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• Winning (and other opportunities) at the ACTF 

• Powering up the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre 

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N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 7 

New projection tools 

and techniques 

Acting in the age of 

digital possibilities 

Theatres that gained 

by going green

Table Of Contents 

N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 7 

Features 

34 A Festival for Success 

The American College Theatre Festival showcases 

students’ commitment to excellence. 

By Nancy and Thomas Hird 

38 Defying Gravity 

Whether an experienced or novice rigger, brush up 

your skills with this refresher. By Erik Viker 

Special Section: 

Lighting & Projection 

41 Hitting the Spot 

Is it time to retire your theatre’s ancient followspot? 

Or simply salvage it? Here’s how to evaluate… 

By Lisa Mulcahy 

44 Greening the Green Room 

As the concept of “going green” garners international 

attention, theatres can make environmental 

strides, too. By Amy L. Slingerland 

48 Something Old, New Again 

Video tools and techniques to give new life to 

Pepper’s Ghost and greater impact to your projection. 

By Robert Mokry 

52 Is It Live? 

Video technology is transforming live performance. 

What does this mean for the live performers? 

By Tim Cusack 

34 

18 

PORFIRIO J. SOLORZANO

Departments 

9 Letters 

High school video on a budget. 

10 In The Greenroom 

ETC lends a hand to a documentary of High School Musical: 

On Stage, The Human Race Theatre offers a new musical 

theatre scholarship, Shakespeare and Company gets a grant 

to keep bringing the Bard to schools, and more. 

By Jacob Coakley 

16 Tools of the Trade 

The Audio Engineering Society convention just took place in 

NYC. Here’s the low-down on new gear for the theatre. 

18 Theatre Space 

The Cobb Centre’s John A. Williams Theatre in Atlanta emulates 

the nostalgia of an opulent vaudeville venue, but with 

ultra-modern enhancements. By Bret Love 

22 School Spotlight 

Air Academy High School’s fledgling theatre program starts 

to soar. By Erin Blakemore 

24 Vital Stats 

Lighting Designer Ryan Wentworth paints the stage with his 

palette of lights. By Kevin M. Mitchell 

26 Sound Design 

Everyone knows the horrors of good audio gone bad. These 

designers found ways to stop the madness. 

By Bryan Reesman 

30 Sound Advice 

Three different perspectives of sound all need to fit together 

in a performance. By Jason Pritchard 

60 Answer Box 

Love, death, poetry and a pool of water contend with wireless 

mics in Shakespeare in the Park’s production of Romeo 

and Juliet. By Thomas H. Freeman 

Columns 

7 Ed Note 

How would Stanislavski deal with Genlock? 


55 TD Talk 

Does climbing the ladder of success mean you have to get 

down from the wooden one in your shop? 

By Dave McGinnis 

56 Off the Shelf 

This month it’s a balancing act of books for actors and directors. 

By Stephen Peithman 

57 The Play’s the Thing 

Plays that confront the different choices for and obligations of 

the modern woman. By Stephen Peithman 

52 

ON OUR COVER: Lauren Ambrose in The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park production of Romeo and Juliet 

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: Michal Daniel

Dan Hernandez 

Editor’s Note 

Slowing the 

Speed of Light 

I love making theatrical discoveries. 

Whether it’s a new play, 

a new designer, a new troupe, a 

new venue, a new way to interpret 

text or a new staging technique 

— whenever I’m surprised, whenever 

there’s a new twist to be added 

to the mix, I’m thrilled. 

Sometimes, these new twists 

are most easily recognized when 

they’re technical in nature. While it’s popular to mock the 

‘80s invasion of big British spectacle musicals, the fact is, 

the first time that chandelier soared or the barricade came 

together — that was thrilling. They were oversized stories, 

staged in oversized ways. 

But sometimes the thrill comes from a different direction. 

I recently saw a production of Have You Seen Steve 

Steven by Ann Marie Healy, produced by 13P in a small offoff-Broadway 

house, and the show was terrifying. People 

were shrieking with dread, even though the dialogue 

consisted of talk about brownies. It was riveting and unsettling, 

and while the tech element was well done, the effect 

of the show came from the script, the direction and some 

very strong performances. 

So how do we resolve the human and technical elements, 

and how does each camp get what it needs to make 

a riveting show? In this month’s special section on lighting 

and projection, you’ll note that, in one article, we talk about 

some groundbreaking projection tools that companies are 

using; we also talk to the actors working with these same 

companies in another article. These new tools offer new 

challenges to actors that go beyond just hitting your light. 

Trying to remain present enough to tell a human story 

while being mediated by a camera and a projector, and 

without the benefit of multiple takes, can require new skills 

and a different focus. Especially when the technicians are 

probably facing challenges of their own. 

It’s unfortunate that for most productions the tech 

and the human elements don’t come together until tech 

rehearsals, which are laborious, repetitive — and short. 

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that some of the companies 

we talk to this month in our features on projection take a 

long time to develop a new work. During this process, the 

actors, designers and technicians all work together in the 

same room and in real time to create the show. This isn’t 

required — or even feasible — for all shows, but if you’re 

looking to create something thrilling from both the human 

and technical side, it’s one place to start. 

Jacob Coakley 

Editor 

Stage Directions

www.stage-directions.com 

Publisher Terry Lowe 

tlowe@stage-directions.com 

Editor Jacob Coakley 

Editorial Director Bill Evans 

jcoakley@stage-directions.com 

bevans@fohonline.com 

Audio Editor Jason Pritchard 

jpritchard@stage-directions.com 

Lighting & Staging Editor Richard Cadena 

rcadena@plsn.com 

New York Editor Bryan Reesman 

Managing Editor Geri Jeter 

bryan@stage-directions.com 

gjeter@stage-directions.com 

Associate Editor Breanne George 

bg@stage-directions.com 

Contributing Writers Erin Blakemore, Tim Cusack, Nancy and 

Thomas Hird, Bret Love, Dave McGinnis, 

Kevin M. Mitchell, Robert Mokry, 

Lisa Mulcahy, Jason Pritchard, 

Amy Slingerland, Erik Viker 

Consulting Editor Stephen Peithman 

ART 

Art Director Garret Petrov 

Graphic Designers Crystal Franklin, David Alan 

Production 

Production Manager Linda Evans 

levans@stage-directions.com 

WEB 

Web Designer Josh Harris 

ADVERTISING 

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National Sales Manager James Leasing 

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Audio Advertising Manager Dan Hernandez 

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University of 

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Gene Flaharty 

Mehron Inc. 

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Apollo Design 

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Period Corsets 

Todd Koeppl 

Chicago Spotlight Inc. 

Kimberly Messer 

Lillenas Drama Resources 

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OTHER TIMELESS COMMUNICATIONS PUBLICATIONS 

Bill Sapsis 

Sapsis Rigging 

Richard Silvestro 

Franklin Pierce College

Letters 

High School Musical Video 

I teach Theatre/Entertainment technology at the grade 

11/12 level. Our current mainstage production is Man of 

La Mancha. We would like to use four data projectors and 

screens all projecting a different image at some points, the 

same image during other times. All video will be prerecorded 

or animated — nothing live or realtime. The screens and projectors 

will be located at a different locations in the house and 

would ideally be controlled by an area at the FOH mix area. 

Any suggestions on software/hardware options that can 

help us achieve this? Oh yeah, on a budget as well. :-) Any info 

or your thoughts/directions would be greatly appreciated… 

Shawn Clement 

Burlington Central School 

Burlington, Ontario, Canada 

Shawn — 

At the risk of offering too little help, I would first refer you 

to a video professional in your area. The type of video you’re 

talking about — multiple source streams running to multiple 

projectors — is not an easy set up, and could easily involve 

video mixers, distribution amps and media servers. 

Now, having said that, here’s a couple of budget options. 

The cheapest way I could think to do something like this 

(and this may not fit your aesthetic) is to edit your source 

material so that all your transitions, crossfades and effects 

are included in your video. You could keep these video 

tracks on your computer or burn them to a DVD. 

Then, find a distribution amp that will accept the video 

output and route it to all your projectors. You can find DMXcontrollable 

shutters for projectors, which will cover the 

projector’s beam. Send all your video to all your projectors, 

and if you don’t want certain projectors to play the video, 

simply keep the shutter closed. This way, you can have one 

video stream in multiple locations, and even switch between 

locations with some simple mechanics. You also can build 

a very cheap projector shutter that you can operate with 

trick line, depending on how long the run from FOH to the 

projector is. 

The next step up would be to buy something like the 

Kramer Electronics VS-5x5. This particular piece of gear is a 

5 x 5 video matrix switcher and is available for less than $600, 

but any switcher that’s at least 4 x 4 (since that’s the number 

of output streams you want) will work. Burn your video files 

(again, with all your fades and transitions already edited 

into them) onto DVDs and route four DVD players into the 

switcher. Then you can just select the source and send it to 

the proper projector with the push of a button. This option 

will let you have different video files playing on different 

screens simultaneously. 

I’ve also taken the liberty of posting this question online in 

the SD forums at www.stage-directions.com/forum. Anyone 

who has an idea on how to help Shawn out (or who wants to 

read more solutions to this) can head on over there. 

— Ed.


In The Greenroom 

theatre buzz 

Sundance Institute Taps Storytelling Fellows 

The Sundance Institute and Time 

Warner Inc. have started a new 

project called the Time Warner 

Storytelling Advancement Fund. 

The Fund provides substantial support 

over four years to help fund 

Sundance Institute’s development 

and celebration of independent artists 

across the Sundance Institute’s 

core programs. 

The new Time Warner Storytelling 

Advancement Fund has two main 

components. The first is the establishment 

and specialized support 

of the Time Warner Storytelling 

F e l l o w s , a t a l e n t e d g r o u p o f 

Sundance film and theatre artists (up 

to 20 fellows over a four-year period) 

whose work uniquely positions 

and advances the concept of storytelling. 

Fellows will each receive a 

grant to enable them to focus specifically 

on the advancement of the 

narrative and voice in their projects. 

The second component is the piloting 

of activities to explore ideas in 

advancing storytelling throughout 

the broader arts landscape, including 

public readings and creative 

roundtables. 

Playwright Tracey Scott Wilson 

has been chosen as one of the inaugural 

Fellows, based on her project 

The Good Negro. Wilson will receive a 

$5,000 grant and will be given a combination 

of year-round guidance, 

residency support, mentoring, work 

presentation, professional development 

and ongoing investment. 

Shakespeare & Company 

Festival Receives Grant 

Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Mass., 

has received a $5,000 grant from Berkshire Bank 

Foundation targeted directly to support the company’s 

19th annual Fall Festival of Shakespeare. The festival 

is a nine-week residency program, which brings 

Shakespeare to over 500 students and 10 high schools 

participating, largely in Berkshire County, Pioneer 

Valley and eastern New York. It concludes with a fourday 

marathon of Shakespeare’s plays performed by 

the students at Shakespeare & Company’s Founders’ 

Theatre. Students display teamwork and enthusiasm 

by experiencing first-hand the vibrancy and relevance 

present in Shakespeare’s work. The culminating marathon 

of performances runs Nov. 15–18 and is open to 

the public. 

T Fellowship Recipients Announced 

for Theatre Producing Program 

The T Fellowship Commitee has announced 

the accepted fellows for the inaugural year of the T 

Fellowship, a new theatre producing program inspired 

by the work of Broadway producer T. Edward Hambleton. 

The 2007–2008 T Fellows are John Pinckard and Orin 

Wolf. The fellowship begins immediately. 

The T Fellowship was created in an effort to encourage 

a new generation of creative theatrical producers, 

those who initiate work from the ground up, following a 

path all their own. It was created to honor the legacy of 

Broadway producer T. Edward Hambleton by supporting 

and developing emerging theatrical producers. 

The program is run by Columbia University’s School 

of the Arts. The T Fellowship Committee members will 

serve as mentors to the selected fellows. 

Human Race Honors Schwartz, Helps Local Students 

The Human Race Theatre Company in Dayton, Ohio, 

has announced that in honor of musical theatre legend 

Stephen Schwartz — composer of Godspell, Pippin, The 

Baker’s Wife, Children of Eden, Working, Wicked — and its 

current premiere of SNAPSHOTS: A Musical Scrapbook, 

it has created the Stephen Schwartz Musical Theatre 

Scholarship — designed to support singer/actors in 

the greater Dayton area who are training for a career in 

musical theatre. 

A $1,500 scholarship will be made to a high school 

senior who has been accepted into a college program 

and plans to train in musical theatre. A $3,500 scholarship 

will be awarded to a college student who is currently 

training for a career in musical theatre. 

“The musical theatre survives and flourishes only with 

the infusion of new talent,” said award-winning composer 

Stephen Schwartz. “I’ve always tried to support and 

encourage emerging talent, and so I am proud and excited 

to have this new scholarship named for me.” 

All applicants must have a permanent address in 

Montgomery County, Ohio, or one of seven contiguous 

counties (Preble, Darke, Miami, Clark, Greene, Warren or 

Butler), OR be currently enrolled at a college in one of 

the eight counties previously listed. Preliminary auditions 

will be held this fall, with the final audition planned 

before a live audience at The Loft Theatre in April 

2008. To download the scholarship application, go to 

www.humanracetheatre.org/ScholarshipApplication.pdf. 

10 November 2007 • www.stage-directions.com

theatre buzz 

High Schools’ Production of HSM Gets Documented 

As if you didn’t know, the Disney 

Channel’s movie High School Musical 

has become a school theatre phenomenon, 

High School Musical: On Stage. As 

part of a public affairs initiative in association 

with the NAMM Foundation, a 

nonprofit organization that advocates 

for musical education, Disney selected 

two high schools in Fort Worth, Texas, 

to perform the musical to be filmed and 

featured in a “docu-musical” — High 

School Musical: The Music in You — airing 

this fall. To support the schools 

and the work of NAMM, ETC (Electronic 

Theatre Controls Inc.) donated the lighting 

equipment for the production. 

Western Hills High School and crosstown 

rival Arlington Heights High School 

team up each summer for a theatre workshop, 

called the Heights-Hills Operation 

(H2O). This summer, they put on a production 

of High School Musical: On Stage. 

Plans were made to show the musical 

in Western Hills’ blackbox theatre, but 

the space proved too small for a production 

of this size, so 

it was moved to the 

school’s main 50-foot 

proscenium stage. 

There they faced a big 

problem: no lighting 

equipment whatsoever 

and only a couple 

weeks until opening 

night. So, they called 

on ETC dealer Full Compass, based out of 

Middleton, Wisc., for help. 

Included in the ETC lighting system 

were 36 ETC Source Four PAR, 14 Source 

Four 19°, 14 Source Four 26° and four 

Source Four 36° fixtures, plus six Source 

Four Revolution moving lights and a 

SmartPack touring pack dimmer. To control 

the system, an ETC Congo jr lighting 

console with a Fader Wing was selected. 

H2O put on five performances over 

the span of one week. As a special treat, 

some of the professional cast members 

from the High School Musical movie 

showed up for the final show and joined 

Andrew Sullivan 

H2O performing High School Musical: On Stage 

the real high school students on stage to 

sing the last megamix number. 

In late fall, two-minute vignettes will 

air on the Disney Channel to introduce 

the documentary, which will be followed 

by the full-length feature highlighting 

the theatrical process of staging 

the musical. 

The Stage Directions Special Section 

this December will focus on High School 

Musical: On Stage and will feature a photo 

spread of productions around the country. 

To get your show in the December 

issue, send your production photos to 

hsm@stage-directions.com. 


Chinchilla Productions LLC, based in Phoenix, Ariz., has 

reopened with a focus on national Broadway tours and productions 

ranging from small to medium-large in size. The 

new business model aims to offer a high level of quality to a 

market share that is currently squeezed by tighter budgets 

in the expanding nonequity/nonunion market. 

Brett Rothstein, a senior audio designer for the company 

explains, “In the theatrical world, major players hold much of 

the market share. There are not, however, many rental houses 

industry news 

House Theatre of Chicago Searching for New Home 

House Theatre’s productions of The Magnificents was its last show 

at the Viaduct. 

