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• Harvard’s New College Theatre started hastybut finished deeper than ever• Long Form Improv generates spontaneous theatre• Theatre Spotlight focuses on Dad’s Garagewww.stage-directions.comMARCH 2008A Close Look at ThreeHot Design ProgramsInterview withLegendary Design TeamRichard Pilbrow andTony WaltonHow DesignersAdapt to Projection’sDisruptive Side-EffectsA rtful Design by

Table Of ContentsMarch 2008Features30 Irreverence Is BlissDad’s Garage Theatre has made quite a name for itself inAtlanta’s hipster scene with its balance of improv and offbeatproductions. By Bret Love32 Tech Is EverywhereCarnegie Mellon University may be known for engineering,but its School of Drama students have faired pretty well witha program that combines design and tech.By Robert Isenberg36 Anatomy of SoundA Cincinnati production of the rock musical Altar Boyz wonover critics with a new sound system that enhanced the cast’sharmonies. By Morgan Reed40 Improv ExplosionLong Form Improv stretches a performer’s craft — and itsinfluence is growing, too. By Bret LoveSpecial Section: Design44 Spread Out by DesignWe hit the streets and found three theatre design programsthat are pipin’ hot. By Suzi Steffen48 Designers on CollaborationWe interview Richard Pilbrow and Tony Walton about their50-year collaboration. By Michael Eddy51 The Law of UnintendedConsequencesDesigners talk about how their craft must change to adapt toprojection’s disruptive effects. By Geri Jeter44COURTESY OF CFPTS

Departments9 LettersAn alternate avenue for summer study.10 In the GreenroomKey Brand Entertainment Inc. acquires Live Nation’stheatre assets, Silk Road Theatre Project receives BICAward, the Public Theater invests in new plays and moretheatre buzz.14 Tools of the TradeThis month’s assortment of gear.16 Light on the SubjectDon’t leave your production in the dark with gels —perhaps the most pervasive lighting accessories in showbiz. By Dave McGinnis20 Let the Stars ShineHow to create a starscape to bring the outdoors insideyour theatre. By Brent Stainer22 Sound DesignWe speak with Composer and Sound Designer David VanTieghem, who brings life to Is He Dead? — Mark Twain’s100-year-old premiere. By Bryan Reesman26 Revitalizing Harvard TheatreWhen Harvard University purchased the HastyPudding Theatre, the Georgian revival building wasrich with history, but in desperate need of an upgrade.By Bryan Reesman60 Answer BoxLightning — and lighting — bring a monster to life inYoung Frankenstein. By Thomas H. FreemanColumns36227 Ed NoteTheatre and cheese. Trust me, they’re related.By Jacob Coakley54 Show BizA thrifty producer’s guide to lighting. By Tim Cusack55 TD TalkWe all know the nightmares when productivity is low.Pneumatic tools might be the answer. By Dave McGinnis56 Off the ShelfIn this month’s showcase, we cover theatre booksthat bring attention to topics not frequently covered.By Stephen Peithman57 The Play’s the ThingIt’s all about relationships with plays that look at humaninteraction from many angles. By Stephen PeithmanON OUR COVER: Carnegie Mellon University’s production of Guys and DollsPHOTOGRAPHY BY: Louis Stein

Dan HernandezEditor’s NoteAll Your CheeseAre Belong To UsIsaw four shows this past week and I readabout cheese, too.Trust me, they’re related.First, the cheese. I’m a bit of a cheese nut.Back when I was penniless and interning inNew York, I used to go to Murray’s Cheese attheir Bleecker location, buy a hunk of cheese(usually a young Gouda) and eat it with a25-cent loaf of bread I’d get at the bakerynext door. To someone raised in the Midweston block Cheddar and Colby, Murray’s was a revelation. The scents,tastes, colors and sheer amount of cheese were breathtaking. Istarted paying more attention to what cheese I liked, experimentingwith new types and generally annoying the cheesemongers withmy questions. As I’ve moved around the country, I’ve always soughtout the best place to buy cheese wherever I’ve gone.You see where I’m going with this? It was the same with theatre,only I got more involved with making it. So involved, in fact, thatwhen a news story like Live Nation selling its theatrical assets comesalong (see In the Greenroom, page 10), I spent hours researchingthe history of those assets — the 20-odd-year drama of who ownedwhat, who bought who, who was indicted for fraud. But here’s myguess: Even though I know that everyone reading this magazineloves theatre, only a very small percentage of you actually careabout the corporate history behind this $90 million deal. And youknow what? I’m cool with that, thanks to cheese.Part of my obsession with cheese means that I subscribe tocheese blogs.(I’ll give you a second to admire my geekery.)And yes, Murray’s Cheese has a blog, which I read regularly. Thisweek, there was a story of how one of the cheesemongers saw acouple rounds of prized aged provolone that were scheduled to bedelivered to the store rolling around the back of a truck. They wereincensed at how badly the cheese was being handled. They almostrefused shipment of the cheese. Then they tasted it, and loved it.The cheese wasn’t damaged at all.Of the four shows I saw this week, I ran into friends at two of them,completely unexpectedly. One sat in front of me the whole show, butbecause I arrived at the last minute, we didn’t see each other untilafter the end of show. We walked out together, talking and laughingabout the great show we had just seen. Another friend approachedme the morning after the second show to talk about it, about how ithad moved her, about how she felt it could have been better, but alsoabout just how much they got very right. Both of these conversationswere special to me because they came from friends who I wouldn’thave expected to see at the theatre at all, and they both clearly lovedthe shows they saw — and they didn’t care who produced them.If the plays (or cheese) are good, it doesn’t matter who producesit or how it gets there, just that people enjoy it. So keep up the goodwork — it may be hard, you may get knocked around a bit, but I guaranteeyou the audience will appreciate it.Jacob CoakleyEditorStage Directionsjcoakley@stage-directions.com

Publisher Terry Lowetlowe@stage-directions.comEditor Jacob Coakleyjcoakley@stage-directions.comAudio Editor Jason Pritchardjpritchard@stage-directions.comLighting & Staging Editor Richard Cadenarcadena@plsn.comNew York Editor Bryan Reesmanbryan@stage-directions.comManaging Editor Breanne Georgebg@stage-directions.comContributing Writers Tim Cusack, Michael Eddy,Robert Isenberg, Geri Jeter,Bret Love, Dave McGinnis,Morgan Reed, Brent Stainer,Suzi SteffenConsulting Editor Stephen PeithmanARTArt Director Garret PetrovGraphic Designers Crystal Franklin, David AlanProductionProduction Manager Linda Evanslevans@stage-directions.comWEBWeb Designer Josh HarrisADVERTISINGAdvertising Director Greg Gallardogregg@stage-directions.comNational Sales Manager James Leasingjleasing@stage-directions.comAudio Advertising Manager Dan Hernandezdh@stage-directions.comOPERATIONSGeneral Manager William Vanyowvanyo@stage-directions.comCIRCULATIONSubscription order www.stage-directions.com/subscribeBUSINESS OFFICEStark ServicesP.O. Box 16147North Hollywood, CA 916156000 South Eastern Ave.Suite 14-JLas Vegas, NV 89119TEL 702.932.5585FAX 702.932.5584Stage Directions (ISSN: 1047-1901) Volume 21, Number 3 Published monthly by Timeless CommunicationsCorp., 6000 South Eastern Ave., Suite 14J, Las Vegas, NV 89119. It is distributed freeto qualified individuals in the lighting and staging industries in the United States and Canada.Periodical Postage paid at Las Vegas, NV, office and additional offices. Postmaster please sendaddress changes to: Stage Directions, P.O. Box 16147 North Hollywood, CA 91615. Editorial submissionsare encouraged, but must include a self-addressed stamped envelope to be returned.Stage Directions is a Registered Trademark. All Rights Reserved. Duplication, transmission byany method of this publication is strictly prohibited without permission of Stage Directions.OTHER TIMELESS COMMUNICATIONS PUBLICATIONSAdvisory BoardJoshua AlemanyRoscoJulie AngeloAmerican Association ofCommunity TheatreRobert BarberBMI SupplyKen BillingtonLighting DesignerRoger clamanRose BrandPatrick Finelli, PhDUniversity ofSouth FloridaGene FlahartyMehron Inc.Cathy HutchisonAcoustic DimensionsKeith KankovskyApollo DesignBecky KaufmanPeriod CorsetsKeith KevanKKO NetworkTodd KoepplChicago Spotlight Inc.Kimberly MesserLillenas Drama ResourcesJohn MeyerMeyer SoundJohn MuszynskiTheater DirectorMaine South High SchoolScott ParkerPace University/USITT-NYRon RansonTheatre ArtsVideo LibraryDavid RosenbergI. Weiss & Sons Inc.Karen RugerioDr. Phillips High SchoolAnn SachsSachs Morgan StudioBill SapsisSapsis RiggingRichard SilvestroFranklin Pierce College

LettersStudying withSummer InternshipsI was glad to receivey o u r S u m m e r S t u d yDirectory in the latestissue of Stage Directions,and was wondering howwe could add our programto the directory?T h e B l o w i n g R o c kStage Company (BRSC),a 2 3 - y e a r - o l d E q u i t ytheatre located in theBlue Ridge Mountainsof Western NorthCarolina (the city ofBlowing Rock, to bespecific), has an annualsummer internship program that offers young actorsand technicians a real-world environment in whichto pursue their-craft working with and learning fromour resident professionals and visiting artists. Firstyearinterns receive a stipend of $130 per week.Established in 2002, BRSC’s intern program runsfrom mid-May to late August and is open to 12 to16 interns. Scheduling is somewhat flexible forthose applicants with prior conflicts during thosedates. Interns rotate through all theatre departments,including: Costumes, Lights, Properties,Electrics, Carpentry, Sound, Box Office and StageManagement.In addition, interns will also participate in a seriesof “Master Classes” taught by BRSC’s professionaldesign staff and visiting guest artists. Plus, performanceopportunities are also available for actinginterns. Interns may also be eligible to earn pointstowards membership in Actors’ Equity Association.To apply, students should mail a brief letter ofinterest with a resume of theatre experience andthree current references.Kenneth Kay, Producing Artistic DirectorBlowing Rock Stage CompanyP.O. Box 2170Blowing Rock, NC 28605Thanks for the info, Ken! While I don’t think we canadd your program to our directory, I’m happy to letpeople know how to apply to your program. Paid (oreven unpaid) summer internships, while educational,are a different beast than a course of summer study— but that doesn’t mean they’re any less valuable.It’s another way to get some training in the summermonths and your foot in the door at a local theatre.— ed.

In the Greenroomindustry newsKey Brand Entertainment Inc. Acquires Live Nation Theatre AssetsKey Brand Entertainment Inc., a private investment companydedicated exclusively to the development, production anddistribution of live theatre, has acquired the North Americantheatrical assets of Live Nation. Key Brand Entertainment isowned and controlled by British producer John Gore. As part ofthe acquisition, the company will assume control of BroadwayAcross America and its Broadway Across Canada subsidiary.Key Brand has also partnered with Dancap Productions, aleading Canadian theatre producer and Tokyo BroadcastingSystem, Inc., the major Japanese television network, to reachthe Canadian and Japanese markets.Thomas B. McGrath will be Key Brand’s chairman, whileGore will be CEO. Peter Schneider, former head of WaltDisney Theatrical, has agreed to join the board. Aubrey Dan,president of Dancap Productions Inc., has agreed to serve aschairman of Broadway Across Canada.“We are extremely pleased to be acquiring one of the theatricalindustry’s most powerful franchises,” Gore said. “Weare dedicated to being the absolute best in live theatre, andwill actively look to acquire intellectual properties that can bedeveloped into major new productions.”Key Brand Entertainment will be headquartered in NewYork City. Former Clear Channel Entertainment President ofTheatrical Production, Beth Williams, is being named chief operatingofficer and head of production for Key Brand. Live Nationspun off from Clear Channel in late 2005. Clear Channel enteredthe theatre market when they bought SFX Entertainmentin 2000, which, in turn, was built through purchases of PaceManagement in 1997 and the assets of Livent in 1999 after thatcompany succumbed to bankruptcy brought about by fraud.Steven Winton and David M. Anderson will continue to serveas CEO and COO, respectively, of Broadway Across America.Martin Professional GetsGrant for LED DevelopmentMartin Professional A/S was awarded a technologygrant from the Danish National Advanced TechnologyFoundation for the development of new LED technologies.The project, called INLED (Intelligent Light EmittingDiodes), is a cooperation between Martin ProfessionalA/S, Denmark’s Aalborg University and the DanishNational Advanced Technology Foundation.Martin Professional will receive approximately $3million in funding from the research foundation, withan additional $2 million to be added by Martin and$1 million from Aalborg University. The three-year, $6million USD project will run through the end of 2010.“This initiative further emphasizes Martin’s desireto lead the development and set the standards withinour industry as well as our commitment to continue toimprove lighting efficiency to benefit the environment,”says Christian Engsted, CEO of Martin Professional.LACC Requires ETCP Certificationfor Rigging SupervisorsThe Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) is requiringall its rigging supervisors to be certified under theEntertainment Technician Certification Program (ETCP).New vendors must meet these qualificationsimmediately to be considered for placement, whilepreviously approved vendors have until the end of 2008to certify their lead riggers, according to New York-basedESTA, which is spearheading the ETCP program.“Proper knowledge of rigging principles, components,equipment, related engineering and the applicationthereof is vital to assuring public safety. With the creationof the ETCP credential, we now have a means of measuringthe knowledge of riggers in our industry,” said ThomasFields, LACC building superintendent of show operations,who initiated the new policy.ESTA added that companies looking to hire certifiedriggers or entertainment electricians can find a list on theETCP portion of their Web site at http://etcp.esta.org.ESTA Standards Available for Public ReviewTwo Fog & Smoke documents andtwo Rigging Working Group documentsdealing with manual rigging systems andfire safety curtain systems are availablefor public review for free on the ESTAWeb site at http://www.esta.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php. Thepublic reviews run through March 17.The first fog & smoke documentis a reaffirmation of the existing ANSIE1.5 - 2003, Entertainment Technology- Theatrical Fog Made with AqueousSolutions of Di- And Trihydric Alcohols.The standard describes the compositionof theatrical fogs or artificial mists thatare not likely to be harmful to healthyperformers, technicians or audiencemembers. The second is a new draft standard,BSR E1.29 - 20XX, Product SafetyStandard for Theatrical Fog GeneratorsThat Create Aerosols of Water, AqueousSolutions of Glycol or Glycerin or HighlyRefined Alkane Mineral Oil. The draftstandard is intended to help guide productsafety testing laboratories in evaluatingfog-making equipment for design orconstruction defects that might createunacceptable hazards.The draft manual rigging is BSRE1.4 - 200x, Entertainment Technology– Manual Counterweight RiggingSystems. The draft standard describesthe design and construction of manuallypowered counterweight riggingsystems. The second is BSR E1.22-200x,Entertainment Technology - Fire SafetyCurtain Systems, which describes thematerials, fabrication, installation, operation,testing and maintenance of firesafety curtains and fire safety curtainsystems used for theatre prosceniumopening protection.10 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com

