Last month, I wrote about the bill that the Indiana State legislature was planning to pass, and how it will affect our industry. Since then, Indiana’s state OSHA has issued the report based on its investigation. The report reflects the scope of IOSHA’s inquiry, which was more focused on possible violations to worker safety than on risks to the public at large.
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It’s very rare when an off-Broadway production arouses international controversy and sets the stage for a highly anticipated Broadway run, but in the case of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, that is exactly what happened. Composing legend Stephen Sondheim wrote a letter to The New York Times that was like the musical “shot heard ‘round the world,” condemning the Boston-based production by director Diane Paulus at the ART last fall before he had even seen it. While that is negative attention, that’s still a lot of free publicity, and people’s ears perked up. Sondheim’s issue was with the fact that the show, being transferred from operatic to musical theater form, was going to include some modern revisions that were actually approved by the Gershwin estate.
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This year’s well-received Bridgestone Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show featuring Madonna was a great success, both artistically and technically. Once again the team led by executive producer Ricky Kirshner of RK Productions, director Hamish Hamilton, production designer Bruce Rodgers and lighting designer Al Gurdon presented us with a dynamic and innovative production that appeared effortless, which we all know means it took a tremendous amount of effort and hard work to bring together.
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Rigging for live entertainment production has become more complex. Along with the growth in the sheer weight of all the lighting, sound and video gear now suspended over performers and the audience, other rigging complexities range from flying human performers to moving truss.
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NEW YORK – MB Productions, in association with USANA Health Services, provided the lighting, video and audio package for the Health and Happiness Summit with Dr. Oz on Feb. 25 at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. Working in collaboration with LD Brendan Grey, the plot featured moving lights including 21 VARI-LITE 3500 Wash and seven VARI-LITE 3500 Spots, controlled with a pair of Wholehog consoles.
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Christopher Scoates’ New Book on Radiohead LD Andi Watson
I have always been an avid fan of the lighting, video, and stage designs of Andi Watson, and I’ve been lucky enough to have spoken with him on a few occasions about his work and the cutting-edge new products that he often uses in his designs. To me, he belongs on any list of the groundbreaking concert designers working today, and when I saw that there was a book about his work coming out, I had to get a copy of it.
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