Country Teamwork - Stage Directions Magazine

•Surveying musical festivalsdevoted to discovery• Opening the Capitol Theatre• Arguing (successfully) with your audioTheatreFace.comwww.stage-directions.comThe Art & Technology of TheatreM A R C H 2 0 1 1David Duchovny supplies thestar power—we talk to threemaster electricians whoprovide the real juice.PLUS! ++ John Patrick Shanley compliments the Marines+ Austin Pendleton addresses acting and directing from both sides+ Designing sound for The Hypocrites’ re-imaginingand re-arranging of The Pirates of Penzance.

www.stage-directions.comCVR1.300.1103.indd 1TheatreFace.com2/17/11 1:50 PMTable Of Contents M a r c h 2 0 1 11020Features10 Three In OneAustin Pendleton talks about workingas actor, director and playwright—allat once. By John Simon16 The Times They AreA-Changin’Reading and revising MSDS.By Monona Rossol18 Predictably ComplexYou can tune a trombone, but youcan only argue with a sound system.By Jason Pritchard20 Stand and SingFestivals that nurture the next generationof America’s native artform,the musical. By Trish Causey28 Discipline, Angerand UrgencyJohn Patrick Shanley shares whatkeeps him writing. By KatherineBrodsky30 Country TeamworkA Q&A with the Director of TheatreArts at Prosper High School inProsper, Texas Patrick O’Neil32 Pirates In PromenadePersonal accompaniment, promenade-stylestaging and new arrangementsall factored into the soundfor The Hypocrites’ unconventionalPirates of Penzance. By Bryan Reesman38 A New Lease on LifeThe Capitol Theatre in Maryville,Tennessee is once again a theatre. ByMichael S. EddySpecial Section:Lighting42 An Electrician’sExpertiseHard-earned experience and sageadvice from three of the business’stop lighting wizards. By Lisa Mulcahy44 All the World’sa Stage andSomebody’s GottaLight ItA supplier roundtable shares what’snew and trending in the world oflighting. By Kevin M. Mitchell54 Designing by ContentNYX Design uses a three-headedapproach to strike up inspiration anddesign. By Justin LangDepartments4 Editor’s NoteA tale of two theatres. By JacobCoakleyON OUR COVER: David Duchovny and Amanda Peetin the MCC Theater at The Lucille Lortel Theatre’s 2010production of Neil LaBute’s The Break of Noon.PHOTOGRAPHY BY: Joan Marcus4 Letters to the EditorTheatreFace.com users talk abouthow to replace mannequins forlighting cue writing.6 In the GreenroomNEA and NEH funding under fire,Joe Turner is allowed to go on, EllenStewart dies, and more.9 Tools of the TradeAudio innovation in time for thespring musical.56 Off the ShelfInsights from modern Americanplaywrights. By Stephen Peithman57 TD TalkMoulding may sound bad, but it canadd a luxurious touch to any set.By Stephen Ellison60 Answer BoxKeeping your theatre up to codewhen your set breaks the fire curtainline requires a little more work.By Rich Dionne• Surveying musical festivalsdevoted to discovery• Opening the Capitol Theatre• Arguing (successfully) with your audioThe Art & Technology of Theatre M A R C H 2 0 1 1David Duchovny supplies thestar power—we talk to threemaster electricians whoprovide the real juice.PLUS! ++ John Patrick Shanley compliments the Marines+ Austin Pendleton addresses acting and directing from both sides+ Designing sound for The Hypocrites’ re-imaginingand re-arranging of The Pirates of Penzance.