theatre buzzPublic Theater Invests in New PlaysThe Public Theater in New York announced that it receiveda $2.7 million dollar grant from The Andrew W. MellonFoundation to launch Public Lab, a new play series conceivedand presented in association with LAByrinth Theater Company.Public Lab will launch in February with Mom, How Did You MeetThe Beatles? by Adam P. Kennedy and Adrienne Kennedy andcontinue every month through the end of June.The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s five-year grant is oneof the largest grants ever received by the Public Theater andwill be used, in part, to allow audiences to see these importantnew plays for only $10.The playwrights selected for the inaugural season of PublicLab will be Adam P. Kennedy and Adrienne Kennedy; JohnBelluso; Steven Cosson and Michael Friedman; Naomi Wallace;Tracey Scott Wilson; Rebecca Cohen; and Scott Hudson.The Public has also announced the 12 members of the inauguralEmerging Writers Group, a new program launching nextmonth that targets playwrights at the earliest stages in theircareers and provides necessary resources and support.With this new initiative, The Public hopes to create an artistichome for a diverse and talented group of up-and-coming playwrights.The Emerging Writers Group is the first element of ThePublic Writers Initiative, a long-term program that will provide supportand resources for writers at every stage of their careers. TimeWarner is the Founding Sponsor of The Public Writers Initiative.The inaugural group of Emerging Writers was selectedfrom more than 700 applicants. The 12 selected are RadhaBlank, Leila Buck, Raúl Castillo, Chris Cragin Day, ChristinaGorman, Ethan Lipton, Alejandro Morales, Nick Nanna, HadikwaMwaluko, Don Nguyen, Akin Salawu, Alladin Ullah and PiaWilson. Application guidelines for the 2009 Emerging WritersGroup will be available as of spring 2008.Silk Road Theatre Project Recipient of BIC AwardThe League of Chicago Theatres has announced Silk RoadTheatre Project as the recipient of the 2008 Broadway InChicago Emerging Theater Award. This is the second year ofthe award, which provides $5,000 and a marketing supportpackage that includes a full-page ad in the Friday and SundayTribune to an emerging theatre company in the Chicago area.This is the second year of a five-year support pledge for thisprogram from Broadway In Chicago.Nominations for the award were accepted from late-November through mid-December. Eligible companies mustbe a member of the League of Chicago Theatres, have beenin existence at least three and no longer than 10 years, andhave demonstrated artistic excellence and fiscal responsibilityin business practices.The 2008 Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theater Awardwill be presented to Silk Road Theatre Project at the Leagueof Chicago Theatres’ Showtime Gala, March 31, at the historicAuditorium Theatre.12 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com

changing rolesYale School of Drama Appoints Paula VogelYale School of Drama has appointedPaula Vogel as the Eugene O’NeillProfessor (Adjunct) and Chair of theDepartment of Playwriting effectiveJuly 1, for a five-year term.“Yale School of Drama’s leadershiprole in theatre training is a sourceof pride and celebration for the entireUniversity,” says President Richard C.Levin. “The appointment of Ms. Vogelreflects our commitment to attractingnot only the most talented students,but also the world’s leading practitionersto serve as their teachers.”Vogel has served as the directorof MFA and UndergraduatePlaywriting at Brown Universitysince 1984, and is the AdeleKellenberg Seaver professor increative writing. She previouslytaught courses in the Theatre Artsand Women’s Studies programs atCornell University.One of the most widely producedand honored playwrights, her workhas garnered numerous awards andprizes including the Pulitzer Prizefor Drama, Susan Smith BlackburnAward, New York Drama CriticsAward, Obie Award, among others.“I am delighted and honoredto join Yale School of Drama, aninstitution with a distinguishedhistory in the American theatreand a vibrant theatrical communityforged by students and facultyalike,” says Paula Vogel. “I’m lookingforward to re-imagining as wellas helping to remake Americantheatre in the 21st century withyounger artists and my colleaguesat Yale.Schuler Shook Announces New Partner in DallasJack P. HaglerSchuler Shook has announcedJack P. Hagler, ASTC, as the newestpartner in the firm. Haglerjoined Schuler Shook in 2001as a Senior Theatre Consultantand was promoted to Principalin 2004. In his new capacity aspartner, Hagler is responsible fortheatre planning and consultingservices in Dallas.Hagler has 25 years of theatreconsulting experience.Hagler’s current and recent projectsinclude MGM at Foxwoods ResortCasino in Mashantucket, Conn.; DallasCity Performance Hall; Lyric Theatreat the Plaza in Oklahoma City; A.D.Players Theater in Houston; andUniversity of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College.www.stage-directions.com • March 2008 13

Tools of the TradeAudio-Technica Pro 92cW Headworn MicAudio-Technica’s new Pro92cW subminiature omnidirectionalcondenser headwornmicrophone is based onthe AT892 MicroSet. The Pro92cW uses a small condensercapsule, making it suitable forapplications requiring minimumvisibility. In addition, thePRO 92cW offers an ergonomic,flexible design. It has a contoured earpiece designed to stayin place even on the most animated performer. The PRO92cW loops over the ear and features a larger capsule andlarger-diameter boom than the AT892. The PRO 92cW has abendable boom allowing the user to wear it on either ear, astandard CW cable length of 55 cm, an attachable windscreenand a clothing clip. It is available in either a non-reflectiveblack or beige finish. It is also as part of a combination packagewith either the Audio-Technica 200 or 700 Series wirelesssystems. www.audio-technica.comChauvet COLORado PanelThe Chauvet COLORadoPanel is a DMX-512 RGBWLED bank system that iscapable of operating inthree, four or nine-channelmodes. Each operatingmode is designed to offer avarying level of control overthe 48-Luxeon K2, two-wattLEDs. The multiple operatingmodes are designed toallow users to choose between: RGB, HSV (hue, saturationand value), RGB+W and a nine-channel mode. In nine-channelmode, the COLORado Panel offers control over RGBW, ID,dimmer, strobe, macro, auto, custom and balance values.Additionally, the COLORado Panel is capable of RGB colormixing without using a DMX controller.The COLORado Panel features color temperature presets(custom values can be programmed) from 3,200 to 10,000degrees Kelvin, and contains both built-in automated programsand the ability for users to program and recall customprograms via master/slave mode. The COLORado Panelfeatures low-power consumption and an additional poweroutput for daisy-chaining multiple units together (up to 15)on a single power run. www.chauvetlighting.comdbx SC 64 and SC 32 Digital Matrix ProcessorsThe new SC 64 (System Core) and SC 32 Digital MatrixProcessors from dbx host a total of 64 and 32 analog I/O,respectively, configurable in banks of eight. Eight analoginput cards and eight analog output cards allow many differentfully loaded configurations, and have onboard mic/line and phantom power switching per input. The units alsohave an interface for adding high bandwidth audio transportI/O cards. The units feature dedicated DSP for common processingfunctions as well as insert positions for specializedprocessing and popular audio tools. Additionally, the new SC64 and SC 32 devices offer a range of control options includingHiQnet System Architect custom control panels, as wellas Ethernet, serial, contact closure control, ZC wall controllersand automatically scheduled events.www.dbxpro.comElation Antari M-5 FoggerThe new AntariM-5 Fogger fromElation Professionalis a 1,500-watt stagefogger designed specificallyfor stage andtouring use. It featuresa low-profile level rectangular case to rest flat on a stage floorsecurely and unobtrusively. Two oversized handles allow formobility and positioning. Another feature is its high-capacity10-liter tank. It has a heat-up time of eight minutes and canproduce a 20,000 cubic feet of fog per minute. The M-5 usesAntari’s ECO thermal control system and patented Unicoreheater technology. This system uses a sensitive electronicthermostat, which can detect even the slightest drop in temperature.An electronic Thermal Cut-Off feature automaticallyshuts down the pump when the fog fluid level runs low. TheM-5 weighs in at 33 lbs. The M-5 has onboard DMX-512 alongwith a timer remote control. Available optional accessories(sold separately) include a wireless remote and a heavy-dutyflight case. Measuring 26” x 12.5” x 6.7”, the Antari M-5 fogmachine has a suggested retail price of $799.95.www.elationlighting.comJ. R. Clancy SceneControl Hand Held RemoteJ. R. Clancy’s SceneControlHand Held Remote extends thecapabilities of the SceneControlautomated motion control systemto any point in the theatre.It has a six-inch graphic touchs c r e e n i n t w o - d i m e n s i o n a lcolor and 14 function keys thatallow the operator to selectsets or multiple sets and movethem between show-specific soft limits. From the touchscreen, the operator can see and execute the presets andcues that were written on the theatre’s SceneControl 500console. This allows the operator to run cues from theposition that provides the clearest sight lines. Any presetor cue written on the SceneControl 500 can be executedusing SceneControl Hand Held Remote, whether theoperator is positioned in the wings, orchestra, basementor house. The handheld device is hard-wired witha 34-foot cord that can be plugged into receptaclesinstalled in up to 12 locations throughout the theatre.Each receptacle is hard-wired to a direct connection withthe SceneControl 500 console. Users can purchase a cordas long as 100 meters for the remote.www.jrclancy.com14 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com

Light on the SubjectBy Dave McGinnisWhenEverythingStarts to Gel…Picture in your mind a ravishing blue gown… at least bythe standards of the people who built it. The costumeshop spent hundreds of hours building it and thousandsof dollars acquiring the fabrics and jewels of which it is composed.This dress drove the costume designer’s vision.Sadly, you — our heroic lighting designer — and thecostume designer live in different time zones and have nevermet face-to-face. (Go ahead; say this shouldn’t happen. It does;it has; it will.) The dress will adorn the Good Angel in yournewest project, Dr. Faustus, and will make its debut in its majorscene during its first rehearsal. You revel in the theatrical changein lighting as the scene burns red, and the incredibly beautiful— expensive — dress brushes onstage… and it’s gray. Assoon as the costume designer revives from her coronary, you’lldiscuss and fix the problem.Almost every theatrical production in the United Statesseems to use color as a major factor in its lighting design. Thesheets used to create these color palettes — gels — may well bethe single most pervasive lighting accessories in the business, asonly cables and lighting fixtures themselves seem to get moreuse, but mistakes like the one above happen far too often. Theultimate issue boils down to the fact that most people simplydon’t understand how these mysterious “gels” really work.Filters are not all thatexpensive per unit, butthe budget can quicklydissipate as you haveto purchase more.They’re Not “Gels”Gel is a misnomer. To most lay theatre folk, this term hascome to imply that gels change the color of light. Nothing couldbe further from the truth. The proper term is filters, becausethat’s what these little sheets actually do.Think of a filter in the bottom of your sink. You put it there toallow water to pass through while all unwanted items remainbehind. Light filters do exactly the same thing, only with variouswavelengths of light.White light, like that from the sun, includes every color in thespectrum — red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, blue and violet.The light emitted from your lamps works the same way. Gels —which will now be known as filters — filter out the unwantedcolors and let only those desired pass through. For instance,place a red filter in front of an ellipsoidal. The beam passesthrough the filter, and every color EXCEPT red is absorbed intothe sheet. The remainder pass through, creating a beam thatappears red. (See Fig. 1)16 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com

Fig. 1Fig. 2Color Doesn’t Actually ExistHere’s where things get complicated.Take the aforementioned bluedress. It’s not really blue. The dress itselfhas no color whatsoever. The materialsthat compose the dress get hit by whitelight and absorb every color containedin it except blue. They reflect blue back,so we see blue when we look at it. (SeeFig. 2)So why does the dress appear graywhen exposed to pure red? Simple.You, our lighting guru, have establisheda monochromatic — single color — redwash for the scene introducing the bluedress. The white light emitted by thelamps of your various fixtures containsboth blue and red light, but your redfilters have reduced that light to onlyits red components. Red is a primarycolor of light — blue and green (yes,green) — are the others. These threecolors of light are independent and donot necessarily have wavelengths incommon. For example, there’s no red intrue blue, but some blues may containsome red. Therefore, if we hit an objectthat only reflects blue light with a lightbeam containing only red, the object— a dress in this case — will have nocolor to reflect, making it gray.So Where Does the Rest Go?Referring back to the sink metaphor,after you’ve filtered out all thatgunk, you still have a lot backed up thatthe filter caught and kept for itself. ThisThe Apollo swatchbook and its included datasheetscosts you time in your kitchen to cleanup and throw away, but it costs moneyin the lighting world.Filters reduce white light to redby absorbing every other color of thespectrum from that beam except red,so the radiation — heat — that accompanieseach of those wavelengths oflight is also absorbed by the filter. Thisabsorbed heat burns out your filtersover time, which is where the lightspot in your deep and saturated filterscomes from.In short, a filter that allows 60% oflight through will absorb less heat thanone that allows 2%, so the filter allowing60% is likely to last longer.Protecting Your InvestmentFilters are not all that expensive perunit, but the budget can quickly dissipateas you have to purchase more. Tothis end, and considering the length oftime many shows have to run anymoreto make their nut, we have to find waysto improve the lifetime of each filter.First, each company that sells filters(Rosco, Lee, Gam and Apollo, amongothers) makes available to all potentialcustomers swatches of their availablefilter stock. These swatch booksinclude individual samples of all theirfilter options, from basic color choices(like No Color Blue or Bastard Amber)to texture choices (like Frost) or variousdegrees of diffusion. The color optionswill provide a table behind each choicethat offers information onwhat wavelengths of lightare allowed to pass throughand at what levels, as wellas how much actual lightpasses through the filter(see Fig. 3).This necessitates a note.While reddish tones arereferred to as “warm” colorsand bluish tones are knownas “cools,” color temperatureis exactly opposite. Blue hasa higher color temperaturewww.stage-directions.com • March 2008 17

Light on the SubjectFig. 4Fig. 3The Apollo Gel Miser helps protect gels from burnout.than red, so don’t get confused if youdon’t live in design world.The table divulging wavelengthsshould not be ignored. Just becausea filter looks blue does not mean thatthe filter allows only blue light. Thetable will inform you how much ofeach color actually passes through.Take, for instance, Rosco #24 —Scarlet. The filter itself appears relativelyred, and it is. So is the lightthat it passes, but the beam alsocontains a relatively high quantityof blue or indigo. A passive lookat the filter itself would likely notbetray this fact, but making sure tostudy the actual output of the filterwill. We’ve reprinted the wavelengthtable that’s included in the Roscoswatchbook here (Fig. 3), but youcan also go online to Rosco.com tofind a full technical sheet on thecolor. (Fig. 4) The bump in the wavelengthcurve around 400 nm meansit will pass through some blue. Wecan also learn that the filter passes22% of the light that hits it, so eachfilter should last a while.Looking at this table allows youto find colors to match your specificneeds. Looking back at the dressagain, using this table to select yourred would have aided in meshingthe costume designer’s desire forthe blue dress with your desire fora red stage. Simply look throughyour swatch for a reddish filter thatalso passes a degree of blue, such asthe Scarlet above. This way, the redlight will also have some blue lightfor the dress to reflect. You’ll neverget a pure blue from a red filter, butyou might be able to meet in themiddle.Another option that has aidedusers of color scrollers for years hasbeen the heat shield. This clear sheetsits between your filter and yourlight source, absorbing direct heatbefore it hits the filter. This has beenespecially helpful for me with PARcans. Many filters anymore are inherentlyheat shielded, so check withyour provider if you’re not sure.While filters aren’t all that expensiveper unit, they represent a massiveinvestment over time, as theymust be continually replenished.Make sure your colors match what’sgoing on onstage, and make sureto use them in such a way that theylast.18 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com