The House Theatre of Chicago 

is searching for a new home after 

losing its lease on the Viaduct, 

a venue where the theatre has 

staged productions for the past 

six years. 

The 150-seat Viaduct is located 

at 3111 N. Western, and is known 

for its rustic motif. 

According to a Chicago Sun- 

T i m e s article, Nathan Allen, 

artistic director of the House, 

said the reason has to do with 

the Viaduct’s landlord’s plans to 

take the theatre space in a different 

direction. 

The company’s final production at 

the Viaduct will be The Magnificents 

on Nov. 3. 

In place of the Viaduct, the company 

will use the Apollo Theatre for 

its commercial run of The Sparrow and 

the Steppenwolf Theatre Upstairs for 

The Nutcracker this winter. 

“The search is now on for a new, 

flexible venue,” Allen said. 

Chinchilla Productions Chooses Theatre 

that specialize in renting equipment and providing services 

to the mid-sized productions. Thus, we saw an opportunity to 

capitalize on what we perceived as a hole in the market.” 

Rothstein sums up the company adding, “By offering 

higher-quality equipment, designers and engineers, we 

give producers the tools to ensure that their audiences 

can see and hear more clearly, which in turn allows the 

patrons to better enjoy the performance, which is what it 

should be about.” 

www.stage-directions.com • November 2007 13

changing roles 

Shakespeare Santa Cruz Names New AD 

Marco Barricelli 

S h a k e s p e a r e 

Santa Cruz, based 

i n S a n t a C r u z , 

Calif., has named 

Marco Barricelli 

as its incoming 

artistic director. 

Barricelli, a nationa 

l l y a c c l a i m e d 

actor, director and educator will succeed 

Paul Whitworth, who came to 

SSC from Britain’s Royal Shakespeare 

Company in 1984, and has held the 

position of artistic director of SSC 

since September 1995. Whitworth 

joins the Asolo Theatre Company 

in Florida in February 2008 to play 

the role of Dysart in Equus by Peter 

Shaffer. Barricelli will take the reins 

as artistic director on Jan. 1, 2008. 

Of his successor, Whitworth says, 

“The art of the actor is central to an 

understanding of Shakespeare. I am 

thrilled that Marco Barricelli has been 

appointed to be the next artistic 

director of SSC.” 

Dámaso Rodriguez Joins 

Pasadena Playhouse 

As Associate Director 

Dámaso Rodriguez 

P a s a d e n a 

P l a y h o u s e 

h a s a p p o i n t - 

e d D á m a s o 

Rodriguez to the 

n e w l y c r e a t e d 

position of associate 

artistic director 

of the theatre. 

Rodriguez is an award-winning director, 

co-founder and resident director 

for the Furious Theatre Company, 

which is in residence at Pasadena 

Playhouse. He will report directly to 

Artistic Director Sheldon Epps. As 

associate artistic director, Rodriguez 

will be responsible for overseeing the 

relationship with the Furious Theatre 

Company and will continue to provide 

leadership to the resident theatre 

company. He will also help support 

Epps with the programming of 

Pasadena Playhouse’s main stage. 

Gerarda Pizzarello 

Joins Rose Brand 

Gerarda Pizzarello has joined Rose 

Brand, provider of theatrical supplies 

and fabrications. Pizzarello has been 

a resident scenic artist at the Julliard 

School and the charge scenic artist at 

the McCarter Theater. Pizzarello was 

on the faculty of The Studio School 

of Stage Design where she taught 

design and perspective drawing. 

Pizzarello graduated with honors 

from Rutgers University, Douglass 

College, with two Bachelor of Arts 

degrees in English and sociology and 

also studied fine art painting and 

sculpture with Jacques Fabert and 

theatrical painting and design at the 

Studio School of Stage Design. 


Tools of the Trade 

Audio Takes Center Stage 

The 123rd AES convention took place Oct 5–8 in New York City, and audio companies took the opportunity to showcase 

their new sound offerings. While a large part of the show floor focused on studio recording and postproduction work, there 

was still plenty of good news for theatre as well. 

Allen & Heath Zed-14 

Allen & Heath launched the Zed-14 stereo mixer, the first 

in a new range of 

small-format, USBequipped 

mixers for 

live performance. 

The Zed-14 brings 

13 independent 

sources to the mix; 

10 independent 

outputs; two prefader 

and two post-fader aux sends; a USB send and return 

for PC or Mac recording, playback and effects; a dual stereo 

input capability; and monitoring facilities. It has six mono 

channels with a responsive three-band, swept mid-channel 

EQ, and four stereo channels with a two-band EQ, in 100 

mm faders. In addition to the twin TRS jack inputs, flexible 

dual input options, including Stereo RTN on RCA, 2TRK on 

RCA, and USB interface, are provided to enable the engineer 

to control and route any source. Monitoring is provided by 

two prefade sends, and monitor mixes can be checked in the 

headphones and local monitors by using the monitor section 

controls, which include as sources the channel PFLs, the 2TRK 

and USB returns, plus the main LR mix. 

www.allen-heath.com 

Focusrite ISA 828 

Focusrite unveiled its new ISA 828, eight-channel, microphone 

preamplifier. 

The ISA 828 

f e a t u r e s e i g h t 

original ISA transformer-based 

preamps in a single 2U chassis and offers a 

cost-effective multichannel professional Focusrite solution 

to date. The eight ISA-series transformer-based microphone 

preamps feature the same microphone preamplifier design 

as the original ISA 110 module from Focusrite’s Forte console 

(including the original Lundahl L1538 transformer and 

bespoke zobel network). The preamps are complemented 

by eight line inputs, four instrument inputs and an optional 

eight-channel 192kHz ADC. 

www.focusrite.com 

Meyer MM-4XP 

Meyer Sound’s MM-4XP miniature 

loudspeaker is a self-powered 

version of the MM-4 miniature 

wide-range loudspeaker. Its 

face measures four inches square, 

and it is designed for distributed 

systems where space is at a premium 

and in which a single light 

gauge cable can deliver both balanced audio and DC power 

over a long cable run of up to several hundred feet. The 

MM-4XP can be used for fixed installations, with features 

such as various mounting options, an operating frequency 

range of 120 Hz to 18 kHz and peak output of 113 dB SPL. 

It can also be used for stage lip frontfill, fill and spot coverage 

or installation in steps and other hidden locations. The 

MM-4XP has a single proprietary four-inch cone transducer. 

Peak and rms limiters regulate loudspeaker temperatures 

and excursion. Balanced audio and 48 V DC power from an 

MPS-488 external power supply are received on a five-pin 

Switchcraft EN3 connector. The one-rack space MPS-488 

external power supply is required for use of the MM-4XP. It 

provides 48 V DC power to up to eight MM-4XPs, while also 

routing eight channels of balanced audio from its XLR inputs 

to the five-pin EN3 connectors on its eight channel outputs. 

www.meyersound.com 

Riedel Performer CR-4 / CR-2 Master Station 

R i e d e l 

Communications, 

makers of intercom 

and radio technology, 

added several new products to its Performer digital 

partyline intercom series. The Performer now has two and 

four-channel master stations, rack-mount, wall-mount and 

desktop speaker stations, call light indicators and two-channel 

beltpack headset stations. The new Performer master stations 

CR-4 (four-channel) and CR-2 (two-channel) are the backbone 

of a stand-alone digital partyline system. Depending on the 

setup, the integrated power supply of the 19-inch/1RU device 

can power up to 32 Performer devices — such as beltpacks, 

split-boxes or desktop speaker stations — per line. Additional 

power-supplies expand the possibilities. The CR-4/CR-2 features 

an additional program input that can be mixed individually 

to each of the intercom channels. 

www.riedel.com 

RSS V-Mixing 

System 

The RSS Digital V- 

Mixing System incorporates 

the new RSS 

M-400 Live Digital 

Console with configurable 

digital snakes 

featuring remotecontrolled 

mic preamps, 

for approximately 

$10,000. At this price point, it should be attractive to 

more than a few theatres. This fully digital system eliminates 

the bulk and noise susceptibility typically associated with 

analog snakes and replaces it all with Cat5e (Ethernet/LAN) 

cable. The V-Mixing system sets up by plugging in one Cat5e 

cable from a Digital Snake stage unit to the M-400 V-Mixer. The 

system converts analog inputs to 24-bit digital streams on the 


stage via mic preamps located near the source. The M-400 V- 

Mixing Console features rapid recall of scenes, 100 mm motorized 

and touch-sensitive faders, a large bright 800 x 480 color 

screen, dedicated effect knobs for EQ, pan and gain. 

www.rolandsystemsgroup.com 

Studer Vista 5 SR 

S t u d e r 

unveiled its 

new Vista 5 SR, 

a road-ready 

version of its 

e s t a b l i s h e d 

Vista 5 model, 

already in use 

in theatres. Studer gave the 5 SR a new frame and rack, as 

well as other touring upgrades like a brighter screen, which 

uses the Soundcraft Vistonics user interface. Vistonics uses an 

array of encoders mounted directly into touchscreens to give 

immediate viewing and access of channel and output parameters. 

Another key feature of the Vista5 SR is its expandable 

I/O system, allowing the whole range of available Studer 

D21m Series I/O cards (including Cobranet and Aviom A-Net) 

to be added to the system. The MADI standard is used as optical 

snake link from stagebox to FOH rack — with the option 

to add a redundant snake for increased security. 

www.studer.ch 

Wireworks AESX, AV2000 Series 

Wireworks new AESX digital interconnect cable assemblies 

are manufactured with 

next-generation Neutrik 

XX Series XLR connectors 

offering improved 

signal integrity and 

mechanical enhancements. 

The AESX Series 

includes both singlepair 

and eight-pair 110 ohm AES/EBU digital cable assemblies. 

The single-pair cords provide two digital signal paths and are 

available in 100-foot lengths, while the eight-pair multicables 

allow for 16 digital signal paths configured with XLR fanouts on 

each end. Two application specific models are available: studio 

select, featuring 26-gauge conductors for added flexibility in 10 

to 50-foot lengths, and Road-Tough assemblies featuring lowloss 

24-gauge conductors and durable cable jacket in lengths 

from 10 feet to 250 feet. Their AV2000 MultiMedia Cabling is 

now HD compatible. AV2000 MultiMedia Cabling combines 

audio, high-definition video, data and control signals through 

a hybrid connector that replaces multiple fragile tails and connectors. 

AV2000 allows each cabling system to match specific 

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Theatre Space By Bret Love 

A PAC to Power the Arts 

Cobb Energy Performing Arts 

Centre Comes to Atlanta’s Suburbs. 

The John A. Williams Theatre 

Though it didn’t actually open its doors to the public 

until Sept. 15, 2007, the Cobb Energy Performing Arts 

Centre in northwest Atlanta (about 10 minutes from 

downtown, 30 minutes from Hartsfield-Jackson International 

Airport) is a $145 million dream more than a decade in the 

making. 

The idea for the city’s first new major performing arts facility 

in more than four decades originated back in the early 

1990s. When business declined in the upscale mall known as 

the Galleria, it was decided by the owners that the upstairs 

should be developed into a meeting and convention center. 

During the planning stages, developer John A. Williams met 

with design firm Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & 

Associates (an international company previously best-known 

for designing various Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons resort 

properties), which had been contracted to oversee the 

design of the Convention Center. 

Though there wasn’t enough money in the budget at the 

time, they discussed how the Board of the Cobb-Marietta 

Coliseum and Exhibit Hall Authority (of which Williams was 

chairman) had long seen the need for a performing arts center 

in Cobb County. So when land adjacent to the Convention 

Center became available in 2002, they purchased the property 

and began planning the design of the facility that would eventually 

be known as the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. 

“We focused on the aspects of this project that we 

believed would endear it to the community,” says Bill 

Reynolds of SRSS&A, the managing principal on the project. 

“This particular area of Cobb County is a major emerging 

urban center in Atlanta with a strong identity, and 

the Performing Arts Centre’s mix of uses is only going to 

enhance that identity. We wanted this to be a timeless facility 

that would contribute to the perception of this area as a 

cultural and commercial core.” 

Once they defined the primary objectives for the multipurpose 

facility, which will be used for everything from opera 

and touring Broadway shows to standup comedy and popular 

music concerts, Reynolds says the designers focused on 

how the architectural design would impact the experience of 

patrons, not only in terms of aesthetics, but also in the quality 

of the performance hall itself. 

From an aesthetic standpoint, the Centre’s John A. Williams 

Theatre recalls classic elements of the opera houses of old, 

fused with contemporary design and top-notch technology. 

Wood paneling, a ceiling canopy composed of brushed 

waves of gold and silver metal, a rich color palette (dark reds, 

golds and purples) and private boxes trimmed with ebony 

and cherry woodwork lend an opulent appeal that recalls the 

finely detailed performance halls of the past. 

The theatre has a seating capacity of approximately 2,750, 

comprising orchestra, mezzanine, upper and lower grand 

tier seating and private boxes, with various orchestra pit 

configurations providing additional audience seats. Yet, with 

the stage and the farthest seat in the house 160 feet apart 

and a hall that is a mere 110 feet at its widest, the theatre also 

offers a sense of intimacy designed to make performers feel 

enveloped by the audience, creating what David Rosenburg 

of Theatre Projects Consultants calls a “little temporary community.” 

“The really interesting thing about this facility is that it was 

modeled from the inside out,” notes Reynolds. “The theatre 

enclosure, the arrangement of the seating, the balconies, 

sightlines and acoustics were all modeled up at the beginning 

of the project to determine the ideal arrangement for 

the hall, then that became a program element in the overall 

project. The intimacy is related to what the industry believes 

to be the ideal for a facility of this size and was a goal of the 

owner and our team from the beginning.” 

The theatre features a full complement of fixed and adjustable 

acoustical elements that allow flexibility in shaping the 

room to accommodate a wide range of performance uses. 

Chicago-based Kirkegaard Associates collaborated closely with 


Theatre Space 

The Cobb Energy PAC 

SRSS&A to work out the acoustics. The 

hall is designed to meet what Anthony 

Shou of Kirkegaard Associates calls “the 

challenge of intimacy of sound,” using 

Meyer Sound’s MICA curvilinear array 

loudspeaker clusters with hoist devices 

and provision for a flown-in center cluster. 

Four acoustic drapes on side and 

rear walls may be adjusted to create 

the level of sound absorption desired 

for each performance, while four sets of 

acoustic reflectors evenly direct sound 

from the stage and orchestra pit areas 

throughout the theatre. 

“Opera isn’t generally amplified, 

whereas Broadway usually is, and of 

course rock concerts are amplified a 

lot,” Reynolds says. “So the consultants 

we had on board, who were 

experts in the acoustical and sound 

system aspects of the project, had 

to design it to suit as many different 

scenarios as possible.” 

The venue’s seats feature wood 

backs and bottoms, with Kirkegaard 

Associates experimenting with the 

type of foam, cushion and fabric to 

control how much absorption they 

would add to the room. A displacement 

ventilation system offers acoustical 

advantages as well, with low-velocity 

air pushed through 1,680 diffusers 

on the floor rather than forced through 

large, loud wall-mounted registers. To 

minimize external site noise, which 

includes commercial and military 

aviation, 20-inch-thick concrete walls 

encase the auditorium. 

The 6,050-square foot stage (55 feet 

deep and 110 feet wide) offers productions 

the flexibility of a 40-foot by 20- 

foot, fully trappable steel floor. The proscenium 

measures 32 feet high and 50 

feet wide. A full, over-stage grid with 

channel decking is located at 82 feet. 

Acoustic reflectors in the theatre help direct the audio. 

Operating, fly and crossover galleries are 

at 35 feet, and the stage rigging system 

includes 96 line sets with battens capable 

of handling 2,000 pounds each. The 

orchestra pit is a 51-foot by 9-foot spiral 

jack lift equipped with movable seat 

wagons, making it possible to extend 

the stage or convert the orchestra pit for 

audience seating. There are two orchestra 

pit configurations, accommodating 

somewhere between 36 and 84 musicians, 

depending on instrumentation. 