Editor's NoteLINDA EVANSA Tale of Two TheatresNo matter the fiscal crisis, losingtheatres serves no one.So you’ve probably heard by now thata group of Republicans are calling toeliminate the NEA and the NEH. You’vealso probably heard that while PresidentObama’s 2012 budget still includes moneyfor the NEA and the NEH, it calls for morecuts to their budgets. (Check out In theGreenroom for more details.)Not only that, but the chairman of the NEA, RoccoLandesman, took the opportunity at a convention aboutcreating new theatre at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.to publicly comment that perhaps there needs to be fewertheatres, saying: “It is time to think about decreasing supply.”It’s hard not to feel as if the arts are unappreciated andbeleaguered.Which is why it was especially frustrating to read aboutthe troubles Seattle’s Intiman Theatre has encountered. Aletter from the board on their website states that they needto raise $1 million by September in order to survive—and$500k of that is due at the end of March. The letter statesthis crisis came about because “Inflated budget projections,unpaid bills and a complete lack of financial and accountingoversight have left the theater dangerously low on cash.”While it’s admirable of them to admit such a botch-upoccurred in-house, on their watch and isn’t the fault of theeconomy, in the end it makes the problem even more frustrating.Everyone struggles with cash flow in the theatre. It’sa fickle business. But for an organization the size and statureof Intiman to stumble in such a basic way—all it does is addfuel to the fire that theatre and the arts are frivolous, fiscallyirresponsible and shouldn’t be supported.Contrast that with the plight of the Seven DevilsPlaywrights Conference, a project of id Theater, which takesplace in the small town of McCall, Idaho. I was lucky enoughto be a part of it this last summer and saw firsthand the greatwork everyone there does nurturing and developing newwork. I saw how completely engaged the local communitywas during the conference. I saw them pack the house everynight. I saw the students at the local high school interactingwith professionals to stage the students’ plays. I sawhow much both the audience and the artists were engagedwith the making of theatre. But apparently the NEA didn’t,because Seven Devils (and all Idaho theatres, for that matter)didn’t receive a dime from the NEA this year (to be fair, thereare more moneys to be disbursed this year). Seven Devilslost $15,000, a huge chunk of their budget. If they can’t raisethat much by March 16, the Conference will be no more. Yep,that’s right—because of the want of a mere $15,000.Perhaps you are upset, as I am, that a large theatre couldstumble so badly. Does that mean we should decrease thesupply of theatre? Perhaps you don’t think a small, rural communityhas much call for the arts, and wouldn’t miss the smallamount of funding it does receive. Would they be served bydecreasing the supply of theatre? I think the answer in bothcases is still “No.” Both theatre companies serve their community—artistically,socially, economically. Neither may bearound by the end of this month. That serves no one.Jacob Coakleyjcoakley@stage-directions.comLettersCueing MannequinsI’m no longer in school, so with graduation went my perksassociated with school—including access to a full light lab totest out cues and mannequins to cue off of during cue writingsessions. Without “light walkers” or an on-site costume shopready to lend me mannequins whenever I need them, what isthe best way to cue a show?I considered maybe buying a mannequin off of eBay, or atthe very least a dimensional head to stick on a pole. In NewYork I imagine hauling and storing a mannequin around townon the subway can’t be any fun. Does anyone out there haveany portable ideas for how to get a dimensional figure onstage for cue writing? (Other than asking my friends to standin for me!)Crystal M. LeeI’ve used a broom, turned on its head, supported througha chair/taped to a stool and draped it with suitable colours.Not quite portable, but easily assembled from commonequipment. Maybe bring a sheet of fabric.Ryan McCallionTry building on the broom idea. Hang a coat hanger onit to support the fabric and you can place a foam wig headon top.Philip D.Carowww.theatreface.comI have used micstands with whiteplastic bags set tohead height.Mark SchmidtTHEATREFACE.COMFor more conversationsabout lighting, costumes,sound, acting and everythingelse associated with putting ona show, visitwww.theatreface.com4 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

Publisher Terry Lowetlowe@stage-directions.comEditor Jacob Coakleyjcoakley@stage-directions.comNew York Editor Bryan Reesmanbryan@stage-directions.comSenior Staff Writer Kevin M. Mitchellkmitchell@stage-directions.comEditorial Assistant Victoria Laabsvl@plsn.comContributing Writers Katherine Brodsky, Trish Causey,Rich Dionne, Michael S. Eddy,Stephen Ellison, Justin Lang, Lisa Mulcahy,Stephen Peithman, Jason Pritchard, BryanReesman, Monona Rossol, John SimonConsulting Editor Stephen PeithmanARTArt Director Garret PetrovProduCTionProduction Manager Linda Evanslevans@stage-directions.comWEBWeb Designer Josh HarrisADVERTISINGAdvertising Director Greg Gallardogregg@stage-directions.comNational Sales Manager Michael Devinemd@stage-directions.comSales Manager Matt Hubermh@stage-directions.comOPERATioNSGeneral Manager William Vanyowvanyo@stage-directions.comCIRCULATIONSubscription order www.stage-directions.com/subscribeStark ServicesP.O. Box 16147North Hollywood, CA 91615BUSINESS OFFICE6000 South Eastern Ave.Suite 14-JLas Vegas, NV 89119TEL 702.932.5585FAX 702.932.5584Stage Directions (ISSN: 1047-1901) Volume 24, 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.20ACELEBRATCELEBRATINGSDYEARSSINGOTHER TIMELESS COMMUNICATIONS PUBLICATIONSOF SERVICE TO THEATRE