How-ToBy Brent StainerLet The St rs ShineHow To Build Your Own StarscapeAs a lighting designer, I love to bring a lightning bolt, amoon or a beautiful field of stars to the stage. It is oneof the greatest challenges of a lighting designer —transporting the audience outdoors in spite of the evidencethey have around them.With that in mind, I set out to build a starscape. I beganwith a simple plan to use Christmas lights. It quickly becameapparent that without modification they looked like… well,Christmas lights. However, after a few missteps, backtracksand blatant errors, I ended up with a fair-sized starscape that,to this day, I rent to local theatres. Since then, I have built asecond, starscape that is even more remarkable.To help you avoid some of my mistakes, here’s a quickplan to help you create your own starscape.Creating the SkyI used Duvatyne to create the night sky for my star field.It’s fairly inexpensive and works well. Another excellentpossibility would be old curtain legs. Consider your sizecarefully. Ideally, your starscape should be as large as yourcyclorama, but I have also used a small 7 ½-foot-by-15-footsection through set windows effectively. For our example, wewill create a starscape that is 20 feet high and 30 feet wide,divided into six 100-square-foot areas — three across thebottom and three across the top.First, lay the fabric flat and determine where the stars willbe placed. Place a safety pin through the fabric in each spotyou want to put a star. For the most natural look, place thesafety pins scattered around the panel, but not evenly spaced.Look at the sky at night — there are darker areas and there areclusters of stars. If you want to get truly adventurous, createconstellations. There should be a minimum of 50 safety pinswithin each 100-square-foot panel. Our example is 600 squarefeet, so it requires 300 safety pins.To keep our stars from appearing like Christmas lights, andto make a wider variety of stars, we need to add filters overour lights. The best method I have found to hold the filters isto sew small pockets in front of each star. Sew three sides of athree-inch-by-three-inch piece of black scrim around each ofthe safety pins on the front of your fabric. You don’t need toget too fancy here — as my sewing prowess will attest! Thesepockets will contain color correction and filters as needed.Work from the front of the starscape is now completed. Atthis point, you need to determine if you will use Christmaslights or LEDs. Christmas lights are cheap and readily available,but as you will see, they present unique challenges.LEDs are much more expensive, but are more robust andmuch more versatile.The Twinkle Light VersionUsing Christmas lights is a great solution if money isshort. Here is the challenge: Twinkle lights must be used inthe same number with which they are designed. You can’tuse half of a string of 50. The resistance will be too little andthe bulbs will burn out very soon — perhaps even in a fewseconds. The solution is to use the correct number of bulbs,but to spread them over a larger area. First, we will take ourstring of 50 lights and cut it into individual lights with threeinchleads. Divide the 50 lights into the three areas on thebottom three areas of the Duvatyne (16, 17 and 17 lights,respectively, for each 10-by-10 panel).From the back, cut a ½-inch hole through the Duvatynethat is centered in a pocket. Slip a bulb through and securethe bulb with a small black zip tie or two. Repeat this with theother 49 bulbs on the three areas.Next, anchor one of the fused Edison plugs from thetwinkle light string in the lower left corner of the first areawith a zip tie. From the hot side of the plug, run a blue wireto the closest bulb. Connect it to one of the leads on the bulbwith a crimped butt-splice connector. From the remaininglead of the first bulb, run a blue wire to the next closest. Inthe same manner, run blue wire up and down the first areato the second bottom area, and then the third bottom area.After the last bulb is connected, run the blue wire back to theoriginal Edison plug at the bottom left corner. In this way, wehave connected all 50 original twinkle lights over the bottomthree areas using the blue wire.This blue circuit can be repeated for multiple circuitssuch as yellow and red. Trust me, different colored circuitshelp when troubleshooting! All of the wires can be securedto the Duvatyne with black zip ties.Repeat the process on the top three areas. For simplic-All Photography by Brent StainerA single twinkle light with a butt-splice connectorBegin by cutting each twinkle light from its original circuit, leavingyourself a three-inch lead on the wires.A twinkle light zip-tied to the back of the curtain20 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com

The back of the star curtains; the white cables showone circuit of lights.A close-up of the pocketholding the twinkle lighton the front of the curtainFrom a distance, the pockets holding the lights are barely visible.Digital to analog converters can convert DMX to 0-10 volt signals to power your LED circuits.ity’s sake, wire the circuits using the same three colors youused on the bottom areas. The top blue and bottom bluecan be plugged in together — of course, the same is truefor yellow and red.Our example has three circuits: blue, yellow and red. Themore circuits your starscape has, the more authentic andversatile it becomes. However, don’t have less than three.They work best with one channel at around 35%, one at20% and one at 10%. If I were to build another twinkle lightstarscape, I would create five circuits and have 83 stars ineach 100-square-foot area.I need to address an electrical issue. All joints should bemade using approved connections. The wire to bulb andthe wire to Edison plug must be shielded and free of openwires. Please don’t even consider twisting wires togetherand wrapping them in E-Tape. The amperages we are dealingwith are very low, but the voltage is 110. Some jurisdictionsmay want these connections in a junction box. Othersare only concerned that you have no bare wires. Check withyour electrician. If they will not allow this method of buildinga starscape, an alternative is to run three strings of 50while only poking every fifth light to the front. This keepsthe string of lights intact, and you will not need to run all ofthe extra wire and jump your connections between panels.The downside is there are 40 bulbs per channel lit on theupstage side of your starscape and controlling the spill lightcould be a challenge.LED StarscapeMy latest incarnation of stars is a bit more expensive,but much more versatile. It uses the same duvatyne softgoods and black scrim pockets, but in lieu of Christmaslights, it uses LED low voltage lamps and is wired significantlydifferently. The installation of the bulbs is thesame as mentioned earlier.LEDs are wired in circuits of three, with 16 circuits perarea. LEDs have the advantage that they are low voltage. Mymost recent version powers the circuits by using digital toanalog converters. These convert DMX (or Multiplex) signalsto a 0–10 volt signal. This 10-volt signal is powerful enoughto run the three LEDs.There are two advantages to an LED starscape. First,I am not required wire a group of 50 stars distributedamong three areas. Each circuit is very small — only threebulbs in an area. Second, I have control of 16 circuits —not a measly three. This gives me the greatest amount ofartistic control yet.But LED starscapes are more expensive. The LEDs costmore, and the digital converters can run from $100–$300each, and you could need one for each area dependingon the wattage of your LEDs and the strength of yourdigital converters. Nevertheless, it is a field of stars thatcan’t be beat.Finalizing Your EffectTo ensure each star is a bit different from the others,add miscellaneous squares of filters into each pocket.Try blues and a few reds. I also like to use a number ofgrays such as ¼-tone or ½-tone. Remember color shifting— that nasty yellowing of an incandescent lampwhen dimmed. You may need to rely heavily on theblues to compensate. Do not use any diffusion. Our illusionrelies on the perception that the light is comingfrom a single point.The icing on the cake for this effect is a black scrim hungdownstage of the starscape. A black scrim approximately2–5 feet from the starscape does several important tasks:1) It controls ambient light from reaching the starscape —your audience should not see the pockets on the starscape;2) Separating the scrim from the duvatyne helps with theillusion of infinity; 3) The scrim also creates the illusion thatthe stars twinkle. Any movement of the audience member’seyes or of the scrim makes the stars glitter.Of course, keep ambient light off of the starscape andthe scrim. Keep your starlight levels low, and you willhave a great, low-cost effect that you will be proud of.Have fun, and build it to last — this is one effect you willuse for years to come.www.stage-directions.com • March 2008 21

Sound DesignBy Bryan ReesmanBringing Life to Is He Dead?Composer David Van Tieghem uses sound as unseen characterin this 100-year-old premiereAll Photography by Joan MarcusLeft to right: Norbert Leo Butz, Michael McGrath, Jeremy Bobb and Tom Alan Robbins in Is He Dead?When Mark Twain scholar ShelleyFisher Fishkin discovered theunpublished Is He Dead?amongst the Mark Twain Papers at theUniversity of California, Berkeley in 2003,she unearthed a jewel. It was a lost playby the revered American satirist thatmocked the art world and populist viewson the value of art, fictitiously reinventingthe real story of naturalist painter Jean-François Millet, who lived in poverty inFrance throughout his life and whose artshot up in value after his death. In Twain’sover-the-top, two-act farce, Millet andsome financially strapped friends realizethat the only way he can turn the tide ofhis waning fortunes is to have him pretendto be deathly ill, which will increasethe value of his paintings. Additionally,he poses as his widowed twin sister whowill collect on his good fortunes upon hisdeath. By the end of the first act, the ployis working brilliantly.Both an Obie Award winner and seven-timeDrama Desk Award nominee,Composer and Sound Designer DavidVan Tieghem faced an interesting challengeworking on Is He Dead? He had touse music and sound effects sparingly,particularly given that this is a true periodpiece with specific sonic instructions inthe text, and he also integrated Americanfolk tunes as part of a French-situatedshow whose characters actually spoke inEnglish and frequently uttered Americancolloquialisms. But Van Tieghem was upto the task. The veteran musician hasbeen quite prolific over the last 30 years,having worked on solo percussion showsand solo albums (These Things Happen,Safety In Numbers, Strange Cargo) andrecorded with other musicians (LaurieAnderson, Talking Heads, John Cage),plus scored films (Working Girls, Antigone/Rites of Passion, Spinning Into Butter) andBroadway productions (Doubt, GlengarryGlen Ross, Inherit The Wind). Here hewaxes eloquent about working on thisvery special show.22 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com

Sound DesignSound DesignStage Directions: Is He Dead? featuresminimal use of music and soundeffects in the first act and a greateruse — including a chiming clock, cannonsfiring, church bells and royalfanfares — in the second act. Whatapproach or philosophy did you takein scoring music and creating thesound design for the show?David Van Tieghem: Originally, therewere plans for a little more recorded musicin Act 1, but as we worked on the show,they were deemed to be too much toosoon. Otherwise, most of the sound effectswere specified in the script, so it was amatter of picking the sounds that wereappropriate for the period of the play, aswell as what seemed right in the contextof the characters, set and lighting.Did you compose everything on synthesizer?Are there any live instrumentsin the music you created?I was able to use MOTU’s DigitalPerformer and virtual instruments torealize the arrangements of the musicfor this show, primarily East WestQuantum Leap Symphony Orchestraand Miroslav Philharmonik, so therewasn’t anything “synthesized” per se.It was all programmed samples of realinstruments. I do also occasionally bringin musicians to play on some scores.I noticed that none of the actors aremiked. Were any foot mics used forreinforcement or ambient sound?Yes, we used DPA 4061 foot mics acrossthe front of the stage. I relied on one ofmy talented associates, TJ McEvoy, to helpme configure the sound system, and hesuggested we use these. We were helpedgreatly by the walls of the set, as well as theexcellent acoustics of the Lyceum and thestrong voices of the actors.What kind of board is the live engineerusing? Are the cues done manually?She’s using a Yamaha M7CL, and we’reusing SFX for the sound cues. When givena “go” by the stage manager, the soundoperator presses a MIDI button, which triggersa preprogrammed event, whetherthat be commencing playback of one or acombination of audio files, or fade-ins andfade-outs, and the like. So, in a sense, thecues are done manually, but they triggercomputerized moves. SFX is the only playbacksystem I’ve used for the last five years.What was the biggest challenge inworking on Is He Dead? How muchtime did you spend working on theshow, and how closely did you workthe director?Always, the biggest challenge onany play is realizing and supporting thevision of the director. I listen to whatshe or he wants and try to latch on toclues and keys that will let me in andsend me in the right direction. It’s hardto quantify how much time I spend ona show because once I begin a project,it rattles around in my head almost constantlyuntil I’m finished. The director,Michael Blakemore, who was a pleasureto work with, told me what he wantedand I pretty much went away to createit, sending in sketches for him to hearand having several meetings with himand the choreographer, Pam Remler,and then trying things in rehearsal, makingchanges on the spot with my laptop.There was one rehearsal, which I was not24 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com

able to physically attend, so my longtimeassociate Jill Du Boff was there instantmessaging with me at my home studio,and I was able to transfer revised musicmixes to her within minutes of gettingher notes as the rehearsal progressed.Is He Dead? takes place in France, yetAmerican music is used. What was thedecision behind that?This was mostly the director’s idea. Ithink it was partly to remind the audienceof the fact that the play was written in adistinctly American voice: Mark Twain’s.How did working on Is He Dead? comparewith other recent shows like Cyranode Bergerac and Inherit The Wind?Cyrano was purely a sound designjob. I didn’t have to create any musiccues, but there was extensive researchin selecting the right period music touse. It was also very sound-effect heavyand much more complicated, especiallyduring the battle scenes, compared toIs He Dead? On Inherit The Wind, therewas a combination of original musicand some period arrangements, andA moment from Is He Dead?A moment from Is He Dead?we also had great live gospel singingby a quartet in the cast. Another recentshow, Mauritius, had several cues oforiginal music in a more modern style,involving prepared piano and scrapingmetal, among other things.How has your previous music experienceprepared you for being a Broadwaycomposer and sound designer?This is hard to answer. I’ve alwaysbeen involved with performance artin connection with music, whether itbe performing with Laurie Anderson,composing for dance, making video artor doing my solo percussion shows, sothere’s a natural connection in a waybetween earlier versions of my careerand my current one on Broadway.How do you juggle being both a composerand sound designer, and how dothose two roles cross over?I like doing both jobs on a show, butI’m also happy if it’s just one or the other.I approach them both musically, and Iconsider any sound as a possible compositionalelement. I often experience theactors’ spoken performances of the text asmusic, and I treat the sounds or music I createas an accompaniment to it. The pitch,timing, timbre and volume of an audio fileall have to feel “just right” in the overallcontext, whether it be a telephone ringingor a symphonic transitional cue. I’ve oftenbeen told that my sound design is like anadditional unseen character in the play,and that’s really satisfying to hear.What is your next project and whatnew challenges will it present?My next projects are a play called LittleFlower of East Orange, directed by PhilipSeymour Hoffman at the Public Theater,and some new music commissioned for theElizabeth Streb Dance Company, which mayinvolve writing music for two small robotsas well as people walking on the walls.www.stage-directions.com • March 2008 25