Over the course of the process, members 

of the design team toured numerous 

standout facilities built in the last 10 

years, including performing arts centers 

in Cincinnati, Houston, New Jersey and 

nearby Columbus, Ga. Along the way, 

they took notes and asked questions 

about the venues’ various strengths 

and weaknesses. One recurring theme 

they encountered was the importance 

of the relationship between the loading 

dock and the stage. 

“For a large performance,” says 

Reynolds, “there could be six to 10 

trailer truckloads of equipment that 

needs to be delivered, so maneuverability 

becomes an important component 

of the facility. A lot of these facilities 

were in restricted downtown locations, 


whereas here we have the room for an 

adequate loading dock that will help 

with loading and unloading.” 

To that end, the venue features four 12- 

foot-wide covered loading bays, allowing 

four tractor-trailer rigs to be unloaded at 

once. The expansive parking lot includes 

three 45-foot RV parking spaces with full 

utility hookups, and there’s a 10-footwide 

ramp connecting the scenery dock 

to the stage. Backstage, the facility has 

12 dressing rooms (including two star 

dressing rooms), all equipped with lit, 

mirrored makeup stations, chairs, sinks 

with hot and cold water and an attached 

bathroom with shower. 

While other venues they visited 

had primarily dedicated public spaces 

for circulation through the facility, 

Reynolds and company wanted to 

make audiences feel like any event held 

at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts 

Centre was about more than just the 

show itself. “We wanted it to be a hub 

of social activity well in advance of the 

performance,” recalls Reynolds. 

The theatre’s distinctive façade 

and three-story public lobby, with its 

floor-to-ceiling glass curtain wall, offers 

visitors a stunning welcome with two 

grand staircases, colored-glass chandeliers 

and Venetian plaster walls establishing 

an elegant environment. For 

special occasions, such as fundraising 

events or black-tie galas, the Centre’s 

flexible spaces include a 3,100-squarefoot 

terrace, a 9,500-square-foot courtyard 

and a 10,000-square-foot ballroom 

that is divisible into three independent 

spaces, each with autonomous sound 

and lighting controls. 

“Not only is it a dramatic space with 

lots of different breakout areas and venues 

for small, prefunction get-togethers,” 

Reynolds continues, “but it’s also 

got state-of-the-art catering capabilities 

to make preperformance activities 

a major part of the evening. From 

the time you approach the site, you’re 

aware of that part of the experience, 

and it draws you in.” 

Thus far, the response from local critics 

and the surrounding community has 

been exceptional, with glowing reviews 

in local publications and high praises 

from performers in the facility’s first presentation, 

the Atlanta Opera’s performance 

of Puccini’s Turandot. And with 

early bookings running the gamut from 

a Gospel Superfest and standup comedy 

by late-night talk show host Craig 

Ferguson to popular music concerts 

featuring Annie Lennox, Kelly Clarkson, 

John Fogerty and George Jones, the 

theatre’s flexibility is being put to the 

test right from the get-go. 

“We attended the gala opening 

event for the facility,” Reynolds recalls, 

“which featured a very nice dinner for 

a large group of folks connected with 

the project, such as sponsors, contributors 

and so forth. From there, we went 

into the theatre for the performance. 

It made for a really enjoyable evening, 

without ever leaving the venue.” 

Bret Love is a freelance writer and performer 

based in Atlanta, Ga. 

The side boxes and stage of the Williams Theatre 


School Spotlight 

By Erin Blakemore 

New Kid on the 

Block 

Air Academy High School’s new 

theatre program takes flight. 

Luke Davis (in mid-flight) and Craig Ewing in fight rehearsal for AAHS’ production of The Three Musketeers 

Following your calling can change your life. For drama 

teacher Lisa Morelos, the decision to take on a fledgling 

drama program at Air Academy High School in Colorado 

Springs, Colo., changed an entire institution. 

AAHS may have just celebrated its 50th birthday, but its 

brand-new drama program is barely one year old. When 

Morelos decided to take a hiatus from the stage and screen 

in order to care for her children, she decided to get her dual 

teacher’s certification in both English and theatre. And her 

first year of teaching was trial by fire. 

Before Morelos arrived as the new kid on the block, English 

teachers had taught drama, both in class and after school. 

But the 1,500-student school was crying out for a more structured 

opportunity for students to learn about performance 

and stage tech. Enter Morelos: Responsible for the planning, 

coordination and implementation of the school’s first-ever 

dedicated drama program, she was charged with a brandnew 

position in AAHS’s performing arts department. 

“It was a year of many firsts,” says Morelos, who managed 

to stage four major productions during the 2006–2007 school 

year. Drawing on her professional training at the University 

of Colorado and Regis University and countless years of 

performance and theatrical involvement, Morelos designed 

a straightforward drama program with the aim of exposing 

AAHS students to a wide range of theatrical possibilities. 

As Easy As… 

On the surface, the concept is as simple as Drama I, II and III. 

Students can take a semester-long introduction to drama class 

before feeding into a group-based second semester allowing 

more in-depth study. An advanced performance course, Drama 

III, was implemented on a year-long basis. But the straightforward 

course titles and tracking belie the complex content of 

each course. For example, first-year drama students are asked 

to choose an emphasis during their second semester, separating 

off into small groups to explore aspects of the theatre such 

as stage tech, acting, direction or even playwriting. In-depth 

character analyses in Drama II allow students to truly study 

and inhabit a role. And Drama III students are afforded even 

more opportunities to live their craft. From cross-curricular 

adaptations of English course materials to myriad chances to 

compete and perform, each unit of Drama III is designed to 

give students a taste of the life of a professional actor. 

Morelos may have been a new face at AAHS, but she 

soon learned that the drama program’s well-being was a 

school-wide concern. “I have been incredibly lucky to have 

tremendous support from my administration and my colleagues,” 

says Morelos, who has collaborated and negotiated 

with teachers from English to calculus and regularly joins 

forces with the instrumental music and voice teachers who 

comprise the performing arts department. 

Another boon? “The best tech director since sliced bread,” 

says Morelo. The recipient of this praise is Glenn Hoit, technical 

director of the AAHS theatre. Doing double duty as math teacher 

and auditorium manager, Hoit takes students under his wing 

A scene from the school’s production of Rumors 


in after-school stage design and set prep. 

When Hoit received school improvement 

bond funds to benefit the auditorium, he 

partnered with local lighting firm Wybron 

Inc. to outfit the auditorium with state-ofthe-art 

equipment, including new luminaries 

and a cutting-edge sound system. 

The facility, which seats 450, facilitates an 

intimate feeling for student production 

and also houses school choral performances 

and assemblies. 

The combination of staff support and 

state-of-the-art digs has made drama a 

hot commodity at AAHS. Morelos notes 

that over 80 students auditioned for her 

last performance, and the schools’ thespian 

group has burgeoned. In addition 

to her straightforward drama courses, 

Morelos teaches a musical theatre 

dance class to supplement after-school 

studies. The commitment of AAHS 

drama students has soared, as students 

worked to design, paint and build sets 

and study fight choreography over an 

entire summer for the school’s fall production 

of The Three Musketeers. 

Making Bigger Connections 

Morelos, who enjoyed a thriving career 

in theatre before she began teaching, tries 

to connect her students with the community 

whenever possible. From hosting an 

annual theatre competition to encouraging 

students to direct faculty and staff 

members, outreach to the school and 

residents of Colorado Springs remains a 

top priority. “Students’ work with adult 

actors has really built their confidence 

and given them experience they couldn’t 

get with one another. I think it also has 

given them some appreciation for what I 

do,” laughs Morelos. 

Once students have interacted with 

the community and each other, they are 

ready to move on to bigger and brighter 

things. That’s why Morelos emphasizes 

audition skills, resumé development and 

even how to take the perfect head shot 

in advanced classes. Several senior students 

have gone on to performing arts 

programs at prestigious colleges nationwide 

— not bad for an upstart teacher 

fresh off the boards themselves. 

“AAHS is extremely college-oriented,” 

notes Morelos. “I try to share personal stories 

with students about how I managed 

— or didn’t manage — to balance college 

and my performing career. They seem 

responsive, and the school also makes 

sure they’re serious about balance in their 

high school days.” Morelos is responsible 

for enforcing tough participation requirements 

similar to those that apply to student 

athletes, but she also does what she 

can to make sure students can continue in 

drama. From individual tutoring of struggling 

students to one-on-one tracking 

and attention — one student achieved 

his first professional audition this summer 

with Morelos’s feedback — Morelos 

strives to ensure that no drama student 

is left behind. 

What does the future hold for this 

upstart program? “Lots of growth,” hopes 

Morelos, whose wish list includes classes 

in improv, technical theatre and advanced 

stage techniques such as make-up, special 

effects and combat. “It’s such a challenge 

to be new,” she says. “You see performing 

arts go through cycles of popularity, 

and you can’t help but wish for longevity 

at your institution. Luckily, I’ve been met 

with tremendous support from students, 

teachers and my department.” 

And Morelos is determined to use 

that support to keep her student’s 

enthusiasm and accomplishments running 

high for years to come. 

The AAHS stage, which has been modified with an 8-foot by 16-foot thrust for the 2007 season.

Vital Stats 

By Kevin M. Mitchell 

Prepping a Palette 

Ryan Wentworth gets his colors ready, then lets the lights paint. 

Home: New York City 

Home Away from Home: Creede, Colo., 

where he’s spent the last five summers 

working at the Creede Repertory 

Theater (CRT). “It’s a great place to work 

with talented artists out to create a 

wonderful artistic experience.” 

Schoolin’: Bachelor of Science in textile 

chemistry from Clemson University; 

Masters of Fine Arts in theatre from 

Southern Methodist University. 

The Foolin’ of Schoolin’: “The real 

lighting world is a far stretch from the 

academic one. In the real world, you 

run into some of the most bizarre problems 

— problems no one ever told you Ryan Wentworth 

about — and being able to work around those problems and 

situations and use them to your advantage is something a 

lighting designer must be able to do. Besides, starting out, 

you will never have that much equipment, that much time, 

that many resources, etc.” 

Recent Work: CRT: Urinetown, Pygmalion, To Fool the Eye, 

Bad Dates, Sweeney Todd and Leading Ladies; New York: The 

Dreamer Examines His Pillow. 

Up Next: Everything in the Garden for CRT. 

Biggest Challenge: “Creating unique-looking shows for 

every play.” 

Waiting for Godot, Others: “The biggest drag about what I 

do is the waiting. A set can be built prior, costumes can be fit 

prior, but lighting is all preparation until you can finally get 

into the space with the other elements and start painting. 

The preparation gives you all the tools you will need when 

you get there, but it is nothing but a palette.” 

Why It’s Worth the Wait: “I’m excited 

by a project if it involves a collaborative 

group of artists all working together. 

Collaboration is vital to theatre in general, 

but I think even more so for lighting.” 

Two Pet Cats: “A three-legged terror 

named Scamper and his much more 

laid back brother, Tigger.” 

Two Pet Peeves: “The first is when I see 

people light a show, and they are more 

interested in making pretty pictures than 

serving the show as a whole. The second 

is when lighting gets overlooked. Lighting 

can have an impact on even the most 

seemingly simple shows that it remains 

an area that must be paid attention to.” 

Toys Enjoyed: “I became a fan of the Strand 520i when I was in 

graduate school because once you learn it, it is a great console 

for a mixed rig of conventional and intelligent lighting fixtures.” 

Ideal Toy Box Includes: The Strand SL series, the R50 gel, a 

Gerber and EZK Birdies. 

Finally: “I love when a production finally goes into tech. That 

is when you finally get to put all the preparation and equipment 

to use. It is always so thrilling to put the set, costumes 

and actors together with lighting and sound to create that 

final experience for an audience.” 

What It Takes: “Patience and a good work ethic. A good work 

ethic can make up for some inexperience.” 

In 10 Years I’ll Be… “Still making my living in this business 

and enjoying every day of it. More important, I 

will still be working with the amazing people I have 

been able to build a relationship with over the course 

of my career, both in New York and here in Creede. 

“Oh yeah, and a Tony would be nice, too.” 

Urinetown takes to the streets under Wentworth’s design. 

24 November 2007 • www.stage-directions.com 

To Fool the Eye at Creede Repertory Theater 

Wentworth’s design for the Creede Rep production of Sweeney Todd

Sound Design 

By Bryan Reesman 

The Sound of 

Horror 

Lots can go wrong when 

the curtain goes up. 

Paul Kolnik 

Performers’ mics in an active show like A Chorus Line are vulnerable to mechanical failures. 

Theatergoers have become accustomed to the magic 

of amplified audio. They’ve become pampered 

by top-notch sound quality, superlative sound 

effects and potent stereo mixes in both Broadway and 

off-Broadway productions. No longer do audiences have 

to strain to hear things in a majority of productions. But 

what happens when something goes wrong? The audience 

can become distracted, chaos and panic can ensue 

backstage and nerves can become frayed, although an 

experienced crew and cast can quickly recover to keep a 

show rolling along smoothly. 

Miserable Circumstance 

Live Engineer Scott Sanders (currently on A Chorus 

Line) certainly has years of experience and numerous 

tales of dread, most of which stem from seemingly 

mundane circumstances. “Ninety percent of what goes 

on is a microphone or transmitter problem,” he reports. 

“That’s the most common, and getting to know whether 

it’s broken at the head, broken at the connector, whether 

it’s a hair that gets into the elements, which can be noisy 

as anything,” the important task is to fix it. 

His biggest microphone nightmare came during his 

early days working on Les Misérables. The actor playing 

the lead role of Jean Valjean broke his microphone as he 

knelt down to belt out a note. “I heard it go ‘whack,’ and 

I looked up and saw his meter peak,” cringes Sanders. “At 

that point, he was onstage for almost 20 minutes, and he 

had no mic. There were times he got in front of Javert, 

so I was able to pick him up there. Then everybody exits, 

and there’s Valjean by himself with no microphone. 

Luckily, it was an understudy on at the time, a guy named 

Joel Robertson, and he was an old trooper.” 

Having an old-school belter made all the difference. 

Aware of the audio failure, Robertson dove for the foot 

mic and changed his blocking to access it more easily. 

“We joked about it later,” says Sanders. “I backed the 

orchestra down so he didn’t have to push as much. He 

had to actually move upstage so he didn’t get hit by the 

curtain that dropped at the end of the scene.” 

A similar situation occurred recently with his run on A 

Chorus Line. The actress playing Diana had her mic go out 

a couple of times on different shows. Sanders says she 

was not yet experienced enough to identify the problem 

the first time, but she redirected herself to one of the 

foot mics the next time it happened. 

“Whenever that stuff happens, you know there are 

1,300 people who also know that it’s happened,” he 

observes, “and a lot of times, the audience realizes 

something’s happened, and that somebody’s stepped 

up a little bit and compensated somehow. They usually 

reward it with great applause afterward.” 

Color Me Surprised 

Fellow Live Engineer Carin Ford (The Color Purple) 

certainly knows firsthand how important an actor’s 

understanding of live audio can be, especially when she 

worked on Lily Tomlin’s The Search for Signs of Intelligent 

Life in the Universe back around 1989. ”This was a onewoman 

show and was very sound effects heavy,” recalls 

Ford. “In the middle of the show, I went to hit a series 

of cues, and nothing happened. My computer just died, 

and at the time, I was not able to run a backup computer 

simultaneously. So Lily finally realized that something 

was wrong. She stopped the show and said something 

like, ‘Carin, do we have a problem?’ Of course, I wanted 


Theater Spotlight 

“Whenever that stuff 

happens, you know 

there are 1,300 people 

who also know that it’s 

happened.” 

— Scott Sanders 

to crawl under the desk, but I just 

told her yes and that we had to 

replace the computer. So she sat 

on the edge of the stage. I left her 

mic open, and she talked to the 

audience while I made the computer 

swap. The audience loved it.” 

