September Issue - PLSN.com

NEWS
The Adventure Begins
After three weeks of rehearsals in Culver
Studios in L.A., Mariah Carey and crew hit the
road on “The Adventures of Mimi.” The adventure
will take place on two stages; the main “A
stage” and a “B stage” in the middle of the arena
floor, both designed by Justin Collie of Art Fag,
LLC. The main stage proscenium is in the shape
of a giant “M” and a curved staircase stage right
provides a path between the upper stage and
the lower stage. The ramp stage left mimics the
curve of the staircase and is used by the dancers
to move between the stages. Off stage left a DJ
spins in his booth.
Video plays a major role in the show. Four
high-resolution LED screens fly on both the
X- and the Y-axis, and the stair steps, band raisers,
and DJ booth are fitted with Element Labs
VersaTubes. The proscenium and round frame
for the circular LED screen are fitted with Barco
MiPix LEDs. Blink TV and XL Touring Video are
supplying the video, which includes a Control
Freak Systems media server and an Encore
DMX Controller.
The lighting, also designed by Collie, includes
56 Vari*Lite VL 3000 Spots, 50 Martin MAC 2000
Wash fixtures, 38 Atomic 3000 Strobes, six Syncrolite
7Ks, 23 FagPods, and 44 Color Kinetics
Color Blasts. The lighting is supplied by Ed & Ted’s
Excellent Lighting.
During rehearsals, lighting director Michael
“Sparky” Anderson and programmer Demfis Fyssicopulos
used two MA Lighting grandMA consoles
with four NSPs in a multi-user environment,
allowing them to work on the show simultaneously.
On the tour,
the two consoles
are synched using
the tracking mode,
insuring a backup
in the unlikely event
of a console crash.
The B stage
sports two curved
trusses with moving
lights and the
deck is surrounded Mariah Carey, Culver Studios, L.A.
by four 7K Syncrolites.
Fagpods underneath
the Plexiglas floor light from beneath.
According to Fyssicopulos, “The production
is as big as Mariah is. Working on this production
was very gratifying and a fantastic experience. As
a programmer, it was outstanding to work with
people like Justin Collie and people like Stewart
White from Control Freak.”
6,000 Bravos and One Elvis to Go
LAS VEGAS—Mystère, Las Vegas’ longest
running Cirque du Soleil show which is now
in its 13th year at the Treasure Island Hotel &
Casino, celebrated its 6000th performance during
the 7:30 pm show on Sunday, August 6.
Fireworks, confetti and balloons were released
during the Mystère finale marking the extraordinary
event. Additionally, artistic director, Ria
Martens, brought the crew onstage, joining the
cast on stage for the final bow. After the show
a party for guests and the casts and crews of all
five Las Vegas Cirque shows took place outside
at the TI Pool.
So what do 6,000 Mystère bravos add up to?
•19 miles of bungee
•12,000 cans of coke used to “mop” the stage
•72,000 red balloons
•247 coats of paint—or 1/2 inch of paint on stage
•1,661,000 gallons of Liquid Nitrogen
for fog
•8,105,407 tickets sold
In related news, CKX, Inc., its
subsidiary Elvis Presley Enterprises,
and Cirque du Soleil have
reached an agreement with MGM
Mirage to create a permanent Elvis
Presley show at the CityCenter
hotel/casino, under construction
in Las Vegas. The show is
expected to open with the hotel
in November 2009. The deal, announced
during Elvis Week, or the
week of Elvis’ death on August 16,
1977, marks the return of Elvis to
Las Vegas, the site of some of the
most remarkable performances
of his career.
Guy Laliberté, founder of
Cirque du Soleil, commented,
“This new creative challenge is
exactly what we strive at accomplishing
in the development of
our new productions. We are Mystè re
working closely with our partners
to ensure the public will have an
unforgettable encounter with the King of
Rock and Roll. Elvis had a unique relationship
with his adoring fans in Vegas and a large part
of our mission is to recreate the excitement
and the spirit of joy he generated here.”
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PLSN SEPTEMBER 2006
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Martin Restructures Marketing
SUNRISE, FL—Martin Professional, Inc. has
restructured its Marketing department, naming
Michael Nevitt as the company’s new marketing
manager and establishing several new
positions. Other appointments within the department
include Matthias Hinrichs as product
manager, and Paul Costa and Steve Chase as
product specialists.
All four are existing Martin US employees
with years of company and industry experience.
Michael Nevitt has a master’s degree in lighting
design from UCLA and previously worked as a designer
and programmer. In addition, he served on
development teams for several controllers, both
inside and outside of Martin. He moved from his
position as controller product manager. Matthias
Hinrichs has extensive experience as a designer
and programmer and moved from his position
of control specialist. Paul Costa and Steve Chase
previously held positions in technical support and
trade shows, respectively.
In addition to serving the marketing needs of
Martin US, the new team will also focus on product
development/management, field testing and
customer communication, including lighting designer/programmer
relations.
“As Marketing
Manager
my duties
go beyond
t r a d i t i o n a l
marketing to
all aspects of
how products
are presented
to the customer,”
Nevitt
Michael Nevitt and Matthias Hinrichs
comments. “This includes supervising the team
responsible for products and involves product
training, field tests, market feedback, etc., as well
as communication, trade shows, showrooms and
selected support. Our primary focus is our customers
and we are committed to releasing rock
solid and well test products for their benefit.”
Martin US President Brian Friborg comments,
“Michael and his team add a solid, technically
based support to our entire team. Their depth
of product knowledge and industry experience
is an invaluable asset to our customers. Combine
that with excellent marketing and communication
skills and I am confident that our marketing
department is in good hands.”