Theatre SpaceBy Bryan ReesmanRevitalizing Harvard TheatreAlan KarchmerNew College Theatre’s house, as viewed from the stageA New College Theatre built from the inside outWhen Harvard University purchased the HastyPudding Theatre on Holyoke Street in Cambridge,Mass., from its revered satire group at the start ofthis decade, it acquired a Georgian Revival building rich withhistory, but deteriorating on the inside. Indeed, the only theatricalevent that Hasty Pudding Theatricals was putting onanymore was its famed annual Man and Woman of the Yearshows, although a restaurant added in the early 1990s washelping to generate income. The structure was screaming foran upgrade, and it was no laughing matter.“When we got involved in the project, the building was indesperate need of some care in terms of not meeting structuralcodes and fire codes, and it didn’t really work as a theatre,”recalls Joe Raia, an associate principal at architecturalfirm Leers Weinzapfel Associates, which was hired to renovateand upgrade the Hasty Pudding Theatre. “It didn’t havesightlines, and it wasn’t a good teaching situation in terms ofthe craft of theatre production. The back of house facilitiesweren’t there. It was good for supporting that one show ayear, but as Harvard’s main theatre space, it didn’t work.”Leers Weinzapfel’s mission, in working with theatrical consultantsFisher Dachs Associates and with Shawmut Designand Construction, was to transform the Hasty PuddingTheatre into what has become the vibrant New CollegeTheatre. Other key players included Acentech (acoustic consultants),Constentini Associates (mechanical and electricalengineers), Lim Consultants (structural engineers) and LamPartners (lighting consultants).Deciding What to KeepConstruction commenced in August 2005 and was completedlast summer. The grand opening was in October.The Harvard community and the Cambridge HistoricalCommission kept an eye on the architectural team as theytransformed the 118-year-old structure into a state-of-the-artfacility, while maintaining its long-standing façade.“The existing building has a very quiet but elegant presence,which was designed by Peabody and Stearns in 1887,”says Raia. “The front third part is where they spent themost money. It’s a very handsomely detailed, Victorianstyle masonry building, and the back two-thirds was basicallywood construction, pretty typical house construction.”Minimal restoration was done on the metal, wood and brickworkin the front of the building, while respect was also givento the original color schemes on the building’s interior.Joe Mobilia, an associate principal at Fisher Dachs andproject manager for the New College Theatre, had a personalinterest in the project, as he was very active in theatre duringhis time as a student at Harvard. “Literally for years, Harvardknew they had to do something with the theatre,” heremarks. “There were at least two or three renovation studiesthat had been done, and when we all began this projectwith this team, people were still thinking of it as a renovationproject.” Once it became apparent that the renewal involvedadding to the building and making it ADA and code compliant,the focus of the whole endeavor shifted.“They kept the original façade, the first floor lobby area,the exterior facade and the second-floor room,” reports TomMorgan, technical director for the New College Theatre,who succeeded the late Alan Symons, the original TD whohelped drive the project and who passed away shortly afterthe first design team meeting in 2005. “From that back wall,pushing the limits of what real estate remained, they built asix-story building that sunk three stories into the ground.”The balance that needed to be achieved was a restoration ofthe front third of the building while constructing a new back26 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com

Alan KarchmerThe preserved exterior of the New College Theatretwo-thirds that would be complementaryyet modern.In terms of formulating materialsto use for the exterior, the architectsfound that zinc fit, giving it a modernfeel while being “very compatible withthe texture of the existing building,”remarks Raia. “We provided a rhythmin the zinc by designing a variety of differentpanel sizes that work within therhythm that complements the existingbuilding.”Raia recollects that the original buildingwas approximately 25,000 squarefeet, but that figure included a 6’8” highbasement level that was not code compliantin any way. “They were basicallyusing that space for their prop shop,storage, dressing rooms and showers,which was illegal space,” he explains.“So, if you take that away, I think it wasin the upper teens for square footage.The revamped theatre is now 35,000square feet, which includes a largebody of the theatre. Before it had lowceilings for the theatre space. It wasessentially a ballroom, and at one pointthey added a slope to it.”Mobilia explains that the ballroomspace had seating on wooden riserswww.stage-directions.com • March 2008 27

PHOTO Courtesy of Leers WeinzapfelA longitudinal section drawing of the New College Theatreadded in, but the stage was small with minimal fly spaceabove it. The revamped space is a “steeply raked theatre”with more floor space and much more height. Fisher Dachsworked with Leers Weinzapfel and the engineers to maximizethe space to the best of their ability, given the buildingconsiderations and height restrictions in Cambridge. Theytook the same approach with the stage depth, attemptingto maximize the seat count despite being “bound by theexisting front portion of the building and the back wall of thebuilding as it was determined by the lot line,” says Mobilia.Flexible Lifts, Fixed SeatsLeers Weinzapfel endeavored to make the technicalaspects of the theatre easily accessible. There is a controlbooth and follow spot booth located on the second floor.Stage catwalks are accessible from the second floor, and therigging system is accessible from a third floor door and via aseries of ladders on stage. “It’s a counterweighted rigging systemwhere you load manually versus the mechanized, digitalrigging systems, which they decided not to use because theythought it was more beneficial from a teaching standpoint,”says Raia. “Plus, the different setups that the two new lifts canprovide were very important.”“We have an orchestra pit lift on the front edge of thestage that can play as a stage extension,” explains Morgan.“Dropping down to seating level, we can put a first row ofseats on it, and in orchestra pit mode, halfway betweenfloors, it meets up with a stationary platform where orchestramembers sit. It can also drop down to the floor below. It’sthe main path for any large bits of scenery being conveyedfrom the shop space situated underneath the stage.”A second trap lift in the stage itself “provides a functionfor theatrical productions,” reveals Raia, “but also serves asan accessible way to get from the second lower level, whichencompasses the dressing rooms and staging area, to getto the orchestra level if you needed wheelchair assistance,”especially when the main lift is in orchestra pit mode andotherwise occupied.Beyond dealing with the mechanical aspects of the theatre,the architects also wanted to bring natural light intothe theatre. On the south side, there are three hidden doorsthat can allow natural light into the space, and they couldplay, according to Raia, “like a Romeo and Juliet balcony.”Opposite those doors, on the north side of the space, liesa window with a blackout screen and some draperies. Thisarea, which could serve as a press area for high-profile events,“puts the audience closer to the stage from a different vantagepoint,” says Morgan.While the Hasty Pudding Theatre originally held up to340 people, the New College Theatre has 248 fixed seats,although that number is flexible given the lift situation andover a dozen additional seats in the side balcony area. Whilethe Loeb Drama Center at Harvard, which opened in 1960,has approximately 550 seats, Mobilia feels that the NewCollege Theatre’s smaller space “is much better for studentperformers and directors,” he says. “At the same time, it has adecent size stage, so set designers and lighting designers canpretty much do anything.”Raia says that, working with Acentech, they “had to gothrough a series of computer models of the space to determinehow many hard surfaces we should have; reflective surfacesversus absorptive material. Essentially, what we determinedis that, given the side balcony cutout, all the surfacesneeded to be hard. So, in addition to the wood wall panelsunderneath the catwalks and underneath the proscenium,we needed to add reflectors to help with the reverberationgiven the height of the theatre space.”Finishing the TransformationThe New College Theatre is a vast improvement over theHasty Pudding incarnation, which is good news for both thefamed theatrical company and the Harvard community in28 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com

Theatre SpaceAlan KarchmerThe control room overlooking the stagegeneral. There is a full rehearsal roomand two dressing rooms with bathroomsand showers. Everything iswheelchair accessible to the stage. Therehearsal room, which is nearly as largeas the 40-foot by 40-foot main stageand comes equipped with its own lightingand sound system, is “good forrehearsals,” states Raia. “It has a 20-foothighceiling, so acoustically it providesa lot of flexibility for different typesof uses. While its primary intent is asa rehearsal space, it could be a blackboxtheatre or could be used for recitals,special receptions and classroomspaces. It is lit on three sides with a clearstory that also has a blackout screen,which you can use for rehearsing or ablack box production.”The main stage gear is high tech,including (among other things) an EOS-4K Control Console with two RemoteProcessor Units, 288AF stage dimmers,House Light Control by AMX TouchScreen System, 163 ConventionalSource Four Ellipsoidals, five ETCMultiPARs, a JR Clancy ConventionalCounterweight Fly System, a YamahaO2R 96 Mixer wth 56 input channels(including 16 analog inputs), fiveCrown amps, a wired and wirelessClear Com system, and a Closed CircuitStage Camera distributed throughoutthe building.“As far as the transformation of thebuilding, it’s day and night,” declaresMorgan. “We’re very pleased, as is thegreater Harvard community. The historicalfaçade has been maintained,renovated and brought back to itsoriginal luster. Behind it is tucked afantastic facility. The buzz from thestudents is very alive and inquisitive.It’s allowing students to stretch in avery positive way. It’s a great time forthe arts at Harvard.”www.stage-directions.com • March 2008 29

Theatre SpotlightBy Bret LoveIrreverence Is BlissWith Kate Warner at the helm, Dad’s Garage stays freshLinnea FryeZac PorterDad’s Garage Artistic Director Kate WarnerOriginally an improv comedy troupe created by atight-knit group of Florida State Universitytheatre grads more than 13 years ago, Dad’sGarage Theatre has always had a reputation for a gleefulsense of irreverence that made it popular with Atlanta’scollege and young adult crowd. But in recent years, ithas also emerged as one of the city’s most consistentlyinnovative companies, with a production slate thatbalances improv and original shows created in-house withoff-Broadway hits such as Reefer Madness and A Very MerryUnauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant.Presiding over the theatre’s eclectic offerings is ArtisticDirector Kate Warner, who graduated from Michigan’sKalamazoo College with Honors and a concentration in theClassics. After serving as managing director with Atlanta’sTheatrical Outfit, Warner became artistic associate underDad’s Garage AD Sean Daniels in 2003, directing shows suchas Weird Comic Book Fantasy, Debbie Does Dallas: The Musicaland numerous 8 ½ X 11short play festivals.Linnea FryeA still from Dad’s Garage’s current production Poker Nightat the White House. Left to right: Randy Havens, Warren G.Harding puppet (played by Kevin Huey) and Gina RickickiWhat are your primarygoals as artistic director?T h e m i s s i o n i sto continue doinge n s e m b l e - d r i v e no r i g i n a l w o r k a n dimprov comedy, andto see the reputationof Dad’s Garage continueto grow. We’vegotten national recognitionfor what wedo here — in particular,bringing in youngaudiences — but I wantto see our work itselfget a national reputation.I’d like to see ourwork produced in othertheatres of our size andThe Dad’s Garage companyilk, and to see some of it published. Especially now that wehave our Top Shelf series, where we’re doing new work fromthe Dad’s Garage ensemble, I really want to make sure thatit lives and breathes beyond our theatre. We have such aunique way of doing things, and I want to make sure thatpeople can see that elsewhere.Your season planning process has become increasinglydemocratic, involving the staff, cast and crew in thedecision-making. How does this approach ultimatelybenefit Dad’s Garage?We’re such a unique, small company that everything wedo should be really innovative, especially if it’s a new work.If it’s not, it feels like a missed opportunity. The best wayto approach innovation, especially in a small company,comes from the company members themselves.There aren't many theatres in which so many ensemblemembers also have such prodigious creative output aswriters and directors. What else do you think makesthe Dad's Ensemble special?I think part of it is the chemistry of people who’ve beenworking together for quite some time. That’s one of thosethings that just can’t be replicated — either the chemistryworks or it doesn’t. I think part of it is the talent we’ve beenlucky enough to attract. I think part of it is how much workwe do, because there’s something to the amount of work weproduce. We never sit back on our laurels and say, “That wasa great show,” because we’re constantly pushing ourselves todo more. And I think part of it is the quality of what we do.The upcoming production of Song Of The Dead seemslike an ambitious project. What made you think a musicallove story about zombies would provide the perfectend to your 2007-2008 season?What part of what you just said isn’t perfect? (Laughs) Ialways ask, “Are we doing something unexpected and outrageous?”And I don’t mean for shock value, I mean is thereanother local theatre company that could do the same sortof project? If the answer is no, then it’s absolutely the rightfit for Dad’s Garage.30 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com

School SpotlightBy Robert IsenbergAll Photography by Louis SteinTech Is EverywhereCarnegie Mellon’s students garner success combining design and tech.A scene from a CMU production of Side ShowFirst and foremost, Carnegie Mellon University is knownas an engineering school. Yes, you can study linguisticsand sociology, but CMU is most renowned for its chemistsand programmers, its data networks and robot festivals.So it’s no wonder that the CMU School of Drama is packedwith stage technicians, and its workshops are packed withtop-notch equipment.For example, the scene shop: Passing through a 30-feettallmetal door, a visitor will find a massive room full of flats,lumber and industrial saws. The scene shop’s ceiling is twostories high, and CMU instructors and students can constructfour different sets simultaneously. Students work with timber,welding steel, some plastics and plaster; they are expected toexperiment with paint and synthetic textures such as “stone”walls made of foam. The two table-saws are routinely used,as is the “cold saw” for steel-cutting. For more elaboratewoodcuts, designers turn to the shop’s or CNC router.“You can’t separate the design from the tech,” saysDavid Boevers, professor and technical director of CMUDrama. And in this department, “tech” is everywhere: Inthe welding room, there are four welding stations placedagainst the wall, plus two stations at the center table. Atany moment, six students could be welding at the sametime, using gas, arc or plasma tools. By their senior year,design students will have learned MIG (metal inert gas)and TIG (Tungsten inert gas) techniques.Students and Flow ControlCMU Drama is a world-renowned conservatory; its productionsare diverse, as are their technical requirements.This spring, CMU will stage August Wilson’s Piano Lesson,Friedrich Schiller’s Don Carlos and a citywide Commediadell’Arte project, plus two additional labs in the department’s“Playground” series, which showcases independentstudent works.With labs and main-stage productions vying for buildingspace and man-hours, students play an essential role indesign and construction. “Instead of assigning students toshows,” Boevers says, “we assign them to blocks of time.”This way, student apprentices can be used interchangeably,sanding a flat for The Piano Lesson and then, in the next hour,painting set-pieces for a lab. “The simplistic, commercial wayof saying it is that we assign everyone to everything.”Such ambitious projects often require unusual tasks. Forthe Commedia dell’Arte production, student designers willrefurbish a 1930s pickup truck. Part of the assignment hasbeen to find the truck, barter its price, find any lacking partsand make it functional. “There’s still pedagogy at work,” saysBoevers. “Our preference would be that the truck would run,and that it would be street-legal.”The goal is to make students practiced and professional,training them in an environment as rigorous and challengingas summer stock or Broadway theatres. The scene shop offersthe most hectic environment, but students are also workingin the recording studio (with its four computer terminals andeight varieties of mixing software), in the light lab (wherelighting designers can experiment with two consoles and 220individual instruments), in the costume shop (a bright roomoutfitted with dozens of sewing machines), in the draftingroom (with its 25 drawing boards) and on the stages themselves.Using the school’s regular internal reviews, faculty tryto ensure that students are reasonably tasked; overwork isalways a potential danger in such a driven environment.Redesigning the ProgramThe School of Drama was founded in 1914, becoming thefirst U.S. college to grant degrees in theatre, but in the lastdecades of the 20th century the facilities had become outdatedand tight on space. To remedy this, the University builtthe Purnell Center for the Arts. Completed in 1999, and the32 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com