Sound effects can also wreak 

havoc for a live engineer, such 

as when Ford worked on the first 

national tour of Beauty and the 

Beast in the mid-1990s. She was 

the sound effects operator for the 

show, and on the first leg of the tour 

in Minneapolis, an unexpected and 

unanticipated problem arose. “I was 

set up in the basement backstage 

to run the show,” she says. “I had 

a rack at the end of my table that 

had all my mixer modules for LCS 

and my MIDI interface for the sound 

effects system. On top of that rack 

there was a spare computer that 

was not used for the show, and it 

had some games on it. Occasionally, 

an actor would come by and play 

on the computer for a few minutes 

before going on stage.” 

During one of the shows, a 

member of the cast came by to 

play games after donning his costume. 

“I wasn’t paying any attention 

because he would always be 

on that computer,” continues Ford. 

When she got to the scene where 

the Beast meets Belle for the first 

time, “there was supposed to be a 

big roar.” But nothing came out, not 

even a whimper. “I went to hit the 

next cue, and nothing happened. 

I’m looking everywhere, trying to 

find out what the problem is. This 

being a Disney show, a costume 

had some kind of appendage hanging 

off of it. Whatever it was, it had 

hit the power for my MIDI interface, 

and it killed everything. So I had to 

reboot the entire system to get back 

online. I’m not sure how many cues 

were missed during the reboot, but 

it felt like a lot.” 


Sound Design 

“So she sat on the edge 

of the stage. I left her mic 

open, and she talked to the 

audience while I made the 

computer swap.” 

— Carin Ford 

During a preview of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a microchip went bad and delayed the show. 

fired a cacophony of multiple [MIDI] 

ring sets,” reveals Sanders. “I immediately 

had to figure out where to reach 

to take it out. In most cases, when 

something happens, you just take it 

out. It’s done, and she’ll just have to 

fake it. You remove the obstruction 

as best you can.” 

“Sound effects can go wonky,” 

confirms Sanders, who had to use 

cart machines for sound effects back 

on Les Miz. He adds that the carts 

were “just like 8-tracks, and they functioned 

just about as well sometimes. 

In some cases, those would not necessarily 

advance, so a couple of times 

I had to kill Gavroche with a canno 

shot instead of a rifle shot. When the 

sound effects go bad, it’s another 

momentary thing where your heart 

races, but it usually passes.” 

One can practically have a heart 

attack when audio goes haywire, as 

happened on Bells Are Ringing. The 

lead actor played a switchboard 

operator whose main prop produced 

numerous sound effects. “I had a 

funny button that all of a sudden 

It’s All in the Timing 

It is lucky when problems occur 

during previews, as it did with Chitty 

Chitty Bang Bang. Fortunately, all the 

sound designers were on hand when 

a chip in one of the digital output 

cards in the downstairs audio racks 

went bad, sending a nasty sound 

rushing through the main speaker 

system. Sound Designer Mark Menard

Paul Kolnik 

raced downstairs to fix the problem 

while the show was delayed for a 

few minutes. 

Having an audio blunder in previews 

is one thing, but on opening 

night it is an entirely different matter. 

That’s a nerve-wracking nightmare. 

Sound Designer Dan Moses 

Schreier (Xanadu) recalls such a situation 

from a production he chooses 

not to name. “The sound design had 

a large sampler-based component to 

it,” he explains. “I had two computerbased 

samplers running in tandem, 

just in case one of the computers 

failed. Each computer/sampler was 

plugged into a separate UPS [uninterrupted 

power supply] in case of a 

power surge or failure.” 

Elisabeth Withers-Mendes and Fantasia (center) and company in The Color Purple 

The show ran through two weeks 

of previews without a hitch…until 

opening night. “As we were testing 

out the system to open the house, 

the first computer started up, then 

abruptly shut down about a minute 

into the startup process,” remarks 

Schreier. “Then we went to the backup 

computer, and the computer 

would not boot up at all. After much 

diagnostic drama, it turned out that 

both UPSs had failed at the same 

time, and neither had showed any 

sign of failure. The problem was 

fixed by simply plugging each computer 

directly into the nearest wall 

sockets, and we got through the 

show. That night was a lot of fun,” he 

adds sarcastically. 

Isn’t technology grand? 

Bryan Reesman is a freelance writer who 

has been published in the New York 

Times, Billboard and Moviemaker. 


Sound Advice 

By Jason Pritchard 

Multiple Perspectives, 

(Hopefully) 

One Sound 

Changes in the 

audio system 

can beget other 

changes, and so 

on, and so on. 

How the band, the actors and “me” all fit together in performance 

I 

sit behind a console and mix a show. That’s my reality, 

but what about the actor’s show? What show are they 

hearing? Then there’s the band or orchestra. Is there 

another show happening in the pit? 

While everyone is doing the same show, the external 

influences that affect each of the participants can be very 

different. The people involved are spread out around 

the room, the actors on stage, the musicians in the pit, 

perhaps backstage or other remote locations. Not to 

mention the audio engineer behind the console, which 

may or may not be located in a position which allows 

the engineer to hear the show that most of the audience 

hears. And certainly not what the musicians or actors 

hear. Everyone has a different point of reference. 

Performing is a complex combination of anticipation 

and reaction. Each person’s actions are influenced by 

the actions of other people. When anticipation and reality 

coincide, the job feels easy. It’s when the collective 

anticipated actions are incorrect, and the performance 

becomes reactive, that difficulty sets in. 

For engineers to be successful, they should have an 

understanding of what the other people might be hearing. 

Through consistency of performance, understanding 

the realities of the other participants and compromise in 

execution, the tension of seemingly incoherent actions 

can be made amenable. 

Me Syndrome 

People are selfish. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just reality. 

Each of us is in our position because we care about 

our little slice of the show. It’s easy for the band to play 

the show as though their performance doesn’t affect 

the actors onstage. And it is also easy for the actors to 

fail to realize that their performance affects the musicians 

in the pit. Those performances both affect and are 

affected by the audio engineer and the sound system. 

Alterations in performance by one group forces the 

others to react and change. That’s actually the beauty 

of live performance, but it is also the one biggest daily 

battle with which we are faced. When the performance 

is happening, it is hard to realize that one’s actions have 

so much influence on the other groups. The actions of 

the others that one experiences are often questioned, or 

written off as “I’m just hearing things.” The struggle for 

consistency and ease of performance is felt globally. 

The Band 

A couple of years ago, I had a conversation with the 

music director for a show I was mixing. We were discussing 

revamping the monitor system for the band. The old 

system was unwieldy, loud and didn’t give the musicians 

what they needed to hear to play a consistent performance. 

The system was so bad, in fact, that it strained 


the relationships between the musicians. Consequently, 

the show was difficult to mix, the people were unhappy 

— going to work felt like a job (if you can imagine). We 

wondered if it had to be this difficult. 

We agreed that the mix had to be consistent from 

show to show. The effect of outside influences (someone 

else’s monitors or the FOH mix) needed to be minimized. 

We agreed that the perfect mix for the drummer 

was different from the perfect mix for the keyboard 

player, yet we needed consistency and continuity for 

everyone. So we replaced the old 

analog console with one of those 

new-fangled digital consoles, and 

replaced the wedges and amplifiers 

with headphones. A mix was 

created that was more or less balanced 

for an average mix of elements. 

From there each musician 

worked with the engineer to tweak 

the generic mix to something customized 

to their liking. A couple 

weeks and 30 snapshot cues later 

(one or two for each number in 

the show), we had nine individual 

mixes that were what each person 

needed to hear throughout 

the show. Although each mix was 

different, each was consistent from 

show to show. 

After running the show like this 

for a couple of months, the consistency 

of the mixes brought some 

pleasant — and wholly unexpected 

— results. The musicians began to 

hear things that they had never 

heard before. They began to hear 

when the bass player changed 

strings. They could hear a drum 

overhead microphone out of place. 

They could hear subtle variations in 

level that before now were secondguessed 

due to the daily inconsistency 

of the old system. And they 

corrected for what they heard. 

Meanwhile, at front of house, I 

stopped chasing inconsistent levels 

and mixing for damage control. We 

were able to take the sound of the 

show to another level, and it was 

easier and much less frustrating for 

me and for them. Going to work 

was fun again. We had found a way 

to have different things, but have 

those different things in a consistent 

and orderly manner. 

The band, in this case, got tighter 

because each player could hear 

what they needed to be consistent. 

A performance is the dynamics that result when a group of people all interact 

— each new stroke affects everyone else’s dynamics. 


This is a graphical “map” of the Internet — bright clusters and millions of forking paths. As a sound engineer, 

you’ve got to follow the right paths to fix the biggest issues and leave the ones that go nowhere alone. 

The downside was isolation from 

the audience and the rest of the 

performance. Band members put 

on the headphones and got into 

their own space, then forgot that 

there was anyone else involved. 

Overall, the situation got better, 

but the side effects didn’t go completely 

unnoticed. There is always a 

trade-off. 

Actors 

Onstage monitors in a musical are 

a touchy subject. The performers on 

stage need to be able to hear the 

music, as well as each other. The issue 

of putting the vocals in the monitors 

often comes up, but the process of 

having them there is fraught with difficulty. 

The process adds extra level 

to the stage, which potentially creates 

more problems being able to 

hear. The problem is made worse 

in musical theatre when performers 

often don’t use hand-held mics 

or headsets. In this example, each 

performer was wearing a hairline 

mounted microphone. The amount 

of gain needed to allow hairline mics 

to work is often not conducive to the 

presence of monitor speakers. Vocals 

produced from speakers located in 

the lighting ladders in the wings, or 

through floor-mounted wedges, also 

damage the illusion of the performer’s 

voice actually coming from the actor’s 

mouth. Once again, a trade-off. 

During one show I was working, 

I received a request from the cast. 

The performers were having a hard 

time feeling “reinforced.” While the 

sound department is responsible for 

making sure that the P.A. is reinforcing 

and everyone is being heard, 

this wasn’t an issue of “the audience 

can’t hear me.” The performers were 

struggling to sing above the music 

that was in the monitors. The decision 

had been made long before, 

by the sound designers and musical 

directors, that there were to be 

no vocals in the onstage monitors. 

The increased chance of feedback, 

along with the damaging effects of 

a secondary P.A., were among the 

reasons that this decision was made 

— a decision made on behalf of the 

audience to protect their enjoyment 

of the show. 

N e v e r t h e l e s s , p e r f o r m e r s ’ 

requests are important and need to 

be addressed. First, I had to try and 

understand the issue that was being 

presented. I’m not a singer, or performer, 

but I did what had to be done. 

We arranged a little time during a 

sound check with the band where I 

could walk around the stage and take 

a listen to the sound that was being 

presented. This might have worked, 


except that the issue had to do with 

“feeling reinforced.” The only way to 

understand what that meant was to 

mic myself up, stand onstage and sing 

through the P.A. Not my finest hour, 

but very productive in terms of gaining 

an understanding of the issue. 

What I heard was very revealing. 

It was true that it was hard to tell if 

the P.A. was on, but that was mostly 

because the music coming from the 

monitors was quite loud and there 

was an electric guitar in the pit with 

an amplifier pointed at the stage. With 

a little tweak of the onstage monitors, 

and a slight spin applied to the guitar 

amp, the performers could hear what 

they needed. They felt more comfortable 

onstage and relaxed their singing 

a little, which protects voices and 

allows them to produce a much nicer, 

more controlled sound. The show was 

better for the change, and we didn’t 

exacerbate the problem by trying to 

add level to the stage. 

Sound affects everyone, and 

everyone hears it differently due to 

location and the uniqueness of individual 

experience. The best thing an 

engineer can do is to listen. Listen to 

the P.A., listen to the concerns that 

others might have about that which 

they are hearing. They will likely rely 

on the expertise 

of the 

engineer to 

understand 

t h e i s s u e s 

and to work 

toward an 

a m i c a b l e 

r e s o l u t i o n . 

S o m e t i m e s 

the request 

to fix a problem 

isn’t met 

with a solut 

i o n t h a t 

is obvious. 

With a little 

care, real-world solutions can be simple. 

Not every problem requires more 

gear, or more sound. 

Jason Pritchard is head of audio for 

Cirque du Soleil’s production of LOVE. 

Patterns and colors distort in a reaction — the same will happen to your mix if all you 

can do is damage control. 


Feature 

By Nancy and Thomas Hird 

A Festival for Success 

The American College 

Theatre Festival showcases 

students’ commitment to 

excellence. 

Neno Russell, Montreal-based costume designer and KCACTF respondent, listens as Jennifer Goodson from the University of Georgia discusses her 

costume design for Balm in Gilead. 

Begun in 1969, the Kennedy Center American College 

Theatre Festival continues to energize the creativity 

of more than 600 colleges and 18,000 students 

annually. The festival encourages, celebrates and promotes 

noteworthy college productions. Dawn Monique Williams, 

who now works professionally for a number of Bay Area 

theatres, participated many times. She says, “You get to see 

what academic programs and industry professionals view 

as professional promise while also observing the work of 

students who have gotten into or will get into really great 

graduate programs.” 

Dawn also suggests that “when preparing for the competition, 

the best thing a student can do is to follow the published 

guidelines.” This holds true for all of the many KCACTF activities. 

Departments and students will find a wealth of helpful 

information on the festival Web site, http://kcactf.org/. 

KCACTF produces eight regional festivals. At the Web 

site, colleges may enter their shows in one of two categories, 

Participating or Associate. By entering a show, a theatre 

department provides students the chance to showcase 

both their shows and individual craft. Even when a department 

does not enter a show, their students can attend the 

regional and find plenty to do. 

Shows must be entered in the Participating category to 

be considered for an invitation to the regional festival. In 

my Region VIII, shows are selected in December. During the 

fall term, theatre faculty in the region share responsibility 

for responding to each entered show. Unlike a reviewer, the 

respondent does not merely critique a show. They attempt 

to explain their experience of the show, including the issues 

observed and production values that contributed. Not only 

do they react to the performances and designs, they nominate 

shows and students for the regional festival. A national 

team of judges attends all the regional festivals in January 

and February to select work for performance at the Kennedy 

Center in April. 

The selection criteria for shows are based on the goals 

found on the national Web site. Always there are more shows 

to celebrate than there are invitations to extend. However, 

performing and seeing shows represents only a fraction of 

the opportunity to learn and grow artistically at a festival. 

The Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Auditions 

According to the Web site, the Irene Ryan Acting 

Scholarship provides “recognition, honor and financial assistance 

to outstanding student performers wishing to pursue 

further education.” Students should think of their Ryan audition 

as a professional opportunity. At the regional festival, 

the Ryans progress through stages from the cattle call-like 

preliminary round, with hundreds of actors being seen, to 

semifinals and finals. Eve Himmelheber, professor of theater 

at CSU Fullerton and the Region VIII Ryan Coordinator, points 

out that nominees perform with a partner in every round, 

but they should create what Himmelheber calls “shining 

moments” for themselves — brief monologues, not long 

ones — within their audition scenes. 

Professor Himmelheber participated five times as a student. 

For her part, she says, “I got the opportunity to work in 

front of people I didn’t know. Their honest feedback proved 

invaluable then and has made a difference for me ever since. 

The main value was a sense of professionalism. I became 

more confident at auditions, too.” 

Anyone who is nominated must also apply. The Region 

VIII application involves submitting the Intent To Participate 

Form sent to each nominee. The form can also be found 

online at the regional Web site, linked from the main KCACTF 

Web site. The regional Web sites typically provide helpful 

information for preparing correctly, too. 


John Pankratz 

Greg Hritz as Vladimir in a production of Waiting for Godot at the national 

level of competition. 

Admittedly, the Ryan event is an 

audition for a scholarship and not for a 

show, but the savvy student will treat it 

like a job interview and prepare accordingly. 

Successful nominees often find 

a faculty coach to help them. Many 

schools even assign coaches. A coach 

will help to select suitable audition 

pieces and to secure the rights to perform 

them. Choice of audition literature 

needs to fit the partner, too. Williams 

advises, “Pick material that you would 

be cast in. The most successful students 

have chosen material that allows them 

to really shine, while also demonstrating 

their physical and emotional range. 

