Two NIU theatre professors and a university alumnus this summer participated in a U.S. costume design and theater architecture exhibit which won the Grand Prix award at an international competition, the Prague Quadrennial.

Arnold Adducci and Richard Arnold traveled to Prague, Czechoslovakia to participate in the competition. Heidi Hoffer also participated with the U.S. team.

The Prague Quadrennial, which took place from June 7-13, included works from 38 countries. The Czechoslovakian Ministry of Culture sponsored the event.

The winning exhibit, “The Process,” was comprised of the work of nearly 300 American designers of stage, television and film.

The U.S. exhibit resembled a movie set with a series of four studios. The studios consisted of a scenic set, a lighting set, a costume set, and an art directors set.

The exhibit also contained television monitors which showed American commercials.

This is the first year the United States has won the Quadrennial, however, it is only the second year the United States has participated, Arnold said.

Arnold, who came to NIU in 1965, went with Hoffer on the U.S. delegation tour to Budapest, Salzburg and London. In Budapest Arnold and Hoffer were able to meet with representatives from other design schools from different countries.

“I was able to see things that I would not normally see as a regular tourist,” Arnold said. “This was the largest Quadrennial ever, there were thousands of works to receive, the enormity of it all was very exciting.”

offer said the tour of of the countries was extremely rewarding “It was very nice, each of the countries is so different. I was very happy they chose the U.S. as the winner.”

The exhibition was also comprised of Eastern Bloc countries, whose work many people are unable to see. Adducci said he felt very fortunate to be able to talk with the other countries’ representatives, “Meeting with the Eastern Bloc countries such as Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Russia was refreshing and hopeful.”

Adducci also has traveled to Munich and West Germany as a Fulbright Scholar. More recently, it was through Adducci’s efforts that Northern acquired the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s historical scenery collection.

Arnold’s career at NIU has been equally successful. Arnold was nominated for NIU’s Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award, and is also the author of an undergraduate text entitled, “Scene Technology.”

offer received her bachelor’s degree in 1979 and her master’s degree in 1981. Hoffer is currently working on her Master’s of Fine Arts degree at Northwestern University.