School SpotlightScene Shop Supervisor Benjamin Carter teaches students about welding.School of Drama moved its offices inJanuary of 2000. Thanks to its roomierlodgings, the school now enrolls 40 to80 production students and an equalnumber of design students. The smallgroup of fulltime faculty is supplementedby adjuncts and guest instructorswhose offices form an oblong ringaround the theatres.There are three main performancespaces at CMU. The Helen Wayne RauhTheatre is a 140-seat black box, and canconvert into an arena or three-quarterseating arrangement. Next door is theWells Video Studio, which is dominatedby videography projects, but can alsodouble as a live performance venue; theWells houses an annual playwriting festivalproduced by the MFA students ofthe school’s Dramatic Writing program.CMU’s mainstage is the 430-seat PhilipChosky Theatre, whose fully trappedThe goal is to makestudents practicedand professional,training them inan environmentas rigorous andchallenging assummer stock orBroadway theatres.stage, motorized fly-reel, elaboratelighting grids and convertible orchestrapit make it one of the most technologicallyadvanced spaces in Pittsburgh.For lighting design and maintenance,no lifts or ladders are required; technicianscan walk on a tension-wire grid,which suspends them 40 feet abovethe stage and audience.The makeover was also philosophical:In 2002, the School of Drama drafted anew mission statement, which wouldencourage hands-on activities, guestlecturers and vocational direction.“We have a staggeringly clear portraitof why we do things,” Boevers says.With so many changes, students occasionallybecome flustered. “We’ve hadso many big ideas, they’ve been hard toimplement. A lot of students complain⎯ why is it different every year? We tellthem, because it’s better every year.”The School of Drama is more efficientand better endowed than ever before,but Boevers and his peers are not34 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.comAnother moment from Side Show

Rebecca McAusland paints a flat in the Philip Chosky Theatre.easily satisfied. They hope to increasetheir gear inventory and cultivate thebrand-new Stage Management program.With each new year, studentsand faculty can expect to stage up to20 different productions using theirfacilities in increasingly innovativeways. While undergraduate actors aregenerally discouraged from workingin Pittsburgh’s community theatres,student technicians and designers areoften employed by professional companies.Although CMU is often considereda cultural island in Pittsburgh,the exchange of talent with Equitytheatres is almost constant.Like any place else, CMU is justifiablyproud of their famous grads— Ted Danson and Megan Hilty onthe acting front, director Rob Marshalland costumer Ann Roth (The EnglishPatient, The Talented Mr. Ripley) amongothers. In a school originally foundedfor engineers, CMU’s artists have managedpretty well.www.stage-directions.com • March 2008 35

FeatureBy Morgan ReedThe cast of Altar Boyz at theCincinnati Playhouse in the ParkAnatomy of SoundMaking “Jesus Rock” with Altar Boyz in CincinnatiWith all apologies to Shakespeare,when the subject is musicaltheatre, the sound’s the thing,and a skilled technical staff with properequipment can mean the differencebetween sub-par and great sound. Whilesubscription audiences more than likelyinclude a fair share of the “hearing aidset,” as well as those who may not havethe training or inherent musical sense toprecisely pinpoint the nature of audioproblems, they can still detect that slightdifference between mediocre and goodsound when they hear it. Whereas goodtech crews and equipment can make analready solid show come alive, the oppositecan detract and make it seem substandard.A perfect example of this principle in action was one branchof the recent tour of the rock musical Altar Boyz. The showlanded at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s Marx Theatrelate last year after previous stops in St. Louis, Mo. and Sarasota,Fla., which, while not flopping per se, had failed to win overthe critics. Despite an experienced group of actors, as well as adirector and choreographer who had previously done the sameshow off-Broadway, the show had come under some criticismfrom the media, which mistakenly pinpointed the actors’ vocalperformances as the source of the problem. Especially harsh wasthe resident critic of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who claimed theactors had problems enunciating, proclaiming “Too often, thePhil Rundle, production manager for the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Parkactors are difficult to understand in bothspoken and musical segments.”In an attempt to remedy the situation,freelancer Eric Stahlhammer wasbrought on as sound designer beginningin Sarasota. Though the soundimproved, the reviews were still far fromglowing, claiming the cast’s ability toharmonize needed some work.“The audio system in the FloridaStudio Theatre is a very good system fora smaller theatre, but it’s mainly optimizedfor music playback,” observesStahlhammer, “It doesn’t lend the rockconcert feel this show really needs.”Rock Concert Vibe In a Thrust SpaceAltar Boyz needs a rock concert feel because the showis presented as the fictional namesake band’s final concert.The five holy heartthrob stereotypes — including the alphaleader, street-smart tough guy, Latin lover (who’s waiting, ofcourse!), ambiguously gay pretty boy and the token Jew —spend the evening attempting to unburden the oppressedsouls of the audience whilst conversing with the almightyvia technology and delivering tender, tongue-in-cheek messagesabout virtues, love and faith.“It’s an extremely funny show with a lot of social relevance,”says Phil Rundle, production manager for the CPP. “Itappeals to a wide audience and gets a tremendous reaction36 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com

“It gave us that extrapush to make the showbelievable enough tosuck the audience in.”— Phil Rundleout of the crowd. It really needed a firstratesound system to make sure the showdidn’t lose any of its punch.”Further complicating matters was thetheatre’s relatively odd setup. At 650 seats,with an assymetrical thrust stage, the roomhas decent acoustics, but definitely presentsa test of knowledge for any sounddesigner. The relatively new house systemat the Marx is based largely on Meyer Soundself-powered speakers, including a combinationof four Meyer Sound CQ-1 widecoverage main loudspeakers, four UPA-1Pcompact wide coverage loudspeakers, two650-P high-power subwoofers embeddedin the stage and two UPA-1P compactwide coverage loudspeakers for frontfill.Surround supplement and effects areachieved with a combination of four RamsaWR200, one WS-A10 and six JBL 4892-90cabinets, with three Crest 7301 and twoQSC MX 1500A providing amplification.“I did a straight play here a year beforethis,” adds Stahlhammer, “And while thissystem, like the one in the FST, is finefor recorded music playback and soundeffects, I was going to need much morefor this. At the Marx, to do this the rightway, I needed to give it a rock concertfeel with theatrical quality fidelity. Toreally achieve the sonic quality we wantedmeant a small concert line array.”Budget was a concern, “as it always,always is in the theatre,” observes Rundlewith a laugh. Fortunately, Rundle andstaff did have some discretionary fundsto throw around, so Stahlhammer made acall to Thunder Audio, a longtime providerand partner who was happy to returnthe business. Stahlhammer had previouslybrought his way by renting him a systemat a rate the CPP’s budget would allow.“We do think it’s important to keep thesetheatres working,” says Paul Owen, V.P. ofThunder, “And since it was all Eric’s design,and a completely powered system, wewere able to package the arrays and theGalileo controller together as a turnkeysolution without sending one of our techniciansdown. So overall, it worked outgreat for everyone involved.”The speakers hung for Altar Boyzwww.stage-directions.com • March 2008 37

FeatureLong Racks, Short Turn-AroundThe extensive dance numbers and blocking cooked up byDirector Stafford Arima and Choreographer Christopher Gattellirequired every square inch of stage available. “Between thechoreography and constantly battling gain vs. feedback fromthe wireless microphones,” notes Stahlhammer, “the actorsneeded every bit of the stage as clear as possible, so we flew theentire system. Lots of times, this can be a challenge since there’sa general feeling in theatrical design that speakers should beheard but not seen. Luckily, since this was a simulated concert,the theatre and the audience were both a bit more tolerant ofhaving the speakers out and visible like a true concert setup.”Four flown arrays of five M’elodie ultracompact high-powercurvilinear array loudspeakers set up in an even/odd arrangementformed the system backbone, with six M1D ultra-compactcurvilinear array loudspeakers for frontfill, and two 700-HP ultrahigh-power subwoofers, also flown, to help avoid feedback fromthe actors’ wireless mics. Stage monitoring was courtesy of sixMJF-212A high-power stage monitors, with a Galileo loudspeakermanagement system handling system processing dutiesfor the main system and two XTA DP424 Audio ManagementSystems controlling the delay and effects speakers.“This show had a very short timetable,” adds Rundle, “Thecast basically had about four days of rehearsal in the Marx beforewe opened. Because of Eric’s schedule, we had our crew starthanging the cabinets from his specs the day before, and he literallycame in during the morning, helped finish the setup, tunedthe system on the fly, then had a rehearsal with the cast that

evening. So everything had to be ready almost out of the box.Needless to say, having something powered and preconfiguredto work together as-is was a necessity.”Stahlhammer designed the new system ahead of time withMeyer Sound’s MAPP online pro acoustical prediction software,then used a tuning rig with EAW’s Smaart Live Channel systemand two DPA 4091 microphones to balance the output throughoutthe house. A Yamaha DM2000 acted as the central mixingconsole, with a Toshiba Tablet PC providing remote control of theconsole, processors and effects, and a SFX Pro Audio Computerserved as the playback system for the prerecorded role of thecomputer “G.O.D.,” voiced by radio personality Shadoe Stevens.The chaste hunks were outfitted with five DPA 4066 headsetmicrophones coupled to Sennheiser SK500G2 Belt PackTransmitters. Since the score sticks mostly to hip-hop, Latin and popinfluencedrock and rhythms, the backing band was a fairly simplequartet of one guitarist, two keyboard players on Korg Tritons andone percussionist manning an electronic Roland V-Drum TD-20Kkit. One Fender Blues Jr. Amplifier with a custom modified cabinetand a single Shure SM57 altered and routed sound for the guitarist,with two Sennheiser SKM545G2 Belt Pack Transmitters andanother SK500G2 sending the signals for the keyboards and drumsand 12 of Countryman’s Type 85 Direct Interface Units to helpconvert the signals to a balanced input. Eight Sennheiser EM500G2Wireless Receivers handled all of the microphone signals.When the lights went up on opening night, the crowdsand critics alike definitely noticed the upgraded equipmentand extra work put into the CPP’s production; in fact, localmedia described the entire production as being “Broadwayworthy,”and praised every element of the sound, vocals andmusicianship as being perfectly on target.“We were thrilled with the results from the new system,”adds Rundle, “It gave us that extra push to make the showbelievable enough to suck the audience in, and was definitelya factor in giving us some positive word of mouth during therun. We sold out almost every night during the four weeksthe show was here, and I think the positive response we generatedwith the sound design is a big part of why.”“There’s such a small difference between a mediocre anda great show, much of it having to do with the distributionof sound level,” observes Stahlhammer. “The whole audienceneeds to hear the same show. In the FST, in order to achievemy target SPL of 95 decibels, I had to blast the front row atabout 105 dB, with the back a full 10 dB lower. It’s unfortunatelya common occurrence with shows like this because youoften end up working with the wrong tool for the job. Withproper arrays, processing and control like we had in the Marx, Icould deliver a nice, even show to the entire audience.”“Often, a big part of my job is to convince the productionmanagers or producers to open their wallets and provide theproper equipment for the show,” concludes Stahlhammer. “Isometimes have to ask pointblank ‘How good do you wantyour show to be?’ in order to get the point across. Luckily, theCPP staff was much more interested in making sure the showsounded the way it should than saving their budget.” Andthat, it seems, made all the difference.

FeatureBy Bret LoveImprovExplosionLong Form Improv stretchesperformers along with the run timeJill Bernard addresses the audience in Drum Machine.When most people think of improvisational comedy,they think of the TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway?— short, funny games driven by audience suggestions.But there’s another breed, known as Long Form, whoseinfluence is gradually sweeping the globe. Rooted in thework of Second City/improvOlympic legend Del Close, whocreated the popular form known as The Harold and taughticons ranging from John Belushi and Bill Murray to Tina Feyand Stephen Colbert, Long Form’s influence can be seen ineverything from TV shows such as The Office to the films ofChristopher Guest and Judd Apatow.But what is Long Form Improv? According to Jim Karwisch,founder of Atlanta’s JaCKPie Theatre Workshop, central elementsinclude “free play of imagination, solid character workand relationships. For us, Long Form is an intellectually stimulating,emotionally accessible and often humorous experience forboth the improvisers and the audience.” Whereas in Short Form,characters tend to last only for an individual scene, Long Formoften (but not always) features recurring characters, improvisersplaying numerous roles and even actors swapping roles.These techniques have led some to refer to Long Form as“spontaneous theatre,” and have produced a litany of originalforms that are expanding the concept of what improvcan be. Here are a few shows that have gotten the improvcommunity buzzing.Bassprov (Chicago)Joe Bill and Mark Sutton are revered in the improv world,having studied and/or performed with gurus Del Close andMick Napier in the ‘80s. Their show, Bassprov, has been a fixtureon the festival circuit since its standing-room-only debut at theChicago Improv Festival in 2001.The form casts them as fishing buddies Donny and Earl,with a set that includes little more than two chairs and a wellstockedbeer cooler. After getting audience suggestions, theactors mime boarding a fishing boat and casting their lineswhile launching into a 30–60 minute dialogue that may veerfrom Britney Spears to world affairs, from irreverent hilarity tothought-provoking existentialist musings.The concept evolved out of an improvised portion of a scriptedshow their Screw Puppies troupe performed at Chicago’sAnnoyance Theatre. “Any scene that went on too long becausethe actors were milking the improv cow was known as a fishingscene,” recalls Bill. “One night, Mark and I said ‘Fishing scene!’ toeach other backstage as the lights were pulled on the previousscene, went out, sat in two chairs, and the seeds of Donny andEarl got planted. We knew we had something, because the audiencewent nuts and the rest of the Screw Puppies hated it.”Unlike other shows, in which recurring characters serve asa through-line surrounding scenes inspired by their dialogue,Bassprov confines the performers to two characters, a limitedspace and real-time dialogue. “We thought about going outof the boat,” admits Sutton, “but scrapped it really early. Ourfriend Jeff Davis said, ‘I love the fact that you put your foot inthe bear trap in the first 15 seconds and then spend the rest ofthe time getting it out.’ Once you’re in the boat, you can't swimaway. I think it was the challenge we were both looking for.”As the form evolved, the duo has experimented with invitingfriends into the Bassprov boat from time to time, but theiremphasis remains on taking their time and always makingsure their characters are out there to go fishin’. As 20-yearimprov veterans, Bill and Sutton are in constant demand toperform and lead workshops around the country, spreadingtheir passion for improv to an increasing horde of acolytes.“I think people love not knowing what will happen next,”agrees Sutton. “It's like being at opening night of a new playevery night.”Drum Machine (Minneapolis/St. Paul)The ratio of men to women in improv is probably about 10:1,but punk-influenced powerhouse Jill Bernard proves that ladiescan be just as fierce and funny as any fella with her one-womanimprovised musical, Drum Machine.Influenced by Lisa Jolley’s one-woman cabaret, Jolley OnThe Spot, and Andy Eninger’s Sybil, the former University ofMinnesota Theatre major claims the show’s concept cameto her in a flash of inspiration. “I woke up one morning andthought, there should be a show called Drum Machine,” she40 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com