In the Greenroomtheatre buzzArts Under AttackOn Jan. 20, 165 GOP members in the House ofRepresentatives called for the elimination of the NationalEndowment for the Arts and the National Endowment forthe Humanities. Then, on February 14, President Obamareleased his budget for 2012, which called for a 13% cut tothe NEA and the NEH, from $168 million to $146 million,and justified it by saying the NEA and NEH would be “consolidating”admin functions to “partially offset” the losses.As we went to press on February 17 the Washington Postwas reporting that an amendment from Rep. Tim Walberg(R-MI) that would cut NEA by an additional $20.6 million(taking its budget to around $124 million) was approvedby the House and sent to the Senate for consideration.This is on top of several states’ efforts to eliminate theircultural trust organizations. In Kansas, Gov. Brownbacksigned an order on Monday Feb. 7 to eliminate the KansasArts Commission. In his state of the state address onTuesday, Feb. 8, Texas Governor Rick Perry called for theelimination of the Texas Commission on the Arts. Evensuch a die-hard arts town as Chicago has cut back on thearts—it dismantled its cultural affairs department lastDecember.In short, once again any government support for thearts is under dispute. Robert Lynch, president of Americansfor the Arts, an advocacy group for government funding ofthe arts, was quoted by Michael Boehm from the L.A. Timessaying his org and others “are cognizant of the attitudes outthere among some leaders and we have to do a good job” ofeducating them as to the benefits of funding the arts.We can’t say where the debate on the 2012 federalbudget will be by the time you receive this (the deadlineis March 4, but can be extended), but defending arts fundingis a longer battle than one budget fight. If you wishto take action to help protect arts organizations, a list ofactions and resources is available at www.theatreface.com/artsfunding.6 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

Shakespeare’s Globe GoesWide, SquareThe shell of a Jacobean theatre on the Shakespeare’s Globe theatre grounds willbe restored with a new theatre inside.In the U.K., Shakespeare’s Globe theatrehas announce a couple of challengingintitiatives. First off, they’ll be producinga multi-lingual Shakespeare festival,presenting all of Shakespeare’s 38 plays,Magnet School Joe Turner Production Goes OnAfter an initial decision by theWaterbury, Conn., school superintendentto stop a magnet school’sproduction of August Wilson’s JoeTurner’s Come and Gone for its useof a racial epithet received a lotof backlash from the local (andnational) theatre community, theBoard of Education held a publichearing to discuss the decisionon Wednesday, January 19. Atthe hearing members of the cast,school instructors and communitymembers voiced their concerns,alongside representatives from theYale School of Drama and HartfordStage. Comments were also readfrom theatre professionals whocouldn’t be present, including aletter from Howard Sherman,president of the American TheatreWing. In the end, Patrick Healy ofthe New York Times reported thatthanks to offers of “guidance fromYale Rep and another Connecticuttheater, Hartford Stage, on the JoeTurner production as well as onpre-show discussions and postperformancetalkbacks that wouldhelp put the play and its languagein historical context for audiencemembers,” it was voted the showcould be performed. In the end,each presented in a different languageby a different internationaltheatre troupe. Secondly, theGlobe will renovate the existingshell of a Jacobean theatre on itsground with an interior designedto replicate—to the best of theirknowledge—an English renaissanceindoor theatre. They planon major construction beginningin November 2012 and tolaunch the theatre, with a firstwinter season, in November2013. The indoor theatre willseat around 320 people, withtwo tiers of galleried seating and anauthentic pit seating area, which willprovide a uniquely intimate and intensetheatre experience.one of the shows was postponed, butthat was due to a blizzard, not anyaction by the district.Wybron UpgradesMobile ShowroomFor a video of what the Wybron Mobile Light Lab is like inside, visitwww.stage-directions.com/lightlabOn the heels of the retired WybronMobile Showroom’s successful 15-monthtour comes the launch of the WybronMobile Light Lab, which began its Visuality2011 Tour in February. The Wybron MobileLight Lab is a 48-foot pop-out-equippedtrailer that showcases Wybron products.Wybron President Keny Whitright had itcustom-built after proving the popularityof the company’s Mobile Showroom,which traveled the country in a rental trailerfrom 2009 through 2010. The Mobileconcept offers Wybron a more intimate,cost-effective way of reaching their customers.industry newswww.stage-directions.com • March 2011 7

