this project” Hanson explains.

Hanson had difficulty with the size of some of the objects, but he was able to make devices in the smaller scale that replicated the function of the original devices he saw in Drottningholm. He also added scenery onto his moving panels that were like actual scenery used in Sweden.

He was able to acquire materials at the Palace that were a tremendous help to his project. “While I was there in Drottningholm, I also purchased isometric drawings of the theatre that I had never seen before. This was a great help in the construction of the model. I referred to them every day,” Hanson says.

Another obstacle he ran into was the conditions he was working in. His home workshop is heated by a wood stove. The heat caused the wood in his model to swell. This created problems when he had to create very specific joints or movable pieces that fit on a track. Hanson worked endlessly on the model during his fall sabbatical, and through the long hours and aches and pains, he found success in his work. This project and trip to Sweden have been life changing for him, allowing him to learn a few things about himself as well.

“I think something I have learned about myself is that I enjoy when I put my mind to something. ‘When there is a will there’s a way’ is something my dad used to say, and is something I have written in my workshop,” Hanson explains.

Hanson hopes that his model will service the Theatre students of IU South Bend as a unique teaching tool for both History of Theatre classes and design/tech students to enhance their studies. At some point, the South Bend Community might also enjoy being able to see this important historical theatre without traveling to Sweden, as Hanson hopes to have the project on display at some point on the IU South Bend campus.