“It’s like being atopening night of anew play every night.”— Mark Suttonrecalls. “I walked down to the musicstore, but didn't really know what adrum machine was. I saw this littletranslucent blue one with pink lightupbuttons that was clearly the drummachine for me, the Zoom RhythmTrak123.” The rest, as they say, was history.Bernard’s show is anything butmechanical, incorporating details ofa single audience member’s life intoan organic tapestry that combines richcharacters, warm humor, historical elementsand music, with the titular contraptionproviding the beats. The resultsare as quirky as Bernard herself.“I realized I liked telling stories fromhistory,” she says, “so I started combiningelements of an audience member'slife with some period of history.As things went on, I realized we all tellthe stories that are formative in ourmind. When I was 11, we moved into mygrandparents’ old house and it was filledwith Isaac Asimov books. I was also stealingmy mother's romance novels. Thus,the type of story I'm likely to tell drawselements from Asimov and HarlequinRomance. Once I realized that's what Iwas doing, I gave into it more wholeheartedly.The stories are unabashedlyromantic and odd now.”Still, she acknowledges that creatingan improvised one-woman musical doestake up all of her energy and her braincapacity, and that the risk of failure is amajor part of the fun. “The audience isengaged and excited because it's righthere and right now and they're part of it.Somebody else said that it has the sameappeal as NASCAR, because the audiencewants to see you win, but they'realso watching to see if you'll crash andburn. It's thrilling!”Joe Bill and Mark Sutton in BassprovGiant Robot (Edmonton)The most popular Short Formimprov format, the competitionstyleTheatreSports, originated inCalgary and was developed by KeithJohnstone. Formed as a TheatreSportscompany in 1988, Edmonton’s RapidFire Theatre emerged as a groundbreakingforce in improv, attractingtroupes from around the world to itsannual Improvaganza Festival.www.stage-directions.com • March 2008 41

FeatureAs a veteran who’s been performingwith Rapid Fire since 1992, MarkMeer is one of the Great White North’smost respected improvisers, havingspread the gospel of Canadian improveverywhere from Atlanta’s WorldDomination TheatreSports Tournamentand Montreal’s Just For Laughs Comedyfestival to Berlin’s International ImprovFestival. So when he teamed up withveteran improviser-turned-filmmakerWilliam Minsky to form the duo knownas Giant Robot, the results were immediatelyinspiring.“Giant Robot was a slightly derogatoryterm used in note sessions at RapidFire Theatre,” Meer explains, “used todenote excessive weirdness in scenes.As in, ‘It got a little Giant Robot out theretonight, fellas. That scene was about twocollege roommates: How the hell did weend up being held hostage on the moonby Hitler's brain?’”So, it was with a gleeful sense of irreverencethat the duo decided to create ashow that not only allowed them to givein to the more left-of-center conceptsthat emerged from their creative sub-Artwork for the Giant Robot showconsciousness, but actually encouragedit. “When Bill and I formed Giant Robot,the idea was to embrace any weirdnesscompletely and provide a forum for anyideas and stories involving mutants,aliens, zombies, superheroes, time travel,werewolves and, yes, giant robots.”Their show is a complex amalgamationof techniques that includes everythingfrom monologues and role swappingto performers playing multiplecharacters at once (the only way theycan create group scenes). But the form’smost distinctive element is its seamlessincorporation of filmmaking elementsinto scene edits, using terminology suchas cuts, fade-outs, close-ups and splitscreen,as well as descriptive narrativevoiceovers to help the audience imagine,say, a high-tech scientific laboratorywhere there is, in fact, nothing morethan a bare stage.The result is Long Form Improv at itsfinest, telling stories in a span of 30–40minutes whose complexity and innovationputs most Hollywood films andTV shows to shame. If it weren’t for theincorporation of audience suggestionsand the joyous sense of discovery theperformers possess, you might think theshow was partially scripted.The show is riveting and often breathtaking,as the actors establish an occasionallyfrenzied spirit of spontaneouscreativity. “I'd say the biggest challengeis the fact that you never get a breather,”Meer admits. “Because there's only twoof us, we're both responsible for thestory almost 100% of the time. There'sno sitting back and seeing what theother guys come up with.” Then again,he quips, “The two guys who do it areparticularly hilarious!”42 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com

CATALOG SHOWCASEwww.stage-directions.com • March 2008 43

Special Section: DesignSpread Outby DesignThe East and West Coasts aren’tthe only hot spots for theatredesign programs.Jake KvanbeckBy Suzi SteffenThe first thing to know about design programs, saysCostume Designer Sandy Bonds, is that you shouldlook for a program that will meet your needs. Bondsis a University of Oregon professor and the vice presidentof international activities for the U.S. Institute for TheatreTechnology, so she’s got a little experience to back her up.The program should “offer both design and technologyand offer flexibility,” she says. Programs with too-rigid classprogressions won’t suit most students, who need some sortof electives and a constant flow of exciting classes to keeptheir attention.You should also look at the theatre opportunities in thearea and find out where the students get internships duringthe summers and the school year. If you’re heading to gradschool, what kind of support does your university offer, andhow much will you be expected to teach even as you takeclasses and design shows? All that in mind, here’s a survey ofa few design places that are gaining accolades from peoplein the biz.University of Minnesota, Twin CitiesUM has a couple of things going for it. One: It’s inMinneapolis. Two: It’s close to St. Paul. “Location, location,location,” says Scenic Design Professor Lance Brockman.The Golden Gophers can not only boast four theatres withintheir theatre building and a flexible performance space inthe dance building a block away, but their placement ina midsize city that’s serious about the arts gives studentsopportunities as well.“There’s a large arts community with a set of diverse voicesand different presentational styles,” Brockman explains. Thenthere’s the elephant in the room: The Guthrie Theater. Thegraduate program in theatre design, which offers an MFAin Design/Technology, helps land its students internshipsat the Guthrie, one of the most prestigious and innovativeA shot of DePaul’s production of A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings at the Merle Reskin Theatretheatres in the country. Because the graduate program isselective, taking three to four students in each design areaeach year (and supporting most of them with teachingor shop assistantships), and because many of the facultymembers are working professionals, students often get thechance to work both in the Twin Cities and in other theatreswhere their professors and mentors are working. And thatcan lead to professional contacts and job opportunities aftergraduation.Costume Design Professor Mathew LeFebvre gives justone example. LeFebvre has designed shows for the AmericanPlayers Theatre, the Kansas City Rep, the Minnesota Opera,the Joyce in New York and a number of other theatresspread across the country, not to mention many shows at theGuthrie. But recently, he spent some time designing a showat Signature Theatre in New York, and he took a first-yeargraduate student with him. “It was a hugely successful production,and I was so glad to be able to bring my student,”he says.In the three-year program, each design student mustprove herself proficient in all of the areas of design evenas they concentrate on one particular area. Brockman saysthat one of the unique things about Minnesota is a focus oncraft. Some of the programs, he says, “tell graduate students,‘We’re not going to teach you how to draw and paint; dothat elsewhere.’ But we address these issues. We give themacademic, almost 19th-century drawing classes.” And that,Brockman explains, leads to better things: “When they seethe value in knowing color and line, that manifests into theirdesigns.”The University of Texas at AustinMaybe snow isn’t your scene — but scenography is. Notto mention the famous SXSW Music Festival, a hoppin’ indiemovie scene and a funky, artsy community plopped smack in44 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com

Justin ChristyScene painting students practice their technique in Professor C.Lance Brockman’s class at the University of Minnesota.the middle of Texas — and the weatherin the winter (average temperaturehovers in the mid-50s) means youwon’t be needing a full-body downcomforter just to walk to class.What you will need is stamina. TheUT Theatre and Dance departmentrecently revamped their curriculum. “Ihave a former student who just startedat UT this fall,” Sandy Bonds says dryly.“She reports that it’s quite strenuous.”But the faculty members, boththose who had been in the programfor a while and those who boundedin from the professional world with adesire to remake the whole shebang,demand quite a bit of themselves aswell. Professor Susan Mickey, associatechair of the department and head ofproduction and design, says that aninflux of new faculty a few years agocombined forces with experienced UTprofessors to reconsider just abouteverything they taught. “I give themincredible credit for saying yes; we willgo into eight hour faculty curriculumretreats two or three times a semesterin order to come up with somethingnew,” she says.What emerged from that processwas an entire model of thinking, shesays. “We want our students to leaveknowing that a designer can be agenerative artist, not just a reactionaryartist.” The students go througha program that includes at least sixhours of life drawing every week oftheir three-year pursuit of an MFA,and they start designing all aspectsof the UT’s theatre productions“from the moment they begin theprogram,” Mickey says. The facultymembers, who design professionallyoutside of the university theatres,don’t do any of the design work foruniversity productions, which meanswww.stage-directions.com • March 2008 45

Theater SpotlightMichal DanielUniversity of Minnesota/Guthrie Theatre BFA Actor Trainingprogram production of A Doll’s Housenot only do the graduate students getto design, they have to design. Theundergraduate program and othergraduate programs add up to a fairlylarge department, so the six to eightgrad students the design departmenttakes per year stay quite busy. “It’s anincredibly rigorous, intense program,but when they get out, they have donea lot of beautiful work in theatre, dance,opera and probably television and film,too,” Mickey says. And the New WorksFestival, which takes place every otheryear, suspends classes for two weeksto bring in judges (and potential futureemployers) from all over the world toexamine student-presented shows in ajuried competition.DePaul University(undergraduate only)The conservatory approach at DePaulUniversity’s Theatre School means thatstudents get trained as working professionals,says Program Chair and Headof Scenic Design Linda Buchanan. Theytake liberal studies classes like othercollege students, but basically they’rein a program that provides them withintensive training in various forms ofdesign. Though they specialize aftera first year in which students take thesame curriculum (which makes it easierto switch among costume to lightingor scenic design for 19-year-olds whosee greener grass during those firsttwo terms), the students also choose asecondary specialization to round outtheir knowledge.DePaul accepts graduate students inperforming and directing, but the designundergrads have a big advantage overtheir peers in other schools: There aren’tany grad students taking all of the design46 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com

Chris Vantresca drafting at DePaulslots. As a matter of fact, by the timethe students graduate, they will havedesigned two or three shows on theirown. That means they start small, in thelab classes, and work their way up todesigning shows in the former Broadwaytouring house that serves as their mainstage, a large proscenium theatre thatBuchanan describes as “big, ornate andintimidating” to someone who hasn’thad sole responsibility for designing aproduction anywhere other than a smallhigh school theatre. Because the facultyis all working designers, like mostof the faculty at UT and Minnesota, thestudents sometimes get taken along towork internships in professional companiesduring the school year and thesummer, especially in their last year ofcoursework.But again, one of the big advantagesof this school comes from itslocation. With more than 200 theatresin Chicago — “and storefront theatresopening all the time and doingvery well,” says Head of Lighting ChrisBender — experts in any field cancome in and teach special classes eachterm. Plus, “it’s easier to get a foot inthe door as a designer, doing designwork for the smaller theatres,” saysBuchanan. And for a bit of money,stagehands often need overhire helpwith load-ins, so the students gainpractical experience both at schooland in their city. “It’s like the localtheatre community extends into ourschool,” says Buchanan. That means,adds Bender, that the students cangraduate, “go out and start workingright away.”Unless they head to graduate school,of course. In which case, we have somesuggestions for them…www.stage-directions.com • March 2008 47

Special Section: DesignDesigners onCollaborationJay ScottTony Walton and Richard Pilbrow: A design team for almost 50 yearsTheatre simply is a collaborativeart; even a one-person show isnot a one-person production. Thecollaboration of actors and directorsis the most understandable to mostaudiences, but it is the collaborationof the creative team where the life ofa production is perhaps truly rooted.Usually designers work on many productionswith many different peoplethey may or may not have workedwith before, yet there are some theatrecollaborations that have sustainedthrough entire careers, those who worktogether whenever possible. These collaborationshave often been part ofcreating milestone productions, bothartistically and technically.One such collaboration is that ofTony Walton, scenic, costume and projectiondesigner (and now director),with Richard Pilbrow, lighting and projectiondesigner. Having first workedtogether in their native England in1959 on Pieces of Eight, their friendshipand body of work spans 49 years totheir most recent production of theBroadway-bound A Tale of Two Cities(which just completed its premiereat the Asolo Theatre in Sarasota, Fla.),due in New York this fall. In between,they have worked on A Funny ThingBy Michael S. EddyTony Walton and Richard Pilbrow in 1963 while designing A Funny ThingHappened On The Way To The ForumA more recent photo of Richard Pilbrow, Richard’s daughter Daisy, andTony WaltonFrom A Tale Of Two Cities at Asolo Theatre. TonyWalton did the scenic design, while RichardPilbrow designed the lights and projection.Happened on the Way to the Forum,Golden Boy, Shelter, Four BaboonsAdoring the Sun, Busker Alley, Ashes toAshes, Our Town, Where’s Charley andThe Boy Friend among many others.They also were producing partnerswith Hal Prince for years, bringingmany of his biggest hits to the Londonstage including She Loves Me, FiddlerOn the Roof, Company and Cabaret.Over their careers together, they havecreated breathtaking visuals, helpeddefine how design is approachedand added to the technology toolboxof designers with ground breakingapproaches in all forms of designincluding projection.Beyond the great sense of humor,friendship and respect both menhave for the other, one of the mostsustaining characteristics of theirwork together is they challenge eachother constantly. This comes from ashared belief in how to approach aproduction, as Walton explains, “BorisAronson was one of my principal mentorsand he would say that you haveto become a baby on each productionand not use any experience that youhad previously taken advantage of inother shows. I very much believe inthat. I feel Richard does that too. He48 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com

Tony WaltonAll those lampposts from the ’95 national tour of Busker Alleydoesn’t start at ‘Here is what I know, how can I use it.’ We bothstart from ‘This is something fresh and interesting, so how canwe serve it most appropriately.’”Light the LamppostsWalton appreciates Pilbrow’s approach, “One of the joys ofworking with him is not only his astonishing skill and artisticvision, but he is always the calmest person in the theatre nomatter what’s churning inside. He always appears to be calm,it is such an enviable and incredibly admirable thing giventhe sort of stresses that go on during tech time. It makes foran especially pleasurable environment. I have, however, probablygiven him nightmares; he’ll say lighting 25 lampposts ina cluster was a nightmare. To Richard’s credit, after he said,‘This is completely out of the question and can’t be solved,’he simply managed to solve the problem breathtakingly.”Pilbrow agrees the artistic challenges have been vast andvery fulfilling. “Tony always pushes the envelope, and it’s funrising to every new challenge. The hardest and the best partof working with Tony is that he is a perfectionist. SometimesI am terrified, you don’t know if you can make it all work, butyou eventually do. We are very demanding of each other.That is something wonderful that you know each other wellenough to ask the impossible. It is the best part I think —knowing enough to drive each other crazy.” Pilbrow laughinglycontinues, “Tony is remarkable. He is astonishinglyinventive; totally outrageous and always demanding. He is anightmare to work with and now as a director — he is absolutelybrilliant as a director — he is even more impossible. Hestarts every show as a challenge.”Pilbrow does indeed recall the lampposts, “Did he mention theoriginal Busker Alley to you? All those lampposts — the stage hadlampposts everywhere, it was entirely impossible to light anyonewithout casting the shadow of a lamppost. That was invigorating— difficult, but invigorating. This new one, A Tale of Two Cities,Tony has designed six houses that are two-story buildings thatare skeletal structures that move constantly around the stageand the actors are in front, behind and in them on both levels, sotrying to light them is like lighting actors in birdcages becausethey are never in the same place and you don’t want shadowsall over the place. On Our Town, he had all the pipes overheadangled so all the lights were 30° off horizontal. Sometimes, Ithink he does it to drive me crazy.”“I do try to find a special challenge for him on each productionso that he doesn’t get bored,” admits Walton, “I don’twant him to get sick of doing this and go back to buildingwww.stage-directions.com • March 2008 49