changing rollsGreenroomJ. R. Clancy Appoints LarryEschelbacher Director of EngineeringLarry Eschelbacher has been promotedto the position of director of engineeringat J.R. Clancy. In his new role, Eschelbacherwill supervise both the controls engineeringand mechanical engineering departmentsLarry Eschelbacherat Clancy. His responsibilities include bothoff-the-shelf products and custom jobs forperformance spaces of every size, from middle schools to theworld’s most spectacular performing arts centers.Arizona Theatre Company Names StephenWrentmore Associate Artistic DirectorThe Arizona Theatre Company wentto London for their new associate artisticdirector. Stephen Wrentmore last directedMacbeth in 2005 for ATC, and recentlyspent time directing in London and studyingas a visiting scholar at Oxford UniversitiesStephen Wrentmore Hertford College developing a thesis on therelationship theatres in Britain and Americahave with artists. He will help with planning Arizona TheatreCompany’s seasons, and use his international connections tobring more international theatre to ATC.In Memoriam:Ellen StewartEllen Stewart at the La MaMa Umbria International,an artist residence in Spoleto, Italy.Ellen Stewart, thefounder and director ofthe La MaMa E.T.C.—the theatre that beganin October 1961 and tothis day continues tobe of great importanceto world culture—diedon Thursday, January13, 2011 at Beth IsraelHospital in Manhattan.Stewart died of naturalcauses after an extended illness, according to Mia Yoo, coartisticdirector of La MaMa, E.T. C. (Experimental TheatreClub). Born November 7, 1919 in Chicago, Stewart was 91at the time of her death.In her 49-year tenure, La MaMa presented 3000 productionsand earned countless cultural awards as it maintainedthe reputation established and tirelessly upheldby Stewart as a haven of off-off Broadway’s experimentalperforming arts community. Stewart began her career inNew York as a fashion designer and started La MaMa in1961 when she rented a tiny basement on East 9th Streetin Manhattan for $55 a month to provide her brother andhis playwright friends with a space to showcase theirplays. La MaMa took up residence in its original and currentspace at 74A E. 4 St. in 1969. In 1974, the companyacquired a second space, The Annex, down the streetat 66 E. 4 St. And in November 2009, on the occasionof Ms. Stewart’s 90th birthday, The Annex was officiallyrenamed the Ellen Stewart Theatre.New Eastern European Theatre was introduced inAmerica in 1967 when Ellen Stewart brought JerzyGrotowski, Ryszard Cieslak and Ludwig Flaszen toAmerica. In this endeavor she was aided by Ted Hoffmanof New York University. Stewart was instrumental inintroducing to America some of the world’s most influentialartists including Andrei Serban, Tom O’Horgan, SamShepard, Lanford Wilson, Harvey Fierstein, Maria IreneFornes, Tom Eyen, Jean Claude Van Itallie and countlessothers. She was proud of La MaMa’s long heritage as aninternational theatre, having hosted artists from morethan seventy different countries. In the late 1980’s, EllenStewart established La MaMa Umbria International, anartist residence in Spoleto, Italy.Ellen Stewart was the recipient of many HonoraryDoctorates and awards, among which are the prestigiousMacArthur “Genius” Award and the NationalEndowment for Arts and Culture. She was appointedan “Officer” in the “Odre Des Arts Et Letters” of theRepublic of France and received the Les Kurbas Awardfor “Distinguished Services to Art and Culture” from theUkraine. In January 1993 Ellen Stewart was inducted intothe “Broadway Theatre Hall of Fame,” becoming the firstOff-Off-Broadway Producer to ever receive this honor. In2006 she received the Tony Honor for Excellence in theTheatre.8 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

Tools of the TradeBCi Wi-Fi Pocket DMX for iPhoneThe new BCi Pocket DMX isa live control application forDMX controlled systems thatruns on an iPhone, iPod Touchor iPad when connected viaa standard wireless router tothe BCi Pocket Console DMXNetport. It serves as a handheldremote patchable controlsystem with 36 patchable channels of level control. Users canpatch all 512 DMX addresses and any channel can controlfrom 0 to 512 addresses. The Pocket Console DMX Netportcan merge existing console data with simultaneous inputfrom the user’s i-device, and it has DMX pass-through.thepocketconsole.comJBL EON210P Complete Portable PA SystemThe JBL EON210P includestwo 10-inch, 2-way speakers,an 8-channel poweredstereo mixer with four digitaleffects, two 15-foot speakercables and a convenient storagecompartment for microphonesand accessories. Themixer and storage compartmentattach to the rear of the speakers, allowing for ease ofmovement when transporting the system. The EON210P hasa 300-watt-peak stereo amplifier and high-efficiency 2-wayspeakers, each with a 1.5-inch neodymium compression-drivertweeter and 10-inch high-excursion woofer. It can deliver124 dB peak system output. www.JBL.comLectrosonics Quadra Digital Wireless MonitorThe Lectrosonics Quadradigital wireless monitorsystem consists of the M4Rbelt-pack diversity receiverand the M4T half-rack transmitterand features digitalRF modulation, two or fourchannels of 24-bit/48 kHzdigital audio, analog or digitalinputs and a new mixing interface. The Quadra systemoperates in the license-free ISM (industrial, scientific andmedical) band between 902-928 MHz. A four-channel mixeron the M4R diversity belt-pack receiver enables the performerto tailor the mix in real time, based on what is sent to thetransmitter from the monitor console. Several channel setupsand knob configurations are available, providing users with avariety of choices as to how the system operates.www.lectrosonics.comSoundcraft Si Compact 16The new Soundcraft Si Compact 16 is part of the Si CompactSeries and is a 16-channel, 19-inch, rack-mounted digital mixer.Motorized faders with Soundcraft FaderGlow operate on twolayers, and the mixer has a full encoder set for all the functions ona channel, from input gain through EQ and dynamics to bus controls.It has four separate Lexicon FX processors with dedicated FXbusses in addition to the main mixes,and a BSS Graphic EQ for every bus.The mixer has 14 mono aux busses,four FX busses, four Matrix busses,LRC Mix busses, four Stereo LexiconEffects engines, four Mute Groups, andHarman HiQnet integration.www.soundcraft.comSpectre 1.5 Real-Time Audio Multi-AnalyzerDeveloped exclusivelyfor Mac OS X, AudiofileEngineering’s Spectre 1.5includes an Inspector windowthat reduces desktopclutter, additional meteringand filtering options. Oneof the significant user-suggestedfeatures in Spectre1.5 is the new Leq Meter, which measures the energy of a givenaudio passage (often referred to as “loudness”). Unlike typicallevel meters that measure volume moment by moment, the LeqMeter takes an average over time to provide a useful indicator ofhow much “energy” is implied in a specific passage. Other newfeatures now available in Spectre include A/B/C-weighted filters,and calibration for VU and BBC meters.www.audiofile-engineering.comTimes Square Lighting LED21P ProjectorThe Times Square Lighting LED21Pluminaire is designed to deliver thelighting equivalent of a 75-watt patternprojector utilizing a 21-watt LEDmodule. The LED offers 10 times thelamp life as well as 70% energy savings.The LED21P projects stock or custompatterns (gobos) and is equipped withfour framing shutters for precise beamshaping. Numerous mounting options are available. Standardfinishes are black, white and silver. Custom colors are available atan additional charge. www.tslight.comYamaha DSR Series Active LoudspeakersYamaha’s new DSR Seriesactive loudspeaker line, includingthe compact and lightweightfull-range DSR112,DSR115 and DSR215, alongwith the DSR118W subwoofer,have internal 1300-wattClass-D amplifiers that use aPower Factor Correction switching-mode power supply. Thisdesign allows for convection cooling, eliminating the need forfans. DSR speakers also employ high-power DSP and 24-bit discreteAD and DA converters. Integral Digital Tuning helps deliversuper-clear, high definition sound quality via high-performance48-bit digital signal processing and advanced acoustic technologies.Digital crossover networks use high-order FIR (FiniteImpulse Response) filters for linear phase response, designed toprovide better sound quality than analog crossovers.www.yamaha.comwww.stage-directions.com • March 2011 9

