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LINDA EVANS Editor’s Note From Sea to Shining Sea Are we telling the stories of theatre-makers everywhere? Two things happened this past week. One, Theatre Bay Area held its annual conference on Monday, May 10. And Two: I was accepted to the Seven Devils Playwrights Conference in Idaho. What do these two things have to do with each other? Let’s tackle Theatre Bay Area first. Theatre Bay Area is a non-profit organization that exists to “unite, strengthen, promote and advance the theatre community” in the San Francisco Bay Area. They publish a monthly magazine promoting local theatre and educating local theatre-makers; run a discount ticket booth; give out grant money for theatres, artists, technicians and productions; and much, much more. Part of that “much, much more” is producing an annual conference where local theatre-makers can get together, talk about the state of theatre in the Bay Area, create strategies and connections to grow, and also get connected to the larger world of theatre in America. One of the panels they had this year was titled “Rethinking New Play Development,” and one of the speakers on that panel was David Dower, from Arena Stage in Washington D.C., where he is director of the Arena Stage/NEA New Play Development Program. David is a smart and generous guy who is phenomenally dedicated to creating new theatre—of all sorts. Before he went to Arena Stage he was the founding artistic director of Z Space in San Francisco, a crucible for new works. Although I couldn’t be at the TBA conference, I followed it on Twitter using the #tba2010 hashtag. And one of the tweets from the conference quoted David as saying “The Bay Area [is] like Brigadoon. No one knows you’re here.” This raised my ire, and I fired off a flurry of tweets, citing facts and statistics about the vital theatre community in the Bay Area, and how much they had contributed on the national stage “What,” I finally ended my barrage with, “does the Bay Area have to do in order to get some theatrical recognition/respect?” Clearly this was coming from a raw nerve. David, however, kept his cool, and replied to me a little later. “I think they have to tell their stories!” he wrote. “But [you’ve got] a great question—and there’s more names than anyone’s naming at work in the Bay Area.” Two things about this. One: Institutionally, I’m the editor of a magazine about theatre. Hopefully I’m doing a good job telling the stories of theatre artists and productions from everywhere in the country. Let me know if there’s an area you think I’m neglecting, and please send me any news of what’s going on where you are. And Personally: I need to do a better job at letting people know what projects I’m working on. I’m a writer, and even with my years of acting, I still shy away from self-promotion. Which brings me to the Seven Devils Playwrights Conference. My play Authentic was accepted into their 2010 season, so for two weeks this June (June 7-19) I’ll be in Idaho, re-writing and rehearsing for their Playwrights Intensive readings. I’m incredibly honored. I’ll be blogging, tweeting and sharing all about the Conference when I’m there. You can follow along on Twitter at www.twitter.com/stagedirections, and at www.theatreface.com/ authentic. Have a great summer, and don’t be strangers. Help me showcase great theatre wherever it happens. Jacob Coakley jcoakley@stage-directions.com Letters Advice on Color Scrollers Hey, we are getting ready to move back into our theatre this summer and I have been asked to look into color scrollers for the onstage lights to amp up the rep plot’s versatility. The instruments are Source 4 PARs and ellipsoidals. Can anyone tell me what color scrollers you have had experience/success with? And also what pitfalls or common problems scrollers present. Thanks in advance. Stefanie Christensen Charleston Stage Company I’m chiming in from Connecticut, and I work in a college theatre that has an inventory of Wybron CXI IT color scrollers. The almost infinite amount of color (or 432 distinct colors if you need specifics) are an amazing contribution to almost any production/event. The fans are definitely not that noticeable and my fixtures are hung at about 19 feet off the deck in a 50-foot-by-60-foot black box theatre. The digital controls/settings are mounted in each scroller so the silly menu associated with power supplies is a thing of the past. Very easy to use and very flexible! I’ve been running mine for about a year-and-ahalf now pretty consistently and the two integrated gel strings are holding up very well. Makes designing in rep a cinch! Of course, I will add that if you have the money a dichroic color system would last much longer—such as the SeaChanger Color Engine or High End Systems’ Color Command unit. Good luck! Jesse Riley I have used several name brand scrollers over the years. For the last 5 years I have been using Apollo Smart Color scrollers. The first cool thing about them is that they are adjustable. They are the 7.25” size. I use them on ETC Source 4 PARs and the standard Source 4 ellipsoidals at 19°–50° degrees. They will probably fit a variety of fixtures. The great thing about them is that over five years, I haven’t had a single scroller break. And I’ve never even lost a scroller—knock on wood. Just plan your cable runs well. Many systems run best under a certain length of cable. I do maintenance on them by blowing them out with air and wiping them down twice a year. They offer two types of assembled scroll color palettes, Theatre and Rock ‘n’ Roll, which is what I use. They may make custom colored scrolls for you. Tommy Hanlon www.theatreface.com/join This conversation happened in TheatreFace.com —are you a member? www.theatreface.com/join 4 June 2010 • www.stage-directions.com
In the Greenroom theatre buzz Awards Season Kicks Off The Awards season kicked into high gear in May with the annual crush of awards for Broadway and Off-Broadway excellence when the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Tony Awards all announced their nominations. The Outer Critics Circle were the first to announce winners, with musicals La Cage Aux Folles and Memphis taking home four awards each. Memphis earned wins for New Broadway Musical, New Score, Choreographer (Sergio Trujillo in a tie with Bill T. Jones and Fela!) and Actress in a Musical (Montego Glover, in a tie with Catherine Zeta-Jones in A Little Night Music). While Folles won for Revival of a Musical (Broadway or Off-), Director of a Musical (Terry Johnson), Actor in a Musical (Douglas Hodge), and Costume Design in a Play or Musical (Matthew Wright). The Tonys will be held on June 13. The Drama Desk Awards will be given out on May 23. Theatre For One Hits Times Square In the midst of all the hoopla surrounding awards season, acclaimed Broadway set designer Christine Jones debuted “Theatre for One,” a four-foot-by-ninefoot portable theatre with one performer playing to one audience member in Times Square. The uniquely intimate theatrical experience was available on a first-come, first-served basis between May 14–23. The theatre was fully-operational, with computer controlled lights and sound, stage and audience doors and solid sliding “curtain” in a proscenium to start and end the performances. “We are thrilled to provide Theatre for One with its Broadway debut,” said Tim Tompkins, President of the Times Square Alliance. “This installation marks not only the public and world premiere of Theatre for One, but also a number of new commissions for this unique performance space.” www.stage-directions.com • June 2010 5
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