Rehearse, time yourself, perform for 

friends and teachers and love the work 

that you do.” 

Williams’ comment about time is 

important. Nominees should review the 

rules online because a long audition is 

probably the most common problem 

for new Ryan performers. Prepare work 

well short of the limit for each round. To 

craft a character efficiently and effectively, 

rehearsal is critical. Those who 

rehearse for months consistently outperform 

those who prepare for weeks, 

and certainly those who count only 

days or hours of rehearsal. 

At the festival, successful students 

exercise the same discipline found in 

successful professional actors. They care 

for their instrument — their body — by 

sleeping well and eating properly. 

For Designers — Design Juries 

Regional festivals also offer valuable 

events for design students. When a student 

working on an entered show completes 

a significant design assignment, 

they may be invited. Costumes, scenery, 

lighting, props and sound are KCACTF 


Feature 

Porfirio J. Solorzano 

Porfirio J. Solorzano 

A shot from Collaboration Tank 2007, where designers, directors and student playwrights in residence participate in 

an intensive where production proposals are created for new works. 

Andy Fitch, faculty scenic designer at the University of Alabama, provides instructions to Justin Durham, 

student at Middle Tennessee State University, during a master class on Modelmaking for Scenery. 

categories. As with actors, invited participants must accept 

their invitation by informing the correct regional coordinator. 

Rules and suggestions are available at regional Web sites. 

To present their work, designers begin by making a 

display. A display includes conceptual drawings, copies of 

research materials, finished drawings, production photos and 

other material appropriate to the type of design. Displays 

are flat, mounted on matte board, but research “bibles” and 

models may accompany the display. A display should look 

professional, but remember, it is a frame for the work. It 

doesn’t help to make the design of the display look better 

than the show design itself. 

In my own Region VIII, students show up the first day of 

the festival to post their display. The design jury wanders 

through the display gallery, usually making notes. Over the 

next day and a half, each student is given a brief opportunity 

to make an oral presentation followed by a Q&A with the jury. 

The oral presentations are grouped by design area, so participants 

can compare their work to their future competition. 

Those who wish to be taken seriously as designers take the 

time to prepare a neat display and an organized oral presentation. 

Then, they respond clearly to jury questions. 

The jury will expect students to follow professional standards 

for sketches and models. Students should learn standards in 

their design classes and conscientiously pay attention to examples 

found in books, in magazines (like this one), in museums 

and in many regional theatre lobbies. For example, costume 

students should attach fabric swatches to their sketches. Also, 

scenic models are being made in increasingly smaller scales and 

add the architectural elements, including audience. A growing 

number of lighting designers are drawing light sketches either 

by hand or using pre-viz programs. 

The jury needs to see and understand the show concept. 

They want to know how the design suited the production as 

planned by the director and in collaboration with the other 

designers. Students usually provide a set of sketches to show 

the progress of their design. A brief written statement about 

the conceptualization of the design should be part of the 

display. The statement, along with the jury Q&A and sketches, 

provides the designer an opportunity to demonstrate the 

communication skills needed in production meetings. 

For Everyone — Even More 

The formats of regional festivals vary widely in the types 

of playwriting, criticism, stage management and directing 

events offered. At the Region VIII festival, we actually produce 

10-minute plays, from audition to performance. We do 

staged developmental readings of other short plays. At many 

festivals, students interested in theatrical criticism meet with 

a professional mentor and write reviews of participating 

shows. There are also roundtables and interviews to interest, 

encourage and recognize technicians and designers, as well 

as other thinkers and artists. 

Many regional festivals provide direct job-hunting opportunities 

and events. Where many actors, techies and designers 

are gathered, there will be auditions and interviews for 

graduate schools, summer theatre, and more. These activities 

are open to all students, not just those nominated to 

the showcase events. A regional festival typically hosts a 

busy lineup of professional level workshops, too, covering 

The cast of Urinetown, presented at KCACTF at Columbia Basin CC in 2006 


everything from acting warm-ups, 

technique classes and techie tips, to 

master classes with nationally recognized 

industry personalities. 

While there are plenty of social 

aspects to a regional festival, students 

shouldn’t ignore the opportunity 

to cultivate their intellectual 

side. Festivals provide a broad exposure 

to dramatic literature and styles. 

Students should put their critical skills 

to work and talk about the shows 

with professors and peers alike. 

Directors, actors and designers are 

usually happy to be asked about an 

impressive moment in their production. 

Usually the public can attend the 

sessions where guest artists respond 

to the festival shows. Engaging in a 

professional level discussion can help 

students communicate better in artistic 

meetings and rehearsals. 

For the Record 

It can be expensive to participate 

in a regional festival, particularly if it 

lasts for a week and is out-of-state. 

Some schools pay for their students 

to participate, especially nominated 

students. Others may offer at least 

some financial assistance. 

While at the competition, don’t 

forget about classes back at school. 

Students should be ready to balance 

work and play enough to get the 

most career benefit and then return 

to classes ready for their next assignment 

or exam. 

Every show, every event, every 

workshop and every person you meet 

will not change your life. However, 

the more you meet, the more likely 

you will encounter people who will 

aid your career. Students who take 

the festival seriously are probably 

the ones who will succeed. That said, 

the discipline to train and improve 

one’s craft is a lifelong commitment. 

The more you think and learn, the 

more likely the next great creative 

idea will occur to you. The more 

you participate, the more likely you 

will attend something with a lasting 

effect. 

Thomas Hird is the chair of the 

Department of Theatre and Dance at 

Cal State University, East Bay. Nancy 

Hird is a freelance writer. 


Feature 

Basic rigging hardware and equipment 

By Erik Viker 

Things fall down unless we take steps to prevent them 

from doing so. In the theatre, we suspend scenery, 

lighting instruments and curtains overhead, depending 

on top-quality hardware and equipment to guarantee 

safety and efficiency. This article may familiarize the 

reader with rigging components commonly used in the 

theatre, but cannot substitute for reliable training and 

personal responsibility. Theatre practitioners should be 

thoroughly trained by reputable experts in the field before 

using rigging materials, as it is important to understand 

the basic structural design properties of any material used 

for rigging scenery or lighting equipment. Rope, cable, 

chain and fasteners all have a certain breaking strength, 

the average force at which the material fails. A safety factor 

(usually one-fifth to one-tenth of breaking strength) 

must be applied to any rigging equipment or hardware 

used; for example, if the breaking strength of a certain 

rope is one thousand pounds, its working load limit might 

be two hundred pounds. Trustworthy rigging hardware 

manufacturers clearly mark working load limits on their 

products or provide the information at purchasing. 

Common Rigging Hardware 

An anchor shackle is a U-shaped steel bow with a 

removable pin (often threaded for secure attachment) 

engineered to provide substantial strength for overhead 

rigging applications. For example, the ¼-inch screw pin 

anchor shackle manufactured by the Crosby Group has a 

working load limit of half a ton. Shackle drawbacks include 

their potentially inconvenient two-part construction and 

the need to carefully align all loads. To make certain the 

shackle’s full strength is available, the load direction must 

run through the pin and the curve of the bow section, 

rather than sideways, which places strain on the “arms” of 

the shackle. 

A locking link (or Quick-Link) resembles a chain link with 

a gap on one side closed by a threaded sleeve. Although 

locking links are frequently used for light loads due 

to their convenient one-piece design and self-orienting 

shape, many theatre technicians believe locking links are 

not as trustworthy as shackles. 

In some cases, turnbuckles can be used to easily level a 

scenery piece. Turnbuckles are usually steel frames around 

two threaded eyebolts, which can be lengthened or shortened 

by turning the frame. The turnbuckle is attached to 

Some swaging hardware 

one end of the lifting line of the scenery rigging, becoming 

part of the total line length needed to fly the scenery 

piece. 

Carabiners, steel loops with spring-loaded latches often 

secured with an additional threaded sleeve, originated as 

rock-climbing gear and have become popular for quick 

rigging applications. Only use versions rated for overhead 

lifting, as carabiner-shaped key chains are common, but 

cannot support even minimal loads. 

Steel nuts and bolts often are used to secure chain 

around a pipe or other fastener, especially in permanent 

or semipermanent installations. Nuts and bolts used for 

rigging should be of the same hardened steel variety, 

Grade Five or higher, identified by radiating diagonal lines 

on the bolt head and curved lines on the nut. 

Rope, Cable and Chain 

Trim chain refers to short lengths of chain often used 

to connect scenery to batten pipes for flying purposes. 

Only fused link chain should be used for overhead rigging. 

Grade 3 proof coil chain is commonly employed as 

trim chain, as the 3/16-inch size has a working load limit of 

about 800 pounds. Chain allows lengths of each line to be 

adjusted individually in single chain link increments. Chain 

may be fastened with shackles, locking links or hardened 

steel bolts. Avoid using spring-latch “dog clips” or other 

hardware not rated for load-bearing purposes. 

Wire rope is frequently used to suspend scenery from fly 

system battens. The variety known as 7 x 19 aircraft cable 

(manufactured with seven strands of nineteen wires each) 

is common in the theatre and is available with black powder 

coating to make it less visible from a distance. Aircraft 

cable of the 7 x 19 variety that is 1/8-inch in diameter has a 

38 November 2007 •www.stage-directions.com

working load limit of about 240–300 

pounds, depending on manufacturer 

and type. 

Rope has been used in theatre rigging 

for countless decades and comes 

in many varieties, sizes and strengths. 

It is important to know the working 

load limit of any rope used in the 

theatre. Although manila rope is inexpensive 

and strong enough for many 

rigging applications, it tends to leave 

tiny splinters in unprotected hands 

and wears out more quickly over time 

than do other ropes. Synthetic ropes 

such as StageSet X (a very strong 

braided rope with a polyester core) 

and Multiline II (a twisted threestrand 

rope) are increasingly popular 

for lifting, static rigging and general 

theatre work. At ¾-inch diameter, 

manila rope has a WLL of about 650 

pounds, compared to 2,300 pounds 

and 1,175 pounds for StageSet X 

and Multiline II, respectively. 

Several basic knots and hitches 

can meet most rope rigging needs 

in the theatre, with the clove hitch 

and the bowline being two of the 

most versatile. Remember, a knot 

reduces rope strength by approximately 

50%, and a hitch reduces 

rope strength by about 25%. The 

Backstage Handbook by Paul Carter 

(Broadway Press) offers helpful knot 

tying diagrams for many common 

theatre knots. 

Cables, ropes or chains can be 

attached to scenery with D-rings, 

“hanging irons” or eye bolts. 

Hardware attached to scenery 

should be fastened by bolting 

entirely through the scenery framing 

structure (not with drywall or wood 

screws). If eyebolts are used, they 

should be the forged-closed variety. 

Even simple masking curtains or 

fabric drapes need careful planning 

before flying them overhead. Never 

underestimate how heavy fabric can 

be, especially the thick velour used 

for masking curtains. Ensure that 

soft goods are attached to supporting 

structures such as scenery battens 

with an adequate number of 

ties. Most professionally sewn theatre 

curtains include grommets and 

ties every twelve inches along the 

upper hem, which is reinforced with 

jute or vinyl webbing. Most often #4 

black cotton tie line (or trick line) is 

used for this and many other lightload 

applications, but care should 

be taken when using tie line in the 

theatre because it has essentially 

the same strength as a shoelace and 

may not be rated for load-bearing 

purposes by manufacturers. 

Swaging sleeves are copper or 

stainless steel oval tubes crimped 

onto the doubled-over end of 

aircraft cable to form closed loops, 

usually enclosing steel support 

channels called thimbles. A thimble 

A hardened steel rigging bolt 

in use 


Feature 

Even experienced riggers should 

never work alone, and it is best 

to have another technician check 

your work before putting any 

rigging into service. 

A D-ring and its keeper 

keeps the swaged cable from kinking 

too sharply, which would reduce 

the cable strength. After swaging, a 

“go-gauge” measuring the resulting 

sleeve thickness is applied to each 

sleeve to make sure it has been 

adequately crimped. If correctly 

applied with a swaging tool, the 

copper sleeve results in a connection 

only slightly less strong than the 

original cable and creates an end 

loop suitable for shackles or other 

hardware attachment. An alternative 

method for making end loops in wire 

rope is the wire rope clip or cable clip, 

a U-shaped bolt with two hex nuts 

holding a saddle engineered to grip 

the cable. Ideally, wire rope clips are 

installed with a torque wrench to 

ensure adequate torque on each nut 

and should be applied carefully to 

clamp the saddle to the load-bearing 

or “live” side of the termination 

loop. 

Polyester slings often are used to 

suspend lighting trusses or other 

heavy equipment overhead in conjunction 

with wire rope or chain. 

Slings have working load limits 

upward of 2,000 pounds, depending 

on the configuration in which they 

are used. Reliable products include 

the SpanSet Stagesling and the 

Tuflex Roundsling. Of course, novice 

riggers should consult experts 

before attempting to work with such 

heavy loads. 

Rigging Systems 

Some of the hardware and equipment 

described here can be used to install static 

or dead-hung scenery in your theatre 

where no scenery movement is necessary 

or when simple masking is required. 

Many theatres are equipped with counterweight 

rigging systems comprised 

of flown battens of Schedule 40 steel 

pipe held up by wire rope lift lines running 

over an arrangement of overhead 

sheaves (pulleys). Each batten is counterweighted 

by an arbor, a vertical rack 

holding removable steel weights, which 

is raised or lowered by a rope control line 

to move the batten and any attached 

scenery. Some of the hardware described 

in this article may be used to fasten scenery 

to counterweight battens, but only 

technicians who have been thoroughly 

instructed in their use should operate 

counterweight-rigging systems. The 

Stage Rigging Handbook by Jay O. Glerum 

(Southern Illinois University Press) provides 

extensive information about the 

complexities of counterweight-rigging 

systems, and several theatrical equipment 

companies such as Sapsis Rigging 

Inc. offer seminars on rigging system 

operations. Any time rigging requires 

work where no railings exist to prevent 

a fall, use a fall arrest device such as the 

CMC ProTech rigger’s harness or the DBI 

crossover full body harness. 

Even experienced riggers should 

never work alone, and it is best to have 

another technician check your work 

before putting any rigging into service. 

If a rigging challenge is new to you, 

do not hesitate to call on an expert to 

assist with the engineering and installation. 

The cost of a consultation will 

be well worth the increased safety and 

liability protection. With careful planning, 

informed hardware selection and 

adequate training, rigging in the theatre 

can enhance theatrical design, while 

ensuring safety for technicians, performers 

and the audience. 

Erik Viker is an assistant professor of theatre 

at Susquehanna University, where 

he serves as faculty technical director for 

the department of theatre and teaches 

courses in theater operations, production 

and stage management. 


Special Section: Lighting & Projection 

Hitting the Spot 

By Lisa Mulcahy 

www 

Comet Followspot, Altman Lighting 

Time to retire that followspot? 

Here’s how to evaluate your 

equipment so it’s right for your 

venue’s needs. 

The Lycian Super Clubspot 

You could swear your theatre’s been using the same followspot 

since Hair was a fresh, hip new musical. And, 

after all this time, you and your lighting crew still aren’t 

precisely sure whether you’re working that followspot to 

maximum advantage. Has the beam ever really been bright 

enough to command effective stage focus? Have you measured 

your stage dimensions accurately so that the spot is 

actually right for your space? Is your spot giving you acoustic 

headaches? Is it bulky and awkward to move and operate? 

Has it just been too darn expensive when you factor in the 

frequency of its production usage? 

The followspot can be a tricky tool to use, choose and 

evaluate expertly. But with the following eight rules, you can 

choose and use your followspot to its best effect. 

1. See Whether Your Spot Is Salvageable 

For most theatre companies, a followspot is an essential 

tech component, but one that isn’t necessarily used in 

every production — many venues keep their spots stored 

for a good chunk of their season. If your spot is left unused 

for stretches of time, don’t automatically assume that you 

need to replace it just because it’s an old model. It could 

still have a long, workable lifespan ahead. A good equipment 

inspection is key. 