Feature|By John SimonThree In OneAustin Pendleton talks about working as actor,director and playwright—all at once.Peter Sarsgaard and Maggie Gyllenhaal in a moment from New York’s Classic StageCompany’s production of Three Sisters, directed by Austin Pendleton.Joan MarcusIcaught Austin Pendleton between rehearsals forChekhov’s Three Sisters at New York’s Classic StageCompany, which he was directing. We had planned totalk principally about his staging and acting in a modestrevival of Tennessee Williams’s Small Craft Warnings (aplay that had been a colossal flop in 1972) and about hisdirection of a new play Detroit (a recent hit at Chicago’sSteppenwolf Theatre Company, coming to Broadway inthe fall) but I couldn’t adhere strictly to the mandate.There is something bohemian-ly chatty about Austin, sowe drifted into a somewhat more general conversationthat proved more illuminating and revelatory for beingless circumscribed.An interesting point about acting emerged forPendleton when, as a young actor, he played the likabledreamer Baron Tuzenbach in Three Sisters at Williamstownand eight months later again, in a very different production,at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. In the former, hisprivate life intersected with his role, which made thingseasy. “You come from a very personal place and you justfall into the role. Eight months later, the place you comefrom has changed radically and you have to assembleyour performance, I won’t say mechanically, but it’s notjust that spontaneous outpouring that it was.”In other words, you let the part come to you, or youCourtesy of SteppenwolfAustin Pendleton in rehearsal for the Steppenwolf premiere of Lisa D’Amour’s Detroit.have to find your way into the part. As a director, youexperience the same two possibilities vis-à-vis the textyou are staging, which also comes down to creating withthe actors’ characters you warm to instinctively or whichyou have to figure out intellectually.Pendleton is, on the whole, less in favor of work that“You sort of pray God the identificationdoesn’t run out before you are through playing the role.”10 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

