NEW YORK – Scenic and lighting designers for American Idiot and Red were among those garnering top honors at the 2010 Tony Awards. American Idiot's Kevin Adams and Christine Jones won, respectively, for Best Lighting Design and Best Scenic Design of a Musical. Neil Austin and Christopher Oram won, respectively, for Best Lighting Design and Best Scenic Design of a Play for Red.
Read More »What is the secret to success and why is it such a big secret? It's been thousands of years since it was first tasted; you would think that it's in the public domain by now. Volumes have been written about it, you can buy DVDs, attend seminars, and find a variety of materials purporting to reveal it, yet the true formula can't be bought, sold, or traded. You have a better chance of stealing Mr. Krab's secret formula for the Krabby Patty than getting your fins on the secret formula for success.
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LD Lee Rose used 48 Martin MAC 401 Dual fixtures as part of the rig for the 2010 Golden Gods Awards, which was sponsored by Revolver magazine and staged at Club Nokia.
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The set for Zelig, a variety show on Italian TV, is being lit once again by an Clay Paky-dominated rig supplied by Renato Neri's Xenon. The fixture lineup includes Alpha Spot HPE 1200s, Alpha Spot 575s, Alpha Wash 575s, Stage Color 1200s, Stage Profile Pluses, CP Color 400s and Alpha Beam 300 motorized ACL lights.
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In what is evidently the first major Emo musical, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson deconstructs our concept of the first Democratic President of the United States. It revisits his legacy of uniting and dividing while utilizing modern slang and rock songs to portray a pivotal point in history – particularly his decimation of the Native American population – while connecting it to modern political conflicts and agendas.
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Steve Cohen is one of the few in the industry who really know what it's like to light a show without the benefit of today's touring technology. Having worked with Billy Joel since 1974, he's keenly aware of the distinction between art and the hardware with which it is produced. But he's equally adept at designing with state-of-the-art gear, having done so for Joel, Elton John, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Van Halen and Paul Simon, to name just a few.
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It was an era where people like him were either cops, priests, criminals or stagehands,” says Rich Wolpert, referring to his grandfather, Bill Wolpert, founder of Union Connector. Given those choices, Bill could have done worse. But instead of turning to a life of crime – or arresting or hearing confessions from others who had – Bill Wolpert worked as a union stagehand on Broadway.
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Elvis is definitely in the building, and it's a building literally built for a king.
Cirque du Soleil, in partnership with Elvis Presley Enterprises and MGM/Mirage, has Viva ELVIS happening at the new Aria Resort & Casino at CityCenter in Las Vegas, the world''s largest hotel to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) Gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. Those expecting a "traditional" Cirque show (if such an animal even exists), or one that mimics their last smash hit, the Beatles-themed LOVE, went home dazzled by the unexpected.
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Although its name might suggest otherwise, not all eyes at the Vanity nightclub at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas are focused on the club's mirrored surfaces. Instead, the are drawn to a custom-made LED chandelier/sculpture made up of 20,000 LED points driven by a Martin Maxedia Compact media server.
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So, there I am in my projector 101 class, and things are progressing quite nicely.
"Let's discuss the mechanics of focus and lens shift," says the esteemed professor. "No problem," says I … easy terms and concepts.
"Let's ponder the mysteries of color space," says the master of PowerPoint. "Gotcha," says I, as we dive deep into the CIE color space chart in all its beauty.
Read More »Shortly after Dan Daley compiled and submitted the information for this column, the Nashville area was hit by what locals are calling a 100-year flood. Many of those who Dan interviewed for this column were directly or indirectly affected when water levels on the Cumberland River exceeded 50 feet – more than 12 feet above flood stage. For more details on the flooding and its aftermath, please CLICK HERE .
Read More »Early in my career, I was working at a theatre as one of the house guys. We had a tour come in and use our space for pre-production. It was the first time I really got to watch a touring show prepare for the road. I remember sitting with the LD (I don't remember his name) and watching him program the conventional lights. He also had about six moving mirror fixtures with a dedicated controller. He explained an important principle that he tries to remember as often as possible.
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