“You need to determine whether your followspots 

need to be replaced or just serviced,” advises Todd 

Koeppl, quotations and marketing manager at Chicago 

Spotlight Inc. “If your equipment has never been serviced 

before, it might need a new lamp, but it also might just 

need cleaning.” 

Have your lighting designer and/or master electrician put 

the equipment through its functional paces. Your in-house 

expert has been working with the spot the longest, so they 

are in the best position to observe whether the spot is losing 

its beam strength, has frayed wiring or is starting to cut 

out. Ask your expert to test run the equipment in your space 

from the same operational point in your house where it has 

always been used and to make note of changes in its operational 

quality. Also, ask your expert to visually check whether 

the equipment appears to need cleaning or repairing, and 

rely on their advice. 

Some crucial components of a followspot indicating 

good working condition: 

• The spot’s lamp light source should provide 

strong, clean lighting without overheating. 

• The spot’s iris should effectively shift spot size and 

projection angle with ease. 

• The spot’s lens train should readily focus as the 

operator sees fit. 

• The spot’s boomerang and attached gel frames 

should allow for easy changing of color. 

• The spot’s built-in dimmer or attached dimming 

device should allow for an appropriate range of 

beam intensity options. 

If some maintenance is all that the doctor orders, call your 

dealer or a professional lighting company in, and — bestcase 

scenario — your spot should work like new. 

2. Leverage Your Location 

If your in-house lighting experts indicate that your followspot 

is operationally faulty, however, you will definitely need 

to invest in new equipment. It’s important to select with 

care. “You need to do a little homework,” says Ken Billington, 

the Tony award-winning lighting designer of Broadway’s 

Chicago, as well as High School Musical. “The best way is to 

talk to an expert source. Call a professional company, speak 

to a technician about your needs and rent a followspot 

— you want to see it in your space before you buy it.” 

To give your pro the opportunity to outfit your venue 

with the right spot, you’ve got to break down exactly how 

you intend to use it. “How is the followspot going to be used 

— will it be moved a lot, or not moved at all? “ asks Koeppl. 

Conversely, Billington offers, “Should the equipment be 

permanently installed?” Ask yourself and your lighting staff 

whether the venue location in which you’ve had your spot 

centered is really working for you, or whether you might 

want a more mobile situation. (Most venues anchor spots in 

the rear balcony or operate them via the projection booth, 

but you can choose a movable unit as well.) Also, make sure 

you’re positioning the spot correctly; followspot positioning 

guidelines are available on ESTA’s Web site (www.esta.org). 

Keep in mind that any mobile spot you choose should be 

lightweight enough to be moved or positioned easily and 

shouldn’t be so bulky that it hampers your designer’s efforts 

to angle it as desired. 



A followspot that is too bright or not bright 

enough can ruin the entire effect of a stage 

picture, so it’s crucial to understand what proper 

spotlight intensity is right for your space. 

Strong Lighting’s Canto 1200 

3. Know Your Throw Distance 

“Knowing your space is key, “ stresses Koeppl. “What is 

the throw distance of the venue?” Simply defined, throw distance 

is the measured space from the followspot to the stage 

portion that will be lit. If you measure this dimension incorrectly, 

you can easily choose the wrong piece of equipment. 

You can determine throw distance yourself by running 

a laser tape measure from spot to stage area in a straight 

line. A second method is to simply attach a piece of rope 

or string to the spot and extend it to meet the stage area, 

then measure how long it has unfurled. Your throw distance 

measurement should be one of the first pieces of accurate 

information you give your lighting pro. 

4. Pay Attention to Intensity 

A followspot that is too bright or not bright enough can 

ruin the entire effect of a stage picture, so it’s crucial to 

understand what proper spotlight intensity is right for your 

space. “You need to decide what’s going to be right in terms 

of the energy your venue has,” says Billington. “The way to 

do this is to experiment — put the followspot in your balcony, 

check its brightness. A followspot should be brighter 

than your stage lighting. You can use a light meter to help 

you decide what looks right as well.” If you need a brighter 

effect, an arc lamp could be the right choice, or for a more 

subtle effect, you could choose an incandescent. 

A standard range of 100 to 150 foot candles will work for 

many different stages and production FX, but your lighting 

pro can advise you on how your throw distance and use of 

accessorizing equipment such as filters or lamp energy will 

affect your choice of spot. 

5. Respect Your Restrictions 

Even if you find a followspot meets much of your criteria, 

you might still have to keep looking. What’s the ultimate deal 

breaker when choosing a new spot? Your power source. “A 

lot of theatre personnel will go to a trade show and become 

enamored of a new followspot on the market, but the product 

just isn’t right for their venue,” says Koeppl. “You have to 

consider everything — starting with what your power can 

handle. You can’t suddenly bring in a followspot if you don’t 

have the electricity setup to handle it.” 

Another just-gotta-say-pass consideration: a followspot 

that’s just too loud when operating. Don’t take your spot’s 

noise with a grain of salt. Test it acoustically by running some 

loud playback (say, of music recorded from a previous production) 

through your sound system while running the spot. 

Keep ratcheting up the volume knob to see how much house 

noise is actually compromised by the spot’s operation. Check 

this by moving to different sections of the audience seating 

yourself. Don’t settle on any spot that doesn’t provide a 

smooth lack of sound interference. 

6. Be Real About Your Budget 

“A followspot is a capital purchase,” says Koeppl. “You can 

go the inexpensive route, but you get what you pay for.” It’s 

definitely wise to spend for quality, but make sure you leave 

room in your budget for the essential extras: replacement 

lamps, stands, yokes, irises, boomerangs, handles and a gel 

color selection. 

Keep in mind, too, that the type of productions your 

venue presents will have an impact on what you should 

realistically spend on your spot equipment. If you have a 

number of musicals planned, for instance, that alone could 

double your spot budget — you will probably want two followspots 

instead of one and, of course, that will require the 

duplicate purchase of most of your accessories to ensure you 

always have enough working equipment on hand. As early in 

the process as possible, make a full list on your computer or 

on paper of everything you need. “If you’re looking through 

product catalogues or Web sites, I don’t think you can look 

at prices,” remarks Billington. “Identify what you need first.” 

Also, if renting a followspot for one or two productions 

makes strong financial sense, definitely proceed that way. 

7. Stay Safe 

Followspots can be among the most hazardous tools any 

theatre techie will ever handle. Take, for instance, the xenon 

lamp — its light can burn beautifully bright onstage, but can 

cause real harm in even experienced hands. “A xenon lamp 

is virtually a hand grenade,” says Koeppl. Xenons present a 

major burn risk due to their pressure-packed lamps, which 

are seriously hot. “I think for the nonprofessional market 

— educational theatre venues, for instance — there should 

be no use of a xenon,” warns Billington. “If somebody opens 

that up, it can explode. A xenon is dangerous.” 

Another important point: Never try to cut corners by purchasing 

“vintage” spot equipment through online sources 

— you will be taking a major safety risk. Carbon arc lamps, for 

instance, were used right up through the ‘90s and had to be 

equipped with ventilation components to prevent noxious 

carbon fumes from building up while they were in use. When 


In order to give your pro the 

opportunity to outfit your venue 

with the right spot, you’ve got 

to break down exactly how you 

intend to use it. 

Cyrano, Robert Juliat USA 

in doubt, never chance safety. Spend 

the extra money you need to ensure 

your spot equipment is safe, operate 

it as your lighting pro stipulates and 

always have repairs made by a factorytrained 

technician. 

8. Optimize Your Operation 

When you do finally have the followspot 

equipment that’s safe and right for 

your venue, be careful who you authorize 

to use it. “Who is operating your 

followspot, and what is their experience?” 

asks Billington. A light board op 

who doesn’t know what they are doing 

could damage your spot and cost you 

serious cash. Also, there’s no way your 

production won’t suffer if your spot’s 

in the hands of an amateur. “You don’t 

want your operator monkeying around 

with lamp placement and reflectors 

— you’re not going to get it to look 

right,” Koeppl points out. 

The following checklist can help 

make sure your followspot op — and 

your equipment — work at the top of 

their games. 

• Include your operator in all discusions/demos 

with your lighting 

pro throughout the equipment 

selection process. 

• Remind your operator of where 

the spot shouldn’t shine: on the 

lip of your stage, on the curtains, 

in too wide a circle so an excessive 

amount of the stage picture is lit. 

• Be sure that the operator fills 

the spot with an actor’s head-totoe 

position and that they quickly 

and smoothly follow an actor’s 

moves. 

• Make sure your operator keeps 

the beam steady, with no shaky 

movement. 

• Check to ensure that your operator 

isn’t letting the end of the 

spot’s beam dip sloppily at any 

point on the stage. 

• Encourage your operator to 

speak up and ask questions at any 

time. That’s good advice for you to 

follow as well — any good lighting 

pro will be happy to address even 

the smallest concern. 

Armed with this info you should be 

able to get your op and spots working 

in brilliant harmony. 

Manufacturer 411 

Check out these popular followspot manufacturers to explore your lighting pro’s specific 

recommendations. 

Strong Lighting 

4350 McKinley Street 

Omaha, NE 60112 

800.424.1215 

www.strong-lighting.com 

Altman Lighting 

800.4ALTMAN 

www.altmanltg.com 

Robert Juliat USA 

48 Capital Drive 

Wallingford, CT 06492 

203.294.0481 

www.robertjuliatamerica.com 

Lycian Stage Lighting 

P. O. Box D 

Sugar Loaf, NY 10981 

845.469.2285 

www.lycian.com 



Greening the Greenroom 

Some convenient truths about energy-efficient theatres 

By Amy L. Slingerland 

Proctor’s Theatre recently converted its marquee lights to LEDs. 

When it comes to the 

modern issues of 

energy conservation 

and environmental stewardship, 

theatres can sometimes be in the 

dark. But there are many things 

an organization can do to make 

itself more green. Here are a few 

examples of theatres that are 

implementing energy-efficient 

and eco-conscious programs. 

Old House, New Energy 

Stagecrafters, in Philadelphia, 

is beginning to take steps to 

reduce its energy consumption 

and green its organization. Like a 

lot of people, Joe Herman, a member of Stagecrafters’ 

board of directors, saw the movie An Inconvenient 

Truth and decided to start changing his lifestyle to be 

more energy efficient; he extended this to the theatre 

as well. 

“The first thing we did was replace incandescent 

bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs,” Herman says. 

“It’s affected our electricity bill on the order of 15 percent, 

so it’s been a pretty quick payoff. The other thing 

we did was create a green subscription option — a $2 

“We wanted to have 

some actions in place; 

then, as we go to corporations 

for fundraising, 

we’ll have those green 

actions we’ve taken to 

demonstrate where we’re 

moving.” — Joe Herman 

extra charge, $1 of which goes to 

buying clean energy, and $1 of 

which will go toward additional 

energy-saving efforts.” Herman 

says that about two-thirds of 

people who purchased online 

subscriptions chose the green 

option. He also points out that 

only about 10 percent of people 

choose to donate when offered 

a general donation option, so a 

targeted donation seems to be 

more appealing to patrons. 

The theatre plans to buy wind 

power from its local utility with 

the money raised from the green 

subscription because it doesn’t 

require them to switch over to a new energy supplier. 

This will allow them to simply buy as much clean power 

as they wish after the theatre has tallied the amount of 

the green subscriptions. The other dollar from the green 

option will be used for capital improvements, such as 

insulation, to the Stagecrafters’ historic buildings — one 

dating from the 18th century and the other from the 

1930s. Currently, the theatre is in the process of finding a 

consultant to perform an energy audit on the buildings to 

determine what improvements will be of most benefit. 


The fiber optic chandelier at the New Victory Theater 

main auditorium was replaced with 

fiber optics. Dave Jensen, director of 

production, says, “We removed around 

140 R-20 50 W incandescent uplights 

and replaced them with eight fiberoptic 

units that are powered by 100 W 

quartz lamps. This will result in a saving 

of 5,600 watts per hour. We are also 

currently replacing about 170 575 W 

incandescent PARs that we use to light 

our kinetic light sculpture on the 

facade of our studio building with 

LED PARs. The LED PARs draw about 

40 watts each, for a total savings of 

90,000 watts per hour.” Van Noort 

points out that the theatre’s annual 

electric bill for the facade alone was 

more than $60,000. “And that will be 

80% less, so it will be below $10,000 per 

year,” he says. 

Van Noort lists many other energysaving 

and eco-conscious measures 

the organization has taken, including 

overhauling its HVAC systems 

For the future, Stagecrafters is 

looking to parlay these efforts into a 

fundraising strategy. “We wanted to 

have some actions in place; then, as 

we go to corporations for fundraising, 

we’ll have those green actions 

we’ve taken to demonstrate where 

we’re moving,” Herman says. “We 

just wrote a grant application with 

the city to make a number of capital 

improvements. A lot of those would 

be improving our energy efficiency, 

and we’re waiting to hear the results 

of that.” 

LEED-ing the Way 

In New York City, the New Victory 

Theater’s LEED-certified director of facilities, 

Benno Van Noort, has instigated 

many energy-saving projects throughout 

its two buildings, the New Victory 

Theater, a 107-year-old, 500-seat venue, 

and the New 42nd Street Studios, a 10- 

story building with offices, rehearsal studios 

and a black-box theatre. Through 

NYSERDA, the New York State Energy 

Research and Development Authority, 

and Con Edison, they have had energy 

audits performed on both buildings and 

have implemented numerous energyreduction 

measures. 

“Where we could, we replaced 

incandescent lighting with compact 

fluorescents or LEDs,” Van Noort 

says, and throughout both buildings 

they have installed motion-sensitive 

light switches, which turn off lights 

in unoccupied spaces. 

Recently, the uplighting on the 

decorative plaster dome ceiling in the 



One of the LED pars that the New Victory Theater installed on its facade 

Portland Center Stage is the first performing arts space to achieve a platinum LEED rating. 

“Our plant generates 

about 75% less 

carbon than if we had 

traditional systems.” 

— Philip Morris 

Portland Center Stage installed skylights to reduced the amount of lights needed. 

to be more efficient, recycling programs 

not just for paper but also for computers, 

office furniture and carpet, and environmentally 

friendly cleaning systems. 

At Proctor’s Theatre in Schenectady, 

N.Y., NYSERDA supported some new construction 

projects as part of the theatre’s 

$30 million capital campaign. In addition 

to converting its marquee lighting 

to LEDs, the theatre installed four 60 kW 

microturbines that allow it to generate its 

own electricity and built a central heating 

and chilling plant; the theatre sells some 

of the heating and cooling to the hotel 

next door. The system includes a centrifugal 

chiller, which, as Proctor’s CEO Philip 

Morris explains, “uses hot water to create 

cold water, which means the waste heat of 

our electric power will always be useful.” 

The sidewalks on the theatre’s block also 

had radiant heating installed underneath 

to melt snow and ice in the winter. Morris 

says, “Our plant generates about 75% less 

carbon than if we had traditional systems. 

So we know that we are as green as we can 

be using fossil fuels.” 

A close-up of the new LEDs in the Proctor’s Theatre marquee 


The rafters at Portland Center Stage 

Green Theatre in the 

Green Ring 

Last year, Oregon’s Portland 

Center Stage moved into the 

rehabilitated Portland Armory, 

part of a downtown renewal project. 

Developer Gerding Edlen, a 

green building corporation, renovated 

the edifice, which is on the 

National Historical Register, to 

the LEED platinum level — the 

first performing arts space in the 

U.S. to achieve this. Overall, the 

building is projected to use 30%– 

35% less energy than a building 

of comparable size. 

Creon Thorne, director of 

operations, says the building has 

skylights, daylight sensors, occupancy 

sensors, and high-efficiency 

HID, fluorescent and compact 

fluorescent fixtures. Performance 

lighting is mostly ETC Source 

Fours, one of the most energyefficient 

theatrical light fixtures 

available. (ETC is also a very environmentally 

responsible company, 

employing many of the green 

solutions outlined here.) 