“is essentially mechanical,” and prefers “what Uta Hagenused to call an unconscious substitution, which is thatyou… suddenly find yourself able to identify with a characterbut you have no idea why and you sort of pray Godthe identification doesn’t run out before you are throughplaying the role. But a lot more often you just have to putit together mechanically and try to get behind it technicallyand hope for the best.”Once again, what applies to an actor’s relation to hisrole applies similarly to a director’s relation to his textand its characters. But as a director, Pendleton also realizesthat the notion of the actor as a blank sheet on whichanything can be imprinted, is false. “I’ve never met onesuch ever,” he says. “There’s always a complicated interactionthat could get out of control and get things reallythe distinguished married actors Uta Hagen and HerbertBerghof, its founders.) Pendleton is directing and playinga small part, the role of Quentin.“The whole world agrees that this is not one ofTennessee’s better efforts, but along with the falling offthere are still traces of the great old Tennessee. There aresome very poetic moments in it,” says Pendleton. Some ofthose involve Quentin, whom Pendleton describes as “thedisenchanted homosexual.” He admires this character: “Itwas a daring thing to do when the play was written, theportrait of a self-hating homosexual just when the gaylib movement began. If anyone but a homosexual hadwritten it, there would have been riots in the street. It isquite sharply written as a self-examination by TennesseeWilliams of some of his own experiences. Some of hisMichael BrosilowKevin Gudhal and Kate Fry in the world premiere production of A Minister’s Wife at Writers’ Theatre in Glencoe, Ill. Austin Pendleton wrote the libretto for the new musical.confused—you can get hopelessly entangled.”What you want to prevent in an actor you are directingis his or her “identifying with only one aspect of thecharacter,” the one you happen to identify with becauseof your own life at the time. “You are charging off with itand are therefore giving a performance that is possibly avery clear expression of one aspect of the character andignoring all the others, and by ignoring them pullingthings way out of shape.”Bringing Out the MusicIf one had any doubts about Pendleton’s directorialskill, one needed only to look at the production of ThreeSisters he was just staging to see talent that he was assuredlybringing also to Small Craft Warnings and Detroit.Warnings is essentially a student production by hisstudents at the prestigious HB Studio (the HB standing forplays are more together, but in almost every instance heis such a real writer. You just examine every word in therole. The writing is extraordinarily specific about the waythis man thinks when he looks at something. It is my hopethat this will lead me to Quentin, particularly since I amthe director of the play and I don’t have a director to say,‘What can you possibly think you are doing?’ Sometimesthe director will say this to you with some justice.”I ask what Austin does with a certain dichotomy insidehim, knowing it is not a very good play but wanting todo a very good job with it. Well, “these late plays are notthe masterpieces from earlier times, but they are formallymore experimental than they are incoherent. What mayhave gone wrong with these plays when they were firstproduced is that they were done commercially. They aremore like Strindberg’s Dream Play, never written to bedone on Broadway. And although Small Craft Warningswww.stage-directions.com • March 2011 11

Feature“It became quite thrilling to perform the play in a manner where thereally convincing inner logic could have its way.”was done off Broadway, it emulatedBroadway and was produced essentiallynaturalistically.”When I ask what is the differencebetween an inappropriate commercialproduction and the appropriatenon-naturalistic one, Austin explainscogently that the former revels inelaborate scenery and costumes,which sets up expectations of realism;whereas the latter, reduced tobare essentials, focuses the attentionon the language, the poetic languagethat was Williams' forte to the end.Pendleton didn’t see the 1972 productionbut gathers that it was toocommercial. “I had read this playonce or twice and I remember that Idismissed it. Yet like certain others ofthese late plays, I couldn’t quite getit out of my head. So I wanted to goin there and find out what it is andwhy it haunts me, since it is clearlya problematical work, but there ismore in it than I first thought therewas. So often when you are directinga play, it’s a search for why it affectsyou, when in all reason it shouldn’t.During the whole process of puttingtogether the production and castingit, you say ‘Well, if we catch thisperson, this person that might bringsomething out and if we design itin this way that might bring somethingout, you might get at a reasonfor your presentation, because if 12different directors had directed it,you’d get essentially twelve differentexperiences.”It is rather like what happenedto Pendleton acting in another lateWilliams play, Out Cry, where thevery actors didn’t understand whatwas going on. And that directorsaid, “Look folks, we can stop now,we don’t have to do this, it is justa little experimental idea that wehave, let’s think about it a minute,maybe we won’t ever understandthis play.” Pendleton adds that afterthis talk “We just thought a minuteand thought ‘Well, why not? We'll goahead and see what happens.’ Andthen it was very plain, like cracking acode and there came a point when itall started to play. It began to have aflow to it, a kind of logic from withinthat created a performance.”And Austin continued: “It becamequite thrilling to perform the play in12 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

a manner where the really convincing inner logic couldhave its way, like playing an old piece of music and it’sbeginning to make sounds.” So he wondered of howmany others of the late plays this might be true.Learning, Teaching, DoingPendleton admits to learninga lot from the fine directors heworked with: Jerome Robbins,Mike Nichols, Alan Arkin, Bill Ball.He also studied with Bobby Lewis,“a great teacher.” Though very different,all those directors “alwayshad one thing in common: tomake every scene very clear aspart of the progression of how thestory is told. Even the good moviedirectors, like Otto Preminger,were always concerned with howto shoot this scene, how to playit, so that it will convey why it isin the development of this story.”Though he never worked withElia Kazan, Austin learned abouthis method: Working with actorswith very different training bytalking their respective language.“So to Vivien Leigh, Kazan wouldsay, ‘Perhaps here, Vivien, weneed an upward inflection.’ Then,turning to Marlon Brando rightnext to her, give him a very rightfrom-the-depthkind of inflection.Kazan would locate what wouldwork for an actor and then talkto him accordingly. When theresult came across unified, it wasbecause everybody was comingfrom his own particular strength.”In the late ‘70s, Austin directeda pleasant little play calledSay Good Night, Gracie in NewYork, where a young couple fromChicago enjoyed it. They wentback and mentioned it at theboard meeting for a theatre theyserved. A Chicago producer reluctantlyagreed to have the equallyreluctant Pendleton direct itthere. Austin was wary about havingto work with a young company,but when the actors auditioned,he was astounded. Theshow was a success, and, by thegrace of Gracie, Austin became amember of Steppenwolf, wherehe has done exemplary work. So,recently, Martha Leavey sent hima script titled Detroit, by a young playwright from NewOrleans named Lisa D’Amour. He was impressed.It takes place in what can be any megapolitan Americancity, in the first ring of suburbia, where the houses arebeginning to crumble or remain vacant. One middle-classcouple, where the banker husband lost his job, is hanging