Special Section: DesignTony WaltonFrom the 1973 production of Shelter by Ford & Cryer at the John Golden Theatre.Scenic, costume and projection design by Tony Walton; lighting and projection design by Richard Pilbrowtheatres.” [Pilbrow is the founder of Theatre Projects Consultants—ed.] Walton also quickly notes the Pilbrow always come upwith astonishing solutions. “On Our Town, for example, thefact that some lights were much nearer the stage than otheridentical lights made it a real challenge for Richard, but he, ofcourse, did a spectacular job. On A Tale of Two Cities, well, it isa bit like the lampposts, but much worse. Of course, he teasedme a great deal about that and then he did the most beautifuljob. Just amazing, even the cast used to come out and watchas he was making his magic.”Maddening, Ludicrous, ExtraordinaryThe fact that Walton and Pilbrow can all but finish eachother’s sentences and thoughts can be a great help when timeis the main challenge of a production. Pilbrow recalls their collaborationfor the York Theatre gala’s one night performanceof Busker Alley in 2006. “Now that was really typical Tony. Herang me up and said ‘Richard, I am going to do a reading ofBusker Alley. Would you throw a few lights up for me?’ Then alittle later he said there’s going to be choreography and costumes.Then a week later he said, ‘Why don’t we project all thescenery.’ To which I said ‘What scenery?’ He suggested we projectall his sketches from the original production. Finally I said,‘Tony, what you are saying is we are doing the full Broadwaymusical with scenery, costumes and props.’ That we are openingon the Monday night in the theatre with load-in and techthat morning?’ His answer was ‘Yeah, what’s the problem?’ Sothat’s what we did; Monday morning we hung some lights,wrote 160 cues with full-scale scene projection, and we openedat eight o’clock. It was the most maddening, ludicrous situationof my entire life. It was truly extraordinary and I couldn’thave done it with anyone besides Tony. It is absolutely a madbusiness; challenging and amazing.”Walton completely agrees, “All of the things we have donetogether have been joyful. The fact that you get to know eachother’s strengths and weaknesses, humor and appetites so intimatelymakes the process of collaborating extraordinarily easier.One of the real glories of working with Richard is that I sort of feelhe knows what I am going to say before I say it and if he doesn’the’ll come back with a great crack. We laugh a lot together.” Thatlaughter is the final ingredient to the success and innovation ofthis extraordinary pair of men.Michael S. Eddy writes about design and technology. He can bereached at meddy@stage-directions.com.50 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com

Special Section: DesignThe Law ofUnintended ConsequencesOld-school staging adapts to new technology.By Geri JeterProjection can change a stage, and it can take thestage to a whole new audience through simulcastsand broadcasting. No matter what it does, projectionchanges how every other designer has to approach his or herwork. We spoke to a few people heavily involved with designaround projection and got some info on how they had towork around this disruptive tech.A Night Out for OperaOn a chilly San Francisco fall night, a crowd of 15,000 gatheredat AT&T Park for the free simulcast of the San FranciscoOpera production of Saint-Saëns’ Samson and Delilah. Thesesimulcasts are among the first projects of SFO General DirectorDavid Gockley’s new tenure and part of the company’s campaignto bring opera into the community and to wider audiences.Since May 2006, SFO has presented three separate simulcastsin a total of seven Northern California locations, reaching acombined audience of more than 30,000 people.SFO Video Director Frank Zamacona supervised an 11-camerashoot of this particular live performance, using the company’snew Koret-Taube Media Suite — the first permanent highdefinitionbroadcast-standard facility installed in an Americanopera house. Samson and Delilah was transmitted in 1920 x1080 HD via fiber and satellite to AT&T Park’s 103-foot-wideMitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision video scoreboard.As well as its simulcasts, the opera has entered into anagreement with The Bigger Picture for worldwide distributionof six operas per year beginning in March 2008. The performanceswill be shown in digital cinema-equipped theatreson screens that conform to the highest digital cinema standardsas set by the Digital Cinema Initiatives. For the cinemaaudience to have the best possible operatic experience, SFOtaped multiple performances of the six operas.Delivery in HDZamacona and Lighting Director Chris Maravich say thatalthough the technology for the simulcasts and taped performancesis complex, the staging and lighting accommodationsfor the new performance delivery method is basic. “The onlylighting adjustment necessary for the video production,” saysMaravich, “was that we had to make some small modifications— we had to bring up the light levels a little in a few instances. Inaddition, there was a drop in front that had to be taken out a bitearlier than normal, as the cameras couldn’t shoot through thescrim. Other than that, the sets remained the same.”A moment from Samson and Delilah“Our goal was to enhance the look for the HD and theaudience at the ballpark without compromising the originalintent of the design,” explains Maravich. “We wanted the inhouseaudience to see the show as originally designed.”All the alterations in sets, costumes, wigs and makeupcame about as fine details were exposed in the HD process. Toaddress this, a monitor was placed near the tech table duringdress rehearsal so problems could be seen as they came up.According to Zamacona, “There wasn’t a need for any redesign;however, there was a need for extra vigilance in repairs andmaintenance. For this, we collaborated very closely with thevarious backstage departments.” In the process, they observedthings generally not seen by theatrical audiences — like small,exposed sections of wig netting and slightly ripped costumes.Tight shots occasionally revealed that a bit of scenery neededrepainting. “Everything pops in high def,” says Zamacona.He explains that in one scene, a sightless Samson is in hisprison cell. The original stage makeup called for blackeningaround the eyes to illustrate his blindness. This didn’t workin HD because the effect did not look realistic in close-up. So,the makeup department devised a bloodstained blindfoldinstead. It played better on camera and worked for the inhouseaudience, as well.The staging sometimes had to be adjusted, too. Sometimesa gesture didn’t play well on camera so blocking needed tochange. In the opera, Samson kills the character Abimelech.The original blocking called for a gesture that didn’t play wellon camera — it was too broad. “It had worked on stage,” saysZamacona, “but in the close-up, it looked fake. We had tomake it more realistic for the cameras.”During the taping for the cinema release, there were alsolittle blocking issues for continuity purposes. The blockingSet Designer David Farley worked with Projection Designer Tim Bird to create a set that allowedprojection to envelop the cast of Sunday in the Park with George.Tristram Kentonwww.stage-directions.com • March 2008 51

Special Section: Designhad to be tight — not as loose as for anormal stage performance. As fixed asthe team would have wished to makethe blocking, though, the technical crewsometimes needed to work around theactuality of live performance. “In theend,” comments Zamacona, “it’s allabout the music and the singing. So,sometimes, we just went with whatthe performers were doing and madeadjustments accordingly.”Is It Live?For the recent Broadway revival ofSondheim’s Sunday in the Park with Georgeat the Roundabout Theatre Company’sStudio 54, animation is used to bring thepark to life. Set and Costume DesignerDavid Farley and Projection Designer TimBird sought to integrate the animationand projection with the entire design —not just produce projected backdrops. “Ihave created an environment to not onlysurround the performers,” says Farley,“but to allow the projection to moveamong them.”This is accomplished by using a threewalledbox set. The rear wall is a rearprojection screen, and they project onthe side walls from the front, using fiveprojectors on trusses. Some of the otherset pieces are used as projection surfaces,too — including the curtain drapery,George’s canvasses and some of the setdoors, when opened onstage.To realize its artistic vision, the teamuses an array of sophisticated equipment,including High End Catalyst G5media servers, which are cued by aWholeHog III desk triggered by the mainlighting console. Most of the media wascreated as QuickTime movies.“There has been intense collaborationbetween all departments, especiallywith Lighting Designer KenBillington,” says Bird, “as video projectionsare actually lights and can providemore complex patterns than the gobosin standard stage lights.” Billingtonwas, therefore, able to assess the colors,surface textures and visual motifsand evaluate how the moving lightsand gobos would affect the set piecesand the costumes, including how theycould continue the aesthetic developedin the projections.One concession to the intricacies ofthe design has been the long lead-timefor the show. “We started almost sixmonths before rehearsals, during whichwe spend an entire week going throughthe storyboards with the director andlighting designer,” explains Farley, “andthere was a careful choosing of the materialsand paint finishes to get the most outof the projected material.” Additionally,the animation adds virtual characters tothe show, and their wardrobe needs to bekept consistent in style, as well as texture,with the live actors’ costumes.For Bird, a production that uses thislevel of animation and projection runscounter to the normal theatrical process,where there is more latitude to makeadjustments during a performance. Withthe technology, video and animation areprepared and set in advance.“Projection is, by its nature, very specific,”he says. “In the future, I would liketo be able to build in more flexibility inthe progressions of the animation andvideo — be able to bend and changethe existing technology to the livetheatre experience.”52 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com

Show BizBy Tim CusackA Thrifty Producer’s Guide to LightingDon’t leave your production in the dark with these do’s and don’ts.When it comes to budgetingfor the design of a show, thethrifty producer has manyoptions that, while cheap, can still be artful.Don’t want to spend tons of moneyon a set? A bare stage with minimalprops can impart an air of universalityor existential angst to a production. Butthe one element a production can’t dowithout is lights. You may be producingthe next Orson Welles directing thenext Meryl Streep in the next TennesseeWilliams’ play, but if it’s all taking placein the dark, it’s just radio.And yet, so many first-time producersleave lighting to the last minute.I recently sat down with Eva Pinney,director of operations for Big AppleLights in New York City to talk aboutthe top 10 things producers shouldkeep in mind when ordering a lightingpackage. In addition to her positionwith what is arguably the most prestigiouslighting house in the New Yorkmetropolitan area, Eva is also a lightingdesigner in her own right, mostlydesigning for the thriving downtowndance scene, so she brings a wealthof perspective from both sides of thelighting equation to these issues.So, according to Eva, what are thedo’s and don’ts of dealing with yourlighting vendor?1. “I think the biggest mistake producersmake is not understanding howdetailed lighting is. At least three timesa week, I get a call giving me the dimensionsof a stage and asking me for thestandard lighting package that goes withthat size space. There is no such thing asstock Show A, Show B, etc. Every showis different, and a reputable lightinghouse will never quote you a price fora lighting package based solely onstage dimensions. DON’T trust anyonewho does this.”2. DO develop a relationship with alighting designer early in your process.“Don’t feel as though you have to have afinished product that you then say to thedesigner ‘light this.’ Many designers reallywant to be part of the formation of thepiece.” This will enable them to ask thelighting house the right questions whenit comes time to place the order.3. DON’T leave lighting to the lastminute. “You wouldn’t believe the numberof people who call me on a Fridaybefore a Monday load-in because theyforgot to order their lights. You reallyshould start a month in advance (i.e.,probably around the time you are goinginto rehearsals) to send in your ‘wish list.’Rental shops will be more than happyto work with companies to meet theirneeds if you give them enough time.”4. DO know the assets and limitationsof your production. If you’resharing the space with other companies,you’re probably going to be limited inthe number and variety of lights you canadd to the grid. Ordering useless lightingjust adds to your budget and createsgreater stress at load-in.5. DON’T assume that because yousee lights hanging in the theatre on theday you go to look at space that they’reincluded with your rental. You also needto ask what the space’s electrical capabilitiesare — blowing out the power in themiddle of a show because you overhungthe lighting grid is no fun for your audienceand can be dangerous for your actors.6. DO be flexible if you have a particularlighting effect in mind. “We geta lot of calls for neon, but we don’t rentneon. So if you envision a stage full of neonand you can’t get that in your market, talkto the vendor. Ask if there are three otherways to make something similar happen.”According to Eva, lighting houses love thosekinds of questions, but again give themenough time to help you find a solution.7. DON’T be afraid to ask what thetotal price does and doesn’t include,but DON’T renege on payment agreements.“You are building a relationshipwith the shop as much as you are with thedesigner.” Once you’ve proven yourselfto be a reliable customer, vendors will bemuch more willing to work with you downthe line to help you manage your budget.8. DO have someone on your productionstaff who can maintain the show,refocus lights and do simple repairs.“It’s not the rental shop’s job to fix thingsthat break, but you do want a shop thatcan come look at equipment that isn’tworking — remember, though, that maynot be included in the rental price.”9. DO have a van handy for load-inand load-out. “Because of rising costs— primarily gasoline — many housesdon’t automatically include transportation.And timing affects price. If yourrental space says you have to be out bymidnight of your closing show, a pick-upis going to cost a lot more money.”10. And finally, DON’T be afraid toask questions along every step of theprocess. It’s the best way to ensure thequality of your lighting will match thequality of the rest of your production.54 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com

TD TalkBy Dave McGinnisOut for Some AirProductivity slow? Pneumatic tools might be your answer.We all know the nightmaresassociated with man-hoursand timetables. Even if designscome through in time, the likelihoodthat everything will run smoothly fromthe beginning of the production processto its conclusion remains slim andwe begin to wish that we would haveoverestimated our necessary man-hourswhen reporting to the artistic team. Forthis reason, I am always shocked whenI enter a shop equipped with a brandnew drill press, a band saw in which youcan see your reflection and every otherstate-of-the-art piece of gear imaginable,but no pneumatic gear can beseen. Pneumatic gear cuts down onbuild time and allows your staff to catchup when the unforeseeable happens.For those unfamiliar with pneumaticgear, it simply means “air-driven” tools.Nail guns are the classic example, butmany tools can operate on an air-drivensystem — ratchets, staple guns, bradguns and blowers to name a few. Thecentral piece of the system — the aircompressor — drives air into a tank,causing the air to build up pressurewithin. A hose then connects that tankto whatever tool one might choose toconnect to it, and the pressure from theair drives the nail into the board, theratchet around the nut, what have you.I recently purchased a basic pneumaticset for my new gig, and I have noreservations about stating that these newtools have doubled both our constructionability. My very first show at my newhome required a modest set, but the sethad a very tight timetable and limitedavailable labor. Had we built it in the classicmode — hammers and nails or drillsand screws — the set would have beencompleted 13 minutes before the openingwith no time to paint… if we pulledan all-nighter.As the heads of our respective shops,we shoulder the responsibility of providingthe miraculous in a logical way. It isfor this reason that we make sure that ourshops have radial arm saws and chop sawsbuilt three weeks ago and that we alwayskeep extra-sharp backup blades for ourcircular saws ready to go. We must provideeverything on time, or the rehearsalprocess — and the show — will suffer. Toaccomplish this, we need to seek out everyadvantage we can, and pneumatic toolshave provided that advantage for me. Iwouldn’t be too surprised if they providedit for your house as well.Take a typical nail and hammer inhand, and bang the nail into a board.Drive the same size nail into the sameboard with a pneumatic system. No matterhow fast you might be able to hammerin a nail, the nail gun gets it in faster.To fully understand the advantage toyour shop, time each. Hammering atypical nail takes me from three to fiveseconds apiece, including initial tapsand such. Our nail gun does it in undera second, meaning that actual assemblytime has been cut by as much as a factorof three. The benefits here are obvious.For those concerned with costs, whichconstantly loom over our heads, air compressorsand their accompanying toolscan come at an affordable price. OurBostitch setup ran me less than $300 forcompressor, finish nailer and the rest.Higher power systems will cost a bit more,but consider the cost of purchase againstthe hours put in hammering or screwing.If a staffer makes around $10 per hour,and that staffer takes five seconds averageto hammer a nail, then that staffer hammers12 nails per minute, which comes to720 nails per hour — assuming no time isspent walking to the next spot or havingto replenish nails. That’s $10 per 720 nailsdriven. If that same staffer can shoot a nailat a rate of one second each, then that staffercan nail up to 60 nails per minute, whichcomes to a maximum of 3,600 nails perhour, or $10 per 3,600 nails driven. That’sa factor of five, which translates to $50 perhour the old way. Take off the other $40per hour and it could take that staffer aloneeight hours to pay off your purchase.These numbers are hypothetical maximums,but even if your shop doesn’t reachquite these numbers, you’ll still see anincrease in productivity as to make thepurchase viable.Increased productivity means increasedproduction value, which translates intojob security for you. So far, my shop hasreaped the benefits — I hope yours does,too, because we’re all in this together.Dave McGinnis is an assistant professor oftheatre at St. Leo University. E-mail him atdmcginnis@stage-directions.com.www.stage-directions.com • March 2008 55