The auditorium’s natural convection 

ventilation system helps 

save on heating and cooling 

costs. “The under-floor ventilation 

comes out with cool air at a very 

low velocity so it’s very quiet,” 

Thorne explains. “As it comes out 

of the diffusers, it cools the audience, 

and as it takes heat from 

the people, it rises up. The return 

ducts are up on the sides of the 

lighting grid, so it runs cooler 

than most grids. And the system 

has heat exchangers to capture 

some of the heat from those 

exhaust ducts.” The organization 

also has extensive recycling and 

water efficiency and reclamation 

systems. 

In the end, as with any capital 

improvements and upgrades, 

going green does come down to 

financing and fundraising, but 

the expenditures do pay off. New 

Victory Theater President Cora 

Cahan says, “The initial costs of 

going green are far more affordable 

now than they were just a few 

years ago. Our experience informs 

us that the long-term savings 

are well worth careful, informed 

research on materials and equipment, 

since ongoing operating 

costs will be greatly diminished,” 

both in terms of maintenance 

as well as energy savings. Thom 

Trick, PCS’s PR manager, agrees. 

“These technologies end up paying 

for themselves. If people can 

take the life-cycle of a theatre 

into account and the number of 

years the theatre will be serving 

the community, then these kinds 

of investments begin to make 

sense.”


Something Old, New Again 

New projection technology for the theatre 

can be a mix of the old and new, or just 

altogether new. 

By Robert Mokry 

The Royal Polytechnic (now the University of 

Westminster, London, England) was established in 

1838 to expose the public to new inventions and 

technologies. A chemist named John Henry Pepper joined 

the Polytechnic as a lecturer in 1848. The same year, a new 

theatre was added to the building, which became world 

famous for its cutting-edge magic lantern shows. In 1854, 

Pepper became the director of the Royal Polytechnic. 

In 1862, an inventor named Henry Dircks developed the 

Dircksian Phantasmagoria. The method involves placing an 

angled pane of glass between the audience and actors, which 

allows off-stage objects or people to “appear” reflected on the 

glass as if they were onstage. When the lights illuminating the 

off-stage person are dimmed up and down, a ghost seems to 

appear and vanish. Dircks tried unsuccessfully to sell his idea 

to theatres, but his approach required major rebuilding of the 

venues to achieve the effect. In order to expose the technique 

to more people, Dircks constructed a demonstration booth 

at the Royal Polytechnic, which was viewed by John Pepper, 

who realized that the effect could be reconfigured easily to 

incorporate it into existing theatres. The redesign of the effect 

bound his name to it. Though he attempted to credit Dircks 

many times publicly, the name Pepper’s Ghost stuck. 

Pepper’s Ghost is alive and well in the 21st century, but 

of course, it’s HD and 3D now. 

See-Through Makeup 

The Eyeliner System uses a specially developed transparent 

foil to reflect images from HD video projectors, making it 

possible to project virtual images of variable sizes. The entire 

system consists of a truss box and a stage, where the virtual 

image appears. The truss frame, which is holding the film, may 

also be rigged on hanging points, making setup in the theatre 

much easier. With Eyeliner, Dircks’ unwieldy glass pane 

is replaced with a lighter, a nearly invisible screen invented 

by Uwe Maass, the managing director of Event Works, based 

in Dubai (www.eventworks.ae). The product was previously 

called Musion, which Maass invented with his former German 

company Musion. 

The Eyeliner System was coupled with Isadora (http://troikatronix.com/isadora.html), 

a media server-like software package 

that provides live control of digital video, on the production of 

Losing Something at the 3-Legged Dog (www.3leggeddog.org) 

Art & Technology Center in Lower Manhattan last year. This was 

the first production by an American company to use the combination 

of Eyeliner display and Isadora media control technology 

for theatre. Isadora was designed by composer and media artist 

Mark Coniglio and reflects over 10 years of his practical experience 

with real-time interaction. Over 100 basic building blocks, 

called actors, are available within the Isadora environment. Some 

actors perform simple functions like watching for a MIDI event, 

while others allow sophisticated functions such as warping video 

imagery. By connecting several actors together, you determine 

how the program will respond to a live performer or viewer. 

You can also combine a group of Isadora’s actors into a custom 

User Actor and create your own user interface for your Isadora 

program. One of the key features of Isadora is its ability to quickly 

and precisely position imagery within a single video projection. 

Isadora can play multiple movies simultaneously, and these can 

be positioned and layered in almost any configuration. 

In the screenshot of Isadora on page 50, the top set of actors 

(Movie Player -> HSL Adjust -> Warp -> Projector) runs the 

video through two effects and produces the red/white image 

at the top left. The second group (Movie Player -> 3D Quad 

Distort) produces the larger image on the right, which is not 

square (each corner can be moved independently). The bottom 

group (Movie Player -> Projector) generates the background 

image. Finally, the Picture Player -> Projector at the right creates 

the white circle overlay. Isadora can communicate with 

many professional lighting desks using MIDI and features a set 

of actors designed to directly communicate with the LanBoxLC, 

a standalone DMX interface unit available from CDS Advanced 

Technology (www.lanbox.com). 

Video tool Isadora was originally developed for use with dance company Troika Ranch, shown here in the 

opening of their piece Future of Memory. 

Silicon Optix Image AnyPlace 

Silicon Optix (www.siliconoptix.com) has brought high-quality 

HD scaling to the masses. The Image AnyPlace provides a wide 


Special Section: Light & Projection 

range of input signals (SDTV, HDTV, RGB 

and DVI), along with Image Geometry 

Correction (commonly called keystone correction). 

With correction for off-axis projection 

in two dimensions, projectors may be 

mounted at the top, bottom or either side 

of the projection screen. In addition, images 

may be projected onto cylindrical, spherical 

or even irregularly shaped objects. 

Screen shot from Isadora 

Barco CLM HD8 

If you’re looking for a high-output DLP 

video projector that will hold up to the 

rugged demands of the theatre environment, 

but still remain quiet, Barco’s CLM 

HD8 (www.barco.com) may be a good 

answer. The CLM HD8 is a compact 8,000- 

lumen DLP projector with full HD (1,920 x 

1,080) resolution, designed specifically for 

production environments and the rental/ 

staging market. One nice thing is you 

get a complete unit straight out of the 

box, including a mechanical dimmer controlled 

by DMX512 to provide “true black” 

in the theatre, onboard edge blending, 

one-touch auto alignment, remote control 

by Ethernet and easy rigging points 

so you can actually hang it. 

The low noise level, compact size and 

low weight make the CLM HD8 an attractive 

choice for small and midsize venues. 

Priced in the same range as high-brightness 

LCD projectors, the CLM HD8 offers a 

number of advantages not only in image 

quality, but also in image consistency and 

running costs. 

High End Systems DL.2 Digital Light 

High End Systems’ DL.2 Digital 

Light (www.highend.com) integrates a 

Windows XP-based media server with a 

high-output three-chip light engine, a 

highly sensitive HAD sensor camera and 

an infrared illumination. DL.2 mounts like 

any other automated moving light and 

interfaces using standard DMX cabling 

and protocols. Production set-up time 


is reduced as 

there is no 

need for RGB 

cabling, and 

racks of servers 

are no longer 

necessary 

at front-ofhouse 

or backstage 

area. 

A Content 

High End Systems’ DL.2 

Management 

Application 

running on a Mac or PC workstation or 

laptop computer provides remote control 

of uploading and cross-loading content, 

upgrading software and fixture configuration 

for multiple DL.2 fixtures on a fixture 

network. A royalty-free stock digital 

art collection featuring more than 1,000 

lighting-optimized files is also included. 

The system supports importing of custom 

content including 3D objects, media files 

and still images. Simultaneous playback 

of three discrete media streams 

on separate 2D/3D objects is possible. 

Additionally, 30 object parameters provide 

graphic controls for each individual 

media stream, while 35 global parameters 

provide graphic controls to the 

composite image created by up to three 

media streams. In addition, there are 

17 motion parameters for mechanical 

fixture control. 

Finally, there is the DL.2 Collage 

Generator. This patent-pending feature 

enables multiple DL.2 units to create 

seamless vertical, horizontal or central 

panoramic media projections controlled 

from a lighting console. Using 

multiple DL.2 fixtures allows you to 

increase effective screen luminance. 

In closing, there is a ton of cool video 

gear for use in the theatre. Yes, it can 

be expensive to buy, but relatively low 

rental rates may allow you to bring in 

something special for a production. It 

can sure add a modern impact to an 

age-old medium. 

Robert Mokry is a 20-year veteran of the 

entertainment industry. 



Florence Montmare 

Is It 

Live? 

Video technology is 

transforming live performance 

— what does that mean for the 

live performers? 

By Tim Cusack 

By In Tim a theatrical Cusickenvironment where cutting-edge technology 

can now realistically represent, to an unprecedented 

degree, almost anything a playwright can imagine, where 

does this leave theatre’s oldest component, the live body 

and presence of the actor? From the most primitive DIY 

technology in tiny off-off-Broadway spaces to the largest and 

best-endowed performing arts palaces like BAM and Lincoln 

Center, more and more actors are being asked to perform for 

the camera and with scene partners who sometimes aren’t 

even physically present. The result is a new kind of acting for 

the stage, one that combines the physical expressiveness of 

acting for a live audience with the physical restraint traditionally 

associated with film acting. For the artists involved in 

these often highly experimental productions, it’s a chance to 

blaze new territory in the ever-evolving craft of acting and to 

use the many skills gained from years of training and practical 

experience in new and unexpected ways. 

More Technical, More Physical 

Catherine Yeager, a member of the acting company of the 

New York–based 3-Legged Dog (3LD), has trained with such 

giants of experimental theatre as Liz Swados, Peter Brook and 

Ann Bogart’s SITI Company. While the work of her mentors 

differs widely from one another, all are united by an abiding 

interest in the live immediacy of the performative body 

onstage. But for Yeager, the physical rigor and intense focus 

developed through immersion in the Viewpoints and Suzuki 

techniques espoused by the SITI Company are invaluable for 

the highly mediated work she does with 3LD. According to 

Yeager, working with 3LD’s state-of-the-art Eyeliner system 

requires “specificity of movement so you don’t break the 

illusion…you have to know how to hit your mark.” That’s 

because the Eyeliner enables the company to create threedimensional 

images onstage that are so convincingly lifelike 

that audiences often can’t tell which actors are “real” and 

Aldo Perez onstage during 3-Legged Dog’s Losing Something 

which are video projections. Originally developed and patented 

in Copenhagen, Denmark, by the theatre company 

Vision 4, 3LD holds the exclusive American rights to the technology 

and has spent much of the past few years exploring 

its practical uses in creating innovative theatrical events. 

For the actors who actually have to interface with the technology, 

this translates into a mandate to “keep the energy 

contained and focused,” as Yeager puts it. After all, a single 

ill-timed or overly broad gesture, and the actor could literally 

end up slicing through his or her scene partner. Acting with 

someone who isn’t really there understandably presents 

many challenges, especially for actors trained to draw energy 

and inspiration from the other performers onstage. Yeager 

says that the highly physical training she’s received “helps 

keep your physical body alive” onstage in the absence of 

other actors. Her colleague at 3LD, Israeli-born David Tirosh, 

points out that the physical specificity needed even extends 

to the muscles of the eye —“You must learn how to shift your 

eyes so that they meet the eyes of the video image”— all 

in the service of maintaining the delicate balancing act 

between live and mediated performers that characterizes 

much of 3LD’s work. 

But the unique acting problems inherent in this type of 

theatre aren’t just those experienced by the live actors. Being 

a video image also creates its own set of aesthetic puzzles to 

solve. In 3LD’s Losing Something, Yeager played an ex-girlfriend 

of the central character, who exists wholly in his memory. 

During the course of the performance, she only actually 

appeared twice in the show — for the rest of the play, her 

video image did the acting. “It could be challenging coming 

every night to the theatre to do a show and only having two 

scenes be live. I didn’t get to go from where my character 

begins to where she ends, but somehow I still had to have 

the same level of emotional investment. I would sit backstage 

and listen to how I had done my scenes before and relive the 


experience of doing them in my body. That way I could be at 

the place I needed to be when I actually entered.” 

Mediation Leads to Authenticity 

One common theme that emerged from discussions with 

many of the artists for this article was that their experience 

of the technology provided them with the opportunity to 

bring a greater quality of naturalness and ease to their work, 

what Tirosh calls “sincerity.” Rizwan Mirwan, an actor with 

The Builders Association, echoes this sentiment when he 

describes how mediated technology frees him to use “my 

own natural voice” in performance, as opposed to the projected 

and carefully placed speech of traditional theatre. He is 

currently workshopping The Builders’ new piece, Continuous 

City, at Berkeley Rep, in which he plays an Internet entrepreneur. 

Mirwan, a New York–raised native of India, enthusiastically 

describes how this kind of theatre allows for an almostdocumentary 

level of realism. “We’re using my actual family 

in video chat rooms during the piece: someone in India, 

someone in London. We’re using real stories, and my real 

family gossip.” For Mirwan, this allows for a truer emotional 

connection to the material, as opposed to the manufactured 

or imagined emotions usually required of the actor when 

performing a traditional play. 

While Mirwan views this technology as an opportunity to 

bring the realness, for his fellow Builders Association member 

Moe Angelos, it has enabled her to indulge her love for creating 

characters often radically different from herself in a believable 

way. Or as she puts it, “Put a wig on me and an accent, 

and I’m good to go!” In the Builders’ piece Super Vision, the 

40-something Angelos, who’s Caucasian, buried under layers 

of latex and dark-colored makeup, played a 72-year-old Sri 

Rizwan Mirwan (standing, center) is encapsulated by video in the Builders Association production 

of Super Vision. 

Lankan woman who communicates with her granddaughter 

in the United States via Internet teleconferencing. While her 

image was projected on a huge screen at the back of the 

stage, Angelos herself was seated downstage in front of a 

camera — something audiences often didn’t notice, focused 

as they were on the mediated character. Angelos had ethical 

concerns about playing a woman of a completely different 

age and race, but says, “People really bought it, and I wonder 

whether it was the frame that the video provided or the 

old-fashioned tricks of makeup and acting?” The litmus test 

arrived when a group of Sri Lankan immigrants came to see 

one of the performances. “I thought they would string my ass 

up, but they couldn’t have been more gracious and lovely. 

I think it was the frame. I am indebted to that frame for the 

success of the role.” 

While 3LD and The Builders Association represent the 

upper echelon of this kind of performance, video technology 

has been used at all levels of theatre. New York–based playwright 

and solo performer Wendy Weiner incorporated video 

into her first one-woman piece, Defying Freud, at the now- 

Moe Angelos acts downstage-right (lower left in this photo), but is projected on-screen during her performances in Super Vision. 



A moment from Losing Something, with (left to right) Michael Bell, 

Victoria Chamberlin, Livia DePaolis, Catherine Yeager and Aldo Perez 

defunct Todo con Nada on Manhattan’s 

Lower East Side. For Weiner, the choice 

to use this technology was a means 

of expressing her character’s emotional 

isolation. “There’s a disconnect 

between her and the other people in 

her world, so they are represented by 

cardboard cutouts and video projection.” 

This choice, in turn, fueled her 

work as an actor, helping her get in 

touch with a character who felt powerless 

to have any impact on the people 

around her: “Usually when you do a 

scene, you’re trying to have an effect on 

another actor. But when you’re acting 

against a video image, you can try as 

hard as you can, you’re just not going 

to have that effect.” 

Technology Adds a Beat 

Sometimes, even the limitations 

of the technology can lead actors to 

choices they wouldn’t have otherwise 

made. In 1999, Peculiar Works Project, 

a New York–based company staged 

a bicoastal play titled Privileged and 

Confidential, in which actors in New 

York and Los Angeles simultaneously 

acted together via teleconferencing. 