FeatureMichael BrosilowThe play Detroit “doesn’t get explicitly political, yet has definite political implications,” according to Pendleton.14 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

on by their fingers. A young couple has moved into theneighboring empty house; these squatters are addictswho met in rehab. The play concerns the strange relationshipof the two disparate couples.Austin found that D’Amour had an acute ear for dialogue,and had written a play that is aching and humorous,full of anxiety but also witty, ironic, edgy. He recognizeda play that is truly contemporary, exactly aboutwhat is happening now, but “going way beyond meredepression, beyond even spiritual malaise. The charactersdon’t know what they are doing, there is no reliablemarker. The play doesn’t get explicitly political, yet hasdefinite political implications.”Though it received largely favorable reviews, it was feltthat it did not go deep enough, that it did not do full justiceto the darkness of the situation. Thus, before it openson Broadway, playwright and director will get togetherto make it deeper and darker. Meanwhile, Pendleton willalso work on a musical success in Chicago, A Minister’sWife, for which he wrote the book, as it transfers, recast,to Lincoln Center. It is no mean challenge to have basedit on Bernard Shaw’s Candida, which he once directed andwith whose brilliance his own libretto must seamlesslyblend.But he’ll carry it off—or should I say “they” will carry itoff? For Pendleton is three big guns in one: actor, directorand playwright; so why should a mere musical book bemuch of a problem to “them”?Join UsBackstageAtTheatreFace.comwww.stage-directions.com • March 2011 15

Feature|By Monona RossolTheThe Times TheyAre A-Changin’Reading and revising MSDS[Some of the material in this article has been adapted fromMonona Rossol’s book Pick Your Poison: How our mad dash tochemical utopia has made lab rats of us all, released by Wiley& Sons in February. –ed.]One strategy to obtain detailed information about thehazards of products is to obtain a document from themanufacturer called a material safety data sheet, orMSDS. If you’ve done this, I’ll bet some of them have been lessthan helpful. Let’s look at some of the reasons why, and howthey may be improving soon.How Useful Are MSDS’s?Terminology on an MSDS can be confusing and opaque,and often only presents incomplete information. The reasonfor these problems is that absolutely no person or governmentagency is overseeing the accuracy or completenessof MSDS’s. OSHA requires manufacturers to write them forthe protection of workers during the manufacture or useof the chemicals, and it requires employers to have a file ofthem in the workplace for the edification of the workers. ButOSHA only checks to see if this file exists during an inspectionthe workplace, which is a rare occurrence. And on thoserare occasions, it would be even rarer for OSHA to check theaccuracy and completeness of the information on the MSDS’sin that file.Instead, the accuracy or completeness of the informationon an MSDS is only likely to be raised as an issue after anaccident, injury or lawsuit when the quality of this informationbears directly on a proximate cause of the incident toestablish liability. So the information presented on a majorityof MSDS’s is insufficient.Globally Harmonized MSDS’sAn alternative system was spearheaded by the EuropeanUnion, and in 2003 the United Nations adopted the GloballyHarmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals.The GHS classification system promotes common, harmonizedcriteria for the classification of chemicals and a template for aworldwide compatible MSDS. And in the process, they droppedthe “MSDS” name and simply called the new documents “SafetyData Sheets.”The new Globally Harmonized Safety Data Sheets will providegreat advantages over our old MSDS’s. We can see examples ofthese advantages by comparing the current OSHA regulationswith the new globally harmonized ones for two groups of chemicals:carcinogens and chemicals that pose a hazard to health.The current OSHA regulations require a listing on the MSDSfor any substance considered a carcinogen by the Internationalnew GHS pictogram warning of acute or chronichazards to the aquatic environmentAgency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the National ToxicologyProgram (NTP) or OSHA that is present in the product at 0.1 percentor greater. But only around 900 chemicals have been evaluatedfor their cancer potential out of the more than 140,000registered for use in commerce in the European Union or the 50million chemicals registered by the Chemical Abstract Service.As a result, many of our MSDS’s state something like: “Not listedas a carcinogen by IARC, NTP or OSHA.” An untrained workermight assume this means that the chemical is not a carcinogen.Instead, this merely indicates that the chemical has not beenevaluated by these agencies because there is not enough data.But the new Globally Harmonized Safety Data Sheets will tellthe user whether the substances have been studied for cancereffects or not. In this case, telling users what is not known is asimportant as telling them what is known. This will finally make itclear to workers that most of the chemicals we use have neverbeen tested for cancer effects.Our current regulations define a health hazard as “a chemicalfor which there is statistically significant evidence based on atleast one study conducted in accordance with established scientificprinciples that acute or chronic health effects may occurin exposure employees.” This sounds good until you realize thatmany chemicals have never had that first study required to showit is a hazard. There are many chemicals for which there are noacute (short-term) data and even more for which there is nochronic (long-term) testing.16 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