Off the ShelfBy Stephen PeithmanOn Stage, Off StageNew books cover a lot of ground.Recent months have brought an intriguing variety oftheatre books to our attention — many on topics notfrequently covered.A good example is Theodore Mann, who with Jose Quinteroco-founded Circle in the Square Theatre — often mentionedas the birthplace of the off-Broadway theatre movement — in1951. Ten years later, he established the Circle in the SquareTheatre School. Equally important, Mann produced and/ordirected more than 200 productions with such actors as JasonRobards, Geraldine Page, Colleen Dewhurst, James Earl Jones,Kevin Kline, Maureen Stapleton, Rip Torn, George C. Scott, AlPacino and Dustin Hoffman. Mann’s memoir, Journeys In TheNight: Creating a New American Theatre with Circle In TheSquare, tells the story of all this, as well as his personal life. (Thetwo are so intertwined that they are virtually a single story.) Ifyou ever wondered how off-Broadway came to be and howit has managed to survive, this is the book to read. The bookincludes a DVD of the 1977 CBS-TV Camera Three program“Twenty Five Years of Circle in the Square,” featuring Hoffman,Jones, Scott, Mann and others talking about their experiencesat the theatre, plus excerpts from Death of a Salesman,Mourning Becomes Electra and The Lady from the Sea. [$34.95Applause Theatre and Cinema Books]Kenneth Tynan was the 20th century’s most influentialtheatre critic. Famous for heralding Brecht, Beckettand Pinter, his writing was stylish, discerning and witty.Kenneth Tynan: Theatre Writings collects over 100 of hisreviews, including his astonishingly accurate assessmentsof the first performances of Waiting for Godot, Cat on a HotTin Roof, A View from the Bridge, The Entertainer and A Tasteof Honey. Also included are articles on Broadway musicals,censorship, Bertolt Brecht and the need for a national theatre.Indeed, Tynan moved from theatre writing in 1962 to joinLaurence Olivier’s new National Theatre as its literary manager.He died in July 1980, but his influence is still felt —andneeded — as proven in this collection, selected and editedby Biographer Dominic Shellard, with a foreword by TomStoppard. [$24.95, Drama Publishers]Restaging the Sixties: Radical Theaters and TheirLegacies, explores the artistry, politics, and legacies of eightradical collectives: The Living Theatre, the Open Theatre, thePerformance Group, the San Francisco Mime Troupe, El TeatroCampesino, At the Foot of the Mountain, the Free SouthernTheater and Bread and Puppet Theatre. Each group is given itsown extended essay — each by a different author — helpingus understand how the creation of these groups overlappedwith political interests that underscored the notion of socialcollectives as a radical alternative to mainstream society. [$35,University of Michigan Press]Bill Sapsis is no stranger to Stage Directions readers. He hasbeen working in and around theatre for more than 35 years,and as an expert in theatrical rigging, his words of wisdomhave appeared in these pages more than once. His newbook, Heads! & Tales: Uncle Bill’s Musings on the TheatricalExperience, is a collection of pieces on such topics as theatresafety, rope, curtain track, counterweight systems, producttesting, trade shows and learning from one’s mistakes. Hisstyle is confident, informative and no-nonsense, with a strongsense of humor (often about himself) that underscores hisdeep love for theatre. As a result, he makes even strictly technicaltopics enjoyable reading. [$19.95, Sapsis Publications]Improvs are typically over in a matter of minutes. However,Kenn Adams presents a step-by-step method for long-formimprovisation in How to Improvise a Full-Length Play. Heexplores plot structure, storytelling and character development,as well as advanced scene work. Readers will find tipson spontaneity, connection and collaboration, and learn theneeds of a well-constructed play. In fact, even if you neverintend to improvise an extended piece of this sort, Adams’dissection of a play’s building blocks in chapter three is invaluable— including building the arc of the play, establishingrelationships and moving the plot forward. Also included are30 exercises that focus on the various elements needed to createan entire improvised play. [$16.95, Allworth Press]One on One: The Best Women’s Monologues for the 21stCentury, includes the work of more than 70 authors, spotlightingBroadway, off-Broadway, regional and experimental writingssince 2000. It’s that experimental edge that gives this collectiona leg up on most anthologies of its kind. An introductionalso explains how to choose, practice and perform a speech forauditions, and there are both comic and dramatic monologuesfor young, older and multicultural players. Selections includeAnna Deavere Smith’s take on abusive relationships in HouseArrest; August Wilson’s perspective on the trials of those whosurvived coming to America — and those who did not (Gem ofthe Ocean); and William Gibson’s recreation of the dark, earlydays of Israel in Golda’s Balcony. Additional works providingmonologues include David Auburn’s Are You Ready?, TheresaRebeck’s Bad Dates and Brian Dykstra’s The Committee, amongothers. [$14.95, Applause Theatre and Cinema Books]56 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com

The Play’s the Thing By Stephen PeithmanIt’s All About RelationshipsNew plays look at human interaction from many angles.Let's face it: A play without people is a no-starter. Andwhat makes a play worth watching is how those peopleinteract as characters. This month's recently publishedplays all focus on relationships, from a variety of perspectives.David Wiltse's comedy, A Marriage Minuet, may be selfconsciouslyclever and smart-alecky at times, but this sex farceshould please audiences looking for an upgrade from TV-stylesituation comedies. Rex Franklin, successful author of bestsellingpotboilers, is an oversexed male, ready to make love to anywoman who comes his way. His indulgent wife, Violet, has set hersights on Douglas Zweig, an intellectual professor who lectureson morality. Douglas' wife Lily is not against a bit of experimenting,especially when hit on by the persistent Rex. Interspersedthroughout the play are clever asides to the audience thatexpress the characters' inner and subtextual thoughts, helpedalong by supertitles such as "The Quest Eternal," "Friends" and"The Postmortem." Wiltse's writing is intelligent and more thanoccasionally witty. Not only does he have fun with words like"solipsistic," "poseur," "whelp" and "transmogrified," but he usesthem to pinpoint his characters' distinctiveness through theirspeech. It may be a sitcom, but it's way above average. Threefemales, two males. [Broadway Play Publishing]Asymmetry, by Rick Robinson, explores the relationships ofthree couples, all looking to each other for help in healing thescars of the past. Sandy and Miguel are struggling to recoverwhat long ago could have become something beautiful; Juliusand Priscilla frantically seek a way through the protective wallsthey've built around themselves; Maggie and Cody are tryingto reconcile their very different views of life. Robinson expertlybrings these three stories together for one night in the samephysical space, but with each couple unaware of the others— even as their stories begin to merge. This is a beautifullystructured play that highlights the fragile nature of many relationships.Three males, three females. [Samuel French]Set in West Yorkshire, England, Simon Burt's Bottle Universeshows how love can heal in unlikely places. Two 14-year-oldsshare growing affection in their woodland hideout, hiddenbetween a highway and the city, while gaining maturity andinsight from their tough but caring schoolmaster. David hasa suicidal mother and a father who doesn't care and gets hiskicks from getting into trouble at school. Lauren is bullied somuch in class that her first meeting with David occurs whenshe has a noose around her neck. Unlikely companions, thepair soon become close, sharing as they do the devotedsupport of a teacher who brings to mind Robin Williams inDead Poets Society. Burton’s north England setting and strangeteen lingo take some getting used to, but his combination ofraw comedy and pathos is hard to beat. [Nick Hern Books]What would it be like to be confined with people youdon’t really know? That's the question posed by Mark Dunn'squirky comedy/drama, A Delightful Quarantine. The storyhas some strange visitors leave behind a potentially deadlydisease that leaves seven separate households unexpectedlyquarantined. It also forces their inhabitants to confront theirrelationships in seven separate but interwoven storylines. It'sa fascinating premise, and Dunn lives up to it. Ten females,five males. [Samuel French]Quirky barely begins to describe Paul, by Howard Brenton. Itbegins with the idea that Jesus was a great but human teacher,a reforming rabbi to be understood in an essentially Judaiccontext. It also posits that it was Paul who in a sense "created"Christianity by turning Jesus into a message for all mankind. Notsurprising, when the play premiered in London, it prompted agreat deal of letter-writing. In response, the National Theatre’sdirector, Nicholas Hytner, called it a play about the nature offaith and a secular reading of the story of Christ’s resurrection,but admitted it also is “irreverent,” “provocative” and “skeptical,”although “not intended to be controversial or shocking.”Perhaps, but this retelling of the Paul and Jesus story, thoughimaginative and ingenious, probably says more about theplaywright’s need to subvert what he dislikes about orthodoxChristianity than anything else. That said, it's often riveting andcertainly thought-provoking. [Nick Hern Books]Neil LaBute has received high praise from critics for hisedgy and unsettling portrayals of human relationships. Hisshort play, Wrecks, takes place at a funeral service for JoJo,Ed's wife of 30 years. The relationship turns out to have beenone of enduring love, but also founded on a secret of classicalproportions — as in Oedipus Rex. The surprise ending is thatEd is the son Jo-Jo bore and abandoned after being raped byan uncle. LaBute briefly assumes the mantle of a Greek dramatistwith a love affair that embodies one of our last taboos:mother and son incest. However, there's a twist — JoJohas died from lung cancer brought on by the second-handsmoke generated by Ed’s cigarette habit. This one-man playis one of eight short pieces in the newly published collectionWrecks and Other Plays (the others: Liars Club, Union Square,Love at Twenty, Land of the Dead, Stand-Up, Coax and Falling inLike.) It would be tempting to choose two or three of them toproduce as a single production. [Faber & Faber Books]www.stage-directions.com • March 2008 57

Cirque du Soleilis searching for aHead of Riggingfor its Luxor 2008Production.They are looking for candidates whomeet the following requirements: Minimum 10 years experience intheatrical and/or circus rigging Minimum 5 years experience in a similarrole on large-scale productions Experience with motorized & manualcounterweight systems and installationof acrobatic rigging is a must Experience Supervising or Managing aEmploymentRigging Department is preferableUnion Experience preferablePlease apply online atwww.cirquedusoleil.com.Click on “Working at Cirque”,then select “Jobs...Apply Online”,then select“Head of Rigging—Luxor Show”.Classified AdvertisingTechnical AdvertisementExtend the Limits of the Possible!At Cirque du Soleil, amazement is part of the job.In order to astonish thousands of people aroundthe world each evening, a tremendous amount ofbehind-the-scenes talent is required. Over 2500technicians work help present our spectacularperformances every night. Our Productionand Operations teams include energetic andpassionate individuals across the globe, eachmaking invaluable contributions so we canpresent our phenomenal shows. Every year, theTechnical Recruitment Team scours the globe forhundreds of technicians to fulfill the needs of allour current productions and upcoming creations.You might be one of them!Cirque du Soleil will beconducting interviewsMarch 20 th -22 nd at USITT2008 in Houston, TexasOur new and existing shows requiretechnical expertise in the following areas:• Aquatics • Lighting • Project Management• Audio • Make-up/wigs • Rigging• Automation • Props • Special effects• Carpentry • Projection • Wardrobe• Fluid effectsIf you are attending USITT and want to beconsidered for an interview, please submityour application atwww.cirquedusoleil.comSelect “Working at Cirque” located at thebottom of the page, then select “Technicalpositions: USITT 2008 Houston, TX -Interview Selections.”Only qualified applicants will beconsidered for interview -- positiondescriptions are available online.“What are you doing tomorrow?”

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Answer BoxBy Thomas H. FreemanLightning and LightingBring Monster to LifeAll photography by Paul KolnikWorking on big shows can mean big changesThe moment the monster comes to life used layered lights to sharpen the projected lightning.Left to right: Sutton Foster, Christopher Fitzgeraldand Roger Bart in the hayride sceneRoger Bart and Sutton Foster in the lightof the moonIn the current Broadway production of YoungFrankenstein, Peter Kaczorowski spares no effect in hislighting design when the monster is shocked to life bya giant bolt of lightning. Dramatic flashes of lightning alsoblaze onstage during Young Frankenstein’s opening scene.All these visuals are achieved by a creative combinationof projection, conventional and moving lights — but theprojection demanded some tweaking of the lights.“With projection,” explains Josh Weitzman, moving lightprogrammer for Young Frankenstein, “you can’t change thecolor temperature of the lightning bolt; you’re limited to thetone the image is. So, we layered the moving lights on top ofthe video projection. That gave us a great deal more control— in intensity of color, in terms of strobing. I could make thelight linger beyond the image without having to re-renderthe whole video. Similarly, in the play’s hayride scene, wewere able to enhance the image and effect of the moon ⎯deepening its tones, changing its textures, all by controllingthe light that is layered over the video projection.”Young Frankenstein’s extensive light plot is based around amix of 120 Martin Mac 2Ks — including Performances, Profilesand some washes — and is controlled by an ETC Eos system.This is a musical, of course, so the pacing of thelighting must also complement dance numbers. SaysWeitzman, “Eos was a big part of making that work easily.We were able to group fixtures together into parts ofa cue. And then when they made an inevitable changein the choreography, and we had to change time orsomething like that, we were able to do that quicklyand easily without affecting what the rest of the rig isdoing.”The amount of interaction between the lighting,sound and music departments on Young Frankensteinwas extensive — to coordinate things like lightningbolts, thunder effects and crescendos in the music.Weitzman used ETC’s new Net3 Show Control Gatewaysoftware to ensure that all devices could interact successfully.“Eos is often controlling the sound board, firingthe sound effects, and the sound board is sometimescontrolling the light board, and then they’re switchingback and forth,” says Weitzman.After all, it takes the right tools — and lot of artfullyapplied lightning and light — to bring both monstersand shows to life.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.60 March 2008 • www.stage-directions.com