NEW YORK – The Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of On The Twentieth Century is making use of RC4’s Magic Series 3 Wireless DMX and Dimming. The 2015 production, a revival of the Tony-winning 1978 production, was itself nominated for five different Tony awards this year, including Best Revival of a Musical.
More details from RC4 Wireless (www.theatrewireless.com):
Big musical numbers, whimsical props, flashy dance sequences — all are key parts of any Broadway musical, and the Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of On The Twentieth Century delivers all of the above. From the moment the immaculately detailed show curtain goes up, RC4 Magic Series 3 Wireless DMX and Dimming takes center stage, supporting a Tony award winning show that was also nominated for 4 Drama Desk Awards, 9 Outer Critics Circle Awards and 3 Drama League Awards.
“Almost every piece of scenery in this show uses wireless dimming, along with several props, most of which have multiple fixtures requiring wireless dimming. And the show’s main scenic element is a life-sized train automated on a free spinning turtle. This turtle transports the train up and downstage as well as left to right. The train contains over fifty individual lighting fixtures and we certainly cannot have cables following it,” explains Brian Maiuri, the I.A.T.S.E. Local One House Head and Production Electrician at the American Airlines Theatre.
Maiuri continues, “There are a number of reasons I opted to use the RC4Magic Series 3 devices, first of which is the dependability of the product. I have been using RC4 products for over ten years with consistent results, and their customer service is unparalleled.”
Small size is something RC4Wireless has been skillfully addressing for more than 20 years. Tiny dimmers aid prop people and electricians alike, as Maiuri explains. “There have been so many times that I’ve been handed a show prop that needs to light up, but there is virtually no space to hide the gear necessary to make that happen. Add the fact that the power requirement for 12V lamps sometimes exceeds 10 amps. On the Twentieth Century is one of those situations where two of the show’s props can only be accommodated with an RC4Magic Series 3 DMX4dim-500 high power dimmer pack because they are small enough to fit. We also have hundreds of LED pieces in the show and I favor the options that RC4Magic Series 3 provides for perfectly smooth dimming.”
In the photo at the top of this posting, hidden crosses are illuminated with LED tape, each controlled by an RC4Magic DMX4dim. On the stage deck, the large candelabra has been dimmed to push audience focus to the crosses. Each candelabra contains an RC4Magic DMX4dim-500.
RC4Wireless is proud to help Donald Holder, Lighting Designer, and David Rockwell, Set Designer, to Live Life Untethered, realizing their breath-taking vision for the show.
Since its debut last October, the RC4Magic Series 3 system has taken the world by storm, appearing in four new Broadway productions as well as garnering the PLASA Award For Innovation and an Honorable Mention at the LDI new product awards.
Additional details from RC4Wireless (www.theatrewireless.com):
From the opening of George and Ira Gershwin’s timeless score for An American in Paris through to the final note, the RC4Wireless RC4Magic Series 3 wireless DMX and Dimming System plays a leading role in free-flowing seamless moves from one enchanting scene to another. With some of the world’s finest ballet dancers telling this classic tale, there simply is no place for power cables to run across any part of this stage.
Originally produced in Paris at the Théâtre du Châtelet, the show’s RC4Wireless gear was supplied by AVAB Transtechnik France. Production Electrician Michael Pitzer explains the extensive gear list in the show. “We are using a RC4Magic DMXio transceiver as the transmitter, four more DMXio receivers, ten RC4Magic DMX2dim 2-channel dimmers, four RC4Magic DMX4dim 4-channel dimmers, and eight RC4Magic DMX4dim-500 high-power 4-channel dimmers. They control a variety of sources, from single lamp sconces and cabaret table lights to multiple circuits of birdies on the Baurel Stage. In the Morris Columns and Shop Counters they are driving several circuits of incandescent lamps and sending DMX out to LED fixtures.” All 22 scenic and prop pieces are controlled using RC4Magic devices. The overall aesthetic of the show is markedly enhanced by this untethered approach, helping realize Natasha Katz, Bob Crowley and Christopher Wheeldon’s beautiful vision.
Having previously used RC4Magic systems in a number of productions, including Once and On The Town, Mr. Pitzer was confident that the show would arrive fit and ready for installation in the Palace Theatre in the heart of Times Square. Only the RC4Magic system supplies unique digital IDs to every customer and project. This means nobody has to go to the theatre next door or across the street, asking if they already use RC4Magic and try to determine what ID they are using. Every RC4Magic customer and project is unique and will never interfere with any other, worldwide.
The RC4Magic Series 3 system has taken the world by storm since its release at PLASA London in 2014, where it received the PLASA Award for Innovation. That was followed by an Honorable Mention at the LDI New Product Awards.
Learn more about RC4 products at www.theatrewireless.com.
Discover the world of projects using RC4 technology at www.wirelessdimming.com.