The Globally Harmonized Safety Data Sheets will be different.While the GHS system can’t change the fact that most chemicalshave not been tested, the new GHS Safety Data Sheets will provideblanks for the various types of toxicity tests. If the test hasnot been done, the statement “No data available” is required totell product users that this test has not been done.The Purple BookYou can find these rules and all the others for the newGHS Safety Data Sheets in a large publication with a purplePictogramsIn order to also make it easier to assess potential hazards ofproducts quickly, two sets of pictograms have been developed,one for the Safety Data Sheets and the other for shipping labels.These pictograms allow people who speak languages otherthan that spoken in the country of the product’s origin will stillbe able to ascertain the basic hazards at a glance. These pictogramsare also beginning to pop up on our labels and MSDS’s.There are also number and letter ratings indicating thedegree of hazards such as flammability or corrosivity. These ratingswill take a little training to explain to workers, but no morethan is already required by our own laws.American manufacturers will have to follow the E.U. andU.N.’s guidelines if they want to sell products to the rest ofthe world. Many countries have adopted these standards anddemand the globally harmonized system data sheets. I amalready seeing the new format from major U.S. manufacturers.Not much translation need here. The GHS symbol for a productthat contains chemicals that are acutely toxic.The Globally Harmonized System of Classificationand Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) symbol for a productthat contains a respiratory health hazard.cover that is available online from the United Nations. It isdesigned to help manufacturers write Globally HarmonizedSafety Data Sheets and is often called the “GHS Purple Book.”Simply googling “GHS Purple Book” should get you to a freecopy to download in English or any other major language.In the Purple Book’s annex [appendix] 4 (3rd Edition), thereis the following advice which sums up the misleading statementsabout untested chemicals we currently see here in theU.S. and how these statements are no longer acceptable:A4.3.11.4 General statements such as “Toxic” withno supporting data or “Safe if properly used” are notacceptable as they may be misleading and do notprovide a description of health effects. Phrases such as“not applicable”, “not relevant”, or leaving blank spacesin the health effects section can lead to confusion andmisunderstanding and should not be used. For healtheffects where information is not available, this shouldbe clearly stated.OSHA also sees this coming. On September 30, 2009,OSHA published a proposed rule to update the HazardCommunication Standard by adopting the global U.N.classifications of chemicals and the new safety data sheets.OSHA said these new sheets would enhance environmentalprotection, public health and reduce trade barriers byusing universal hazard statements, pictograms and signalwords to communicate hazardous information on productlabels and safety data sheets.The comment period on the OSHA rule closed at theend of December 2009, and now the comments are beingreviewed. A lot of the comments (perhaps most) will comefrom manufacturers that are not likely to want thesechanges. I’ve already read a long litany of objections filedby Proctor and Gamble. On the other side is the AmericanIndustrial Hygiene Association, which likes every singleproposal. We will have to wait to see what happens next.Monona Rossol is the president and founder of Arts, Craftsand Theater Safety, Inc., a not-for-profit dedicated to providinghealth and safety services to the arts. She is also theSafety Officer for Local USA829 of the United Scenic Artists,International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. She’shappy to evaluate confusing MSDS’s sent to mrossol@stagedirections.com.www.stage-directions.com • March 2011 17

Sound Advice|By Jason PritchardPredictably ComplexYou can tune a trombone, but you can only argue with a sound system.Tuning a sound system is a figure of speech. Figure 2What one is actually doing is pushingthings around to find a happy medium. Ifone is constructing a sound system for presentingsound effects, the system equalization canbe manipulated to fulfill the artistic requirementsof the sound system. This is often mucheasier and more straightforward than manipulatinga system for technical reasons, such asfeedback control, coverage extension or systemcombination.Complex sound systems can require extensivemanipulation of the signals to coax the differentpieces of a system into working with each other. If everysituation could be covered with one speaker, things wouldbe significantly simpler. However, here in the real world,combining speakers and/or speaker systems to increasecoverage or increase sound pressure level is the norm.When more than one speaker carries the same signal, thesignals from those sources with interact with each other inpredictable, but complex, ways. In complex speaker systems,the game is all about reducing the damaging effectsof speaker interaction.Figure 1Because Wave 1 and Wave 2 are nearly in sync, the