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LD Chad Hartsfield

Justin Lang, editor, PLSN magazine

The Golden Rule RULES

Summertime madness is upon us!  It seems as though we skipped over the typical spring cool weather and into the thrill of summer.  While much of the country dealt with winter-like temperatures well into April, the industry has been preparing for the intense festival and summer tour season. Shops have been working long hours pulling gear, ordering up the latest gear and rehearsing to get this right for those millions of fans waiting for their favorite acts to roll into town.

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Water by the Spoonful at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Photo by Jenny Graham

Maximum Minimalism: Water by the Spoonful at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival

While technological innovations have certainly become a mainstay of modern theatre, sometimes the trick is not in showing off what you have but utilizing it in a way that makes it flow seamlessly within a story. As some film buffs are prone to say, the best special effects are usually the ones you do not notice. In their rendition of Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Water by the Spoonful, which runs this spring and fall, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival uses video projections and pixel mapping to create an aesthetic that enhances the tale of chat room buddies, all of whom are addicts, spilling their secrets while staying anonymous.

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Tool 2014 tour photo by Steve Jennings

Tool 2014 Tour

Tool’s lead vocalist, Maynard James Keenan, not only shuns the spotlight, he often performs in random positions — facing the wings or upstage wall, for example — instead of looking out to the audience. There’s a bit more light illuminating the other band members, but the visuals accompanying a live Tool concert are designed to support of the music and its overall vibe, not serve up a larger-than-life display of performing band members. Tool’s guitarist, Adam Jones, plays a key role in the creation of the band’s visuals, for both its music videos and the video seen during the band’s live shows. The band members do not appear in the music videos, either. Instead, the viewer sees a mélange of abstract and representational forms that help serve as each show’s narrative while emerging as their own form art.

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Global Trend Productions added visual appeal to the expanded Bond Bar at the Cosmopolitan casino in Las Vegas with LED panels beneath the gaming tables.

Las Vegas’ Cosmopolitan Adds LEDs for Gaming Table Allure

Let there be light. Actually, the saying was more along the lines of, “Let there be more light.” At least that’s what The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas conveyed to Burbank, CA-based Global Trend Productions when the casino and hotel approached the company about revamping its increasingly popular Bond bar. The Cosmopolitan, with the help of its design team, had big plans for elevating the appeal of its trendy bar area, having envisioned a wondrous, hybrid space that could be infused with Sin City-styled dance performances, gaming aspects and brightly lit visual elements. The Vegas hotspot accomplished this — and more. At the end of a month long renovation process, The Cosmopolitan completely transformed the look of the Bond bar with a unique and unprecedented application of LED technology within a casino environment.

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