What the PWP directors hadn’t taken 

into consideration was the severalsecond 

sound delay that plagued the 

technology at that time. Undeterred, 

the actors playing legal eagles involved 

in a nasty sexual harassment lawsuit, 

turned it to their advantage, according 

to Co-Artistic Director Barry Rowell. 

“The delay helped underscore the communication 

problems and the power 

struggles between the attorneys. The 

actors kept saying, ‘Excuse me. Excuse 

me. I’m sorry I didn’t hear what you just 

said.’ They could use the delay to augment 

that tension.” 

For many of the actors interviewed, 

sharing the stage with video projection 

is just one more element to juggle 

in the complex multitasking that 

occurs during any live performance. 

As Weiner puts it, “It reminds me of 

an ice-skating routine. You have to hit 

your jumps at the right point in the 

music — and make it all look effortless.” 

3LD’s Yeager is more philosophical. 

Having to work with so many 

technical experts in rehearsal and 

constantly being required to make 

choices based on the demands of 

technology translates into “not showing 

up to the theatre in your own 

bubble. It’s humbling, which is important 

when you are trying to express 

something about humanity.” 

Tim Cusack is co-artistic director of Theatre 

Askew in New York City. 


TD Talk 

By Dave McGinnis 

When Do You Finally Climb 

Down from the Ladder? 

There was a time that, even as a TD or production coordinator, 

I refused to simply stand idly by while my crew slaved 

away to get a show or event ready. Even if I had to wear 

a tie, I still had my Gerber at my side and usually a crescent 

somewhere on my person. At the time, I thought that this 

was a good thing; it showed my crew that the only separation 

between them and me was in our job titles, not in my head. 

But I came to a dark realization one day — to paraphrase 

Dazed and Confused — I got older, but my techs stayed the 

same age. As my body began to give me hints that my time 

working at height was drawing to a close, I had to come to 

terms with the fact that I would have to resign myself to the 

office or to what I used to refer to as “stupid-vising” my crews. 

It taught me a couple of important lessons, though, on how 

to manage a crew instead of simply work among them. 

Trust 

The hardest lesson I had to learn was trust, a lesson which 

got harder to take to heart with just a few burns here and 

there (see my August 2007 column for just one example), 

but the fact is that when (not if ) the day comes that you find 

yourself having to slow down a bit, you’ll have two choices: 

Either trust your techs to know their jobs, 

or stock up on pain relievers. I personally 

recommend making sure your techs are 

knowledgeable and to trust them, but 

stock the aspirin just in case. 

Trust, however, does have other fringe 

benefits for the in-house TD. My stepfather 

used to tell me that two things in life motivate 

people: the pursuit of pleasure and 

the avoidance of pain. Period. Of course, in 

my youth I dismissed this as the rantings 

of an old man who was completely ignorant 

of the world around him. Guess who 

turned out to be right? 

When I was a young tech, I worked with 

a number of TDs and crew chiefs who could 

be divided into three categories: parental, 

tyrannical and apathetic. Apathetic TDs 

present no issue — they show so little concern 

for the completion of their charge that 

crews find no reason to care either, so we 

can glean little from them. Tyrannical TDs 

often motivate their crews with the threat 

of pain, aka fear — fearful techs will do no 

more than it takes to keep from getting fired. 

In most circles, this pretty much guarantees 

mediocre work. The parental TD made me 

feel different. I was afraid to do shoddy work 

because the TD might get fired, and I would 

carry the guilt of betraying that trust to my 

grave. When your techs feel this way about 

you, they’ll do their best work. 

Delegation 

One dangerous act on the part of many TDs is micromanagement, 

and I’ve been guilty of it myself. The easiest solution 

to this is true delegation of responsibility. If you have a master 

carpenter, let them act as master carpenter, not assistant TD. If 

you have a master electrician, let them act as master electrician, 

not assistant TD. While the execution of the show ultimately 

falls on you, as long as the theatre, university or school 

pays you, keep that a secret. Make sure that each crew chief is 

responsible for their piece of the puzzle and hold them to it. 

As you hold these crew heads responsible for the actions of 

their crews, that responsibility will trickle down to the job-in 

laborers. An added bonus here is that in the event a crew falls 

far behind, and you have to step in, your very presence will let 

the crew members know that something has gone awry and 

they better step it up. 

We’ll always carry our multitool on our collective belts 

as some form of validation and preparedness measure, but 

the day will come when we have to finally accept that we’ve 

had our time atop the ladder. We just have to remember that 

climbing down from the ladder doesn’t equal turning over 

our keys. 


Off the Shelf 


Balancing Act 

Books for actors and directors 

Show-business legend has it that the dying words of celebrated 

Shakespearean actor Sir Donald Wolfit (1902– 

1968) were “Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.” Most challenging 

of all is physical comedy, which has prompted two 

new books on the subject: Finding Your Funny Bone: The 

Actor’s Guide to Physical Comedy and Characters, by Nancy 

Gold, and Why Is That So Funny?: A Practical Exploration of 

Physical Comedy, by John Wright. Gold’s book is the shorter 

— a basic how-to manual for performers, directors and 

teachers that touches on mime, movement, acting, clowning, 

improvisation, writing and even juggling. Physical theatre 

training is difficult to capture within the pages of a book, 

but Gold does a good job — helped by lively text, photos 

and illustrations. Her approach is refreshing, too — urging 

readers to experiment with all the techniques she describes, 

then discard what doesn’t work for them. [ISBN 1-57525-449- 

4, $16.95, Smith and Kraus] 

John Wright’s Why Is That So Funny? takes a more analytical 

approach, beginning with a discussion of the various 

types of laughter a performance can evoke, then with games 

and exercises that help explore the stops, turns, interruptions 

and sudden surprises of physical comedy. This is technical 

work, but by breaking down and explaining how this all 

operates technically — the rhythms, the tensions, the trips, 

the drops, the takes — we see how different kinds of comedy 

really work. [ISBN 0-87910-343-4, $19.95, Limelight Editions] 

In auditions, an actor with limited cold reading skills is at a 

great disadvantage. To the rescue comes acting coach Glenn 

Alterman’s Secrets to Successful Cold Readings. He presents 

step-by-step instruction on how to break down scenes and 

monologues quickly, with specific advice related to the way 

that cold readings are used in theatre, TV, film, commercials 

and voiceovers. This analytical approach really gets to the heart 

of the matter, as do Alterman’s interviews and tips from casting 

directors. [ISBN 1-57525-566-8, $14.95, Smith and Kraus] 

Monologues and scenes are essential for auditions and 

acting study, and several new volumes provide a good 

variety of styles, subjects and characters. More Scenes and 

Monologs from the Best New Plays offers 42 selections 

from 37 recent plays that editor Roger Ellis believes address 

major trends and conflicts of modern life. Selections vary 

in tone and content — humor, pathos, reflection, poignancy, 

angst — and are kept to 10 minutes or less. There 

are scenes for two women, two men, one man and one 

woman, and monologues for both men and women. A 

short preface sets up each selection. [ISBN 1-56608-142-4, 

$15.95, Meriwether Publishing] 

Reaching much farther back into dramatic literature, the 

Good Audition Guides series from Nick Hern Books offers two 

new collections of monologues drawn from classical plays 

from ancient Greek and Roman all the way to 19th and early 

20th century. Many of these are little known today, giving 

these old texts a measure of freshness as audition material. 

Each monologue is preceded by a summary of the time and 

place, what has happened before the scene begins and a 

list of the character’s objectives. Classical Monologues for 

Women [ISBN 1-85459-870-8] and Classical Monologues for 

Men [ISBN 1-85459-869-4] are $16 each. 

The 10-minute play as an accepted dramatic form is a fairly 

recent development. Some might say that its popularity is 

a result of our diminished attention span, but there’s much 

more to it than that. The form originated with the Actors 

Theatre of Louisville, which wanted to help new playwrights 

get their works performed — and to experiment with language, 

form, character and subject matter. Not surprisingly, 

the best 10-minute plays are those that depart the most from 

conventional drama, and that is the focus of two outstanding 

collections edited by D. L. Lepidus. 2005: The Best Ten- 

Minute Plays for 2 Actors [ISBN 1-57525-448-4] and 2005: 

The Best Ten-Minute Plays for 3 or More Actors [ISBN 1- 

57525-530-8], both published by Smith and Kraus, are each 

priced at $19.95. 

The Boston Theater Marathon of Ten-Minute Plays, Vol. 

IV, is a collection chosen from the 50 new pieces first performed 

in 10 hours on April 14, 2002. As might be expected, 

as a group they are diverse, peculiar, heart-wrenching, hilarious, 

tragic, shocking and much more. [ISBN 0-87440-267-4, 

Baker’s Plays] 


The Play’s the Thing 


Women Front and Center 

Plays to confront the different choices and obligations of the modern woman 

This month’s roundup of recently released plays focuses on 

female characters, from comic to tragic, realistic to fantastic. 

Sarah Ruhl’s warmhearted comedy, The Clean House, 

revolves around Lane, a doctor whose cleaning lady’s attitude 

toward dirt is, “If the floor is dirty, then look at the ceiling.” 

However, Lane’s sister Virginia, an unhappy woman obsessed 

with cleanliness and orderliness, secretly takes over the cleaning 

lady’s job so that Matilde, who dreams of being a comedienne, 

can use her free time to craft a joke so funny that it will 

literally cause you to laugh yourself to death. Eventually, Lane 

discovers the women’s deception, but more upsetting is the 

revelation that her husband Charles has left her for an older, 

less tidy, but life-embracing woman. The Clean House mixes 

whimsy and solemnity, and in the play’s final movement, 

seems to be saying that people can ask for forgiveness and be 

granted it with grace if we stop telling lies to each other. Four 

females, one male. [Samuel French] 

Tidying up also plays a role in Donna Gerdin’s Losing 

Lawrence. D.H. Lawrence’s widow, Frieda, has returned with 

his ashes from Europe to find two friends — and former 

rivals for his affection — cleaning her house in time for a 

memorial service, which runs counter to Frieda’s plans. In 

a series of plot twists, the three women struggle over how 

best to honor the late author, complicated by a young, 

ambitious reporter trying to learn the truth about Lawrence, 

based on the innuendos and accusations leveled by the 

women against each other. In compelling fashion, this dark 

comedy deftly explores the ups and downs of friendship. 

Three females, one male. [Samuel French] 

David’s Redhaired Death, by Sherry Kramer, tells the story 

of Jean and Marilyn, who fall in love as they deal with the 

death of Jean’s brother David. Jean is the play’s first-act narrator, 

introducing us to her three great obsessions — death, 

redheads and McDonalds. It’s her belief that each of us carries 

on our backs thousands of deaths — not only those of family 

members and friends, but everyone in the world we read 

about in the news or see on television. Not surprisingly, the 

weight is oppressive. But, Jean — and the play — comes to 

life when she sets off to travel to “the redheads,” where she 

meets Marilyn (who narrates Act Two). The result is an edgy 

affair in which the two women are constantly on the verge 

of physical love without ever going all the way. However, 

the real story is our discovery that David died falling from a 

burning building (his own “redheaded death”), and that with 

Marilyn’s help, Jean’s obsession with death can be replaced 

by an understanding of the true meaning of love. Two 

females, two males. [Broadway Play Publishing] 

In Cassandra Medley’s Relativity, Kalima, a recent Ph.D. 

recipient, is forced to challenge the long-held beliefs of her 

parents, who have founded a research institute that claims 

African-Americans are genetically superior because of the 

greater amount of melanin in their skin. Kalima’s mother 

wants her to write a book supporting melanin science, but her 

academic mentor wants her to write an article debunking the 

theory. She can’t do both, and therein lies the play’s central 

conflict. Not only has the playwright set her drama, as one 

character puts it, “on the cut of the cutting edge” of research, 

she must grapple with the touchy subject of reverse racism. 

Relativity handles it all with intelligence, although the mechanics 

of playwriting are perhaps too visible at times — requiring 

a strong directorial hand to keep the dialog from turning into a 

lecture. Three females, two males. [Broadway Play Publishing] 

Life stinks — literally — for Edna, the heroine of Elizabeth 

Meriwether’s The Mistakes Madeline Made. She has a highstrung 

perfectionist for a boss, a revolving door of Mr. Wrongs 

and an office coworker who makes odd noises. Worst of all, the 

ghost of her adored brother (who died in a terrorist attack) has 

taken up residency in her tub, making it impossible for her to 

take a bath. As her odor begins to overwhelm her coworkers 

and casual lovers, this darkly comic play seems to be asking, “Is 

clean living even possible in times of unrest?” Quirky and funny, 

it’s at its best when it concentrates on the inanities of office 

politics, rather than the insanity of international affairs. Three 

males, two females, with doubling. [Dramatists Play Service] 

Playwright Theresa Rebeck’s plays cover a wide range 

of subjects, but she’s best known for her humorous looks 

at contemporary American women. Theresa Rebeck Vol. III 

Complete Short Plays 1989–2005, includes 21 brief encounters 

with some unusual characters in The Actress, Does This Woman 

Have a Name?, Candy Heart, Josephina and Mary, Mother of 

God, Intercede with Us, among others. [ISBN 1-57525-447-6, 

$19.95, Smith & Kraus] The selections in Theresa Rebeck Vol. 

II: Complete Full-Length Plays 1999–2007 include some of her 

most challenging: Abstract Expression, The Butterfly Collection, 

Bad Dates, The Water’s Edge, The Bells and The Scene. [ISBN 1- 

57525-441-1, $19.95, Smith & Kraus] 


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Answer Box 

By Thomas H. Freeman 

True Love 

Gets All Wet 

Love, death, poetry and a pool of 

water contend with wireless mics in 

Shakespeare in the Park’s production 

of Romeo and Juliet. 

Michal Daniel 

Romeo and Juliet died in a pool of water, but the wireless mics didn’t. 

Moisture of any type can be the kiss of death to 

electronic equipment. Unfortunately, the Public 

Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park summer production 

of Romeo and Juliet in New York’s Central Park 

included a pool that, while only a few inches deep, was 

30 feet in diameter. Tom Clark, of New York’s Acme Sound 

Partners LLC, whose firm provides theatrical sound design 

services for plays and musicals, was tasked with finding a 

way to keep the actors’ wireless gear working while being 

submerged in this pool. 

According to Clark, “With the frequent fighting and 

death that takes place during the performance, several 

of the principal actors found themselves on their backs 

or face-down in the water. For this reason, we needed to 

ensure that the wireless microphones were protected and 

capable of surviving this situation. In my research, we discovered 

the Lectrosonics MM400C wireless transmitter.” 

The Lectrosonics MM400C Water-Resistant Digital 

Hybrid Wireless Miniature Transmitters were placed in 

Ziploc plastic bags and attached to elastic belts, which 

were then placed around the actor’s ribcage with the 

transmitter on their back. For some of the actresses, the 

wardrobe department worked with Clark and the other 

audio professionals on-site to ensure the mics optimal performance 

while remaining hidden within the costumes. 

In all, 10 wireless channels were assigned to the gear. 

Since the principals in the play were the ones who found 

themselves in deep water, they were all equipped with the 

MM400C transmitters. Equipment for the production was 

supplied by Masque Sound. 

The Lectrosonics Venue Modular Receiver System was 

deployed to acquire signal from the transmitters. The 1RU 

rackmountable Venue system is a modular UHF design 

that operates with Digital Hybrid Wireless transmitters 

and a variety of analog transmitters. It consists of a Venue 

Receiver Master (VRM) and one to six plug-in receiver modules. 

The entire 10-channel Lectrosonics wireless system 

occupied only two rackspaces in the equipment rack. 

“Throughout the entire month Romeo and Juliet ran, 

not once did we encounter a single hiccup from any of 

the Lectrosonics equipment,” says Clark. “These transmitters 

enabled the director’s vision of this production 

to be realized.” 

Answer Box Needs You! 

Every production has its challenges. We’d like to hear 

how you solved them! Send your Answer Box story 

and pics to answerbox@stage-directions.com.

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