LD Rich Locklin
Road Shows: Worth the Trip
I had the privilege of attending a road show last month. Not a traveling theatrical spectacle, but one put on by a popular lighting manufacturer that enabled quite a lot of people to get hands on experience with the latest technology. Harman’s Martin Lighting division took their gear to the people and extended me an invitation. With my schedule, I chose to take a trip to their stop in Dallas, Texas in May, one of the first destinations on their nationwide trek.
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‘She Loves Me:’ David Rockwell Serves Up Old World Flavor with Modern Flair
It is customary for Broadway audiences to applaud for the stars of shows when they make their first entrance onstage for the night, but it is less often that a set actually earns the same response. David Rockwell’s dazzling, stage-spanning interior of Maraczek’s Perfumery in the current revival of She Loves Me — a comedic musical about two bickering retail employees (Zachary Levi and Laura Benanti) who do not realize they are anonymously amorous pen pals — is one such set piece found worthy of such adulation, and for good reason. The two-story location — complete with multiple shelves containing 150 perfume bottles, three counters, and a staircase — really makes the cast and audience alike feel as though they are visiting an upscale establishment from 1934 Budapest, the time and place of the story.
Selena Gomez ‘Revival’ Tour
Selena Gomez officially kicked off her Revival tour at the Mandalay Bay Arena in Las Vegas on May 6. The second solo tour by this popular singer showcases the 2015 album of the same name playing much of the new album among her 20-song set. She reached into her catalogue of five studio albums as well to keep the fans dancing for the better part of the 75-minute set. Baz Halpin put together a talented team of lighting designers, directors, and video personnel to build a cutting edge production together. PRG was called on to provide the lighting and video for the show while Pyrotecnico FX looked after the lasers and Tait Towers built the set.
Read More »The Origin of Theatre
Theatre as we know it began in ancient Greece with religious ceremonies where people sang dithyrambs, ancient hymns to the Gods. The public would gather… Read More »The Origin of Theatre
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Mickey Curbishley, CEO of PRG Music Group, Announces Resignation
LOS ANGELES – Mickey Curbishley announced June 13 that he will be leaving Production Resource Group as of June 30, 2016. As CEO of PRG’s Music Group, Curbishley oversaw business development and client support for concert tours, special events, television, and other music-related projects around the world. Prior to PRG, he had been co-owner of Light & Sound Design (LSD), which PRG acquired in 1998. Prior to joining LSD in 1994, he had toured with top artists including Elton John, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, George Harrison, Frank Sinatra, Judas Priest, AC/DC and Prince.
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Ayrton MagicBurst LED Strobe
Ayrton’s MagicBurst is a new high-power graphic LED strobe featuring continuous, unlimited rotation on its pan and tilt axis. The fixture, which is the company’s first strobe unit, first burst onto the world stage at Prolight + Sound 2016 in Frankfurt, Germany earlier this year. MagicBurst’s 384 x 384 mm squared face supports 3,840 high-output white LEDs grouped into 64 pixels on an 8 x 8 matrix. With a new ultra-compact 1,300W power supply, MagicBurst promises peak light output of more than 240,000 lumens (calibrated at 5600K) for several seconds, and the fixture can put that into continuous rotation.
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‘Hamilton’ Wins 11 Tony Awards, Including “Best Lighting Design from a Musical”
NEW YORK — In an evening that was at once somber, defiant and celebratory, less than 24 hours after the deadliest mass shooting in American history claimed 50 lives at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, the hip hop musical, Hamilton, which had received a record 16 Tony Awards, dominated the winner’s circle with 11 wins, including LD Howell Binkley’s award for “Best Lighting Design from a Musical.”
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Bandit Lights the Way for Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Detour’ into Country Music
NASHVILLE – Cyndi Lauper’s career has spanned more than 30 years, and while she’s known as a pop pioneer, she’s recently made another bold move to country airwaves with her newest album, Detour. Bandit Lites provided the lighting package for the first leg of the Grammy, Tony and Emmy-award winning performer’s summer tour, which kicked off in Nashville at the Ryman Auditorium. In addition to performing songs from her new album, Lauper also treats fans to her classic hits, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and “True Colors,” while telling anecdotes of her adventures.
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7th Heaven’s Show at Chicago MayFest Delivers Impact with Chauvet Professional Rogues
CHICAGO — MayFest returned to Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood from May 20-22, 2016, with rock veterans 7th Heaven headlining the final night. Zach Scott designed the lighting for the band, which has opened for the likes of Bon Jovi and Kid Rock. Scott included Rogue R2 Beams from Chauvet Professional in the lighting looks at the event.
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Clay Paky Scenius Fixtures Added to Lighting Rig for Lauryn Hill’s Tour
RALEIGH, NC – Alpha Production Group, which recently took delivery of six Clay Paky Scenius moving head spotlights, quickly sent them out to support the looks for Lauryn Hill’s tour, now making several stops along the Pacific Northwest. In the Lauryn Hill rig the Scenius fixtures were mounted on downstage truss to serve as washes for the artist and her band. They are also used midstage on cases for more atmospheric sets. Alpha Production Group purchased 16 Clay Paky Sharpys from A.C.T Lighting about 18 months ago and has a pair of grandMA2 Light consoles, which A.C.T Lighting also represents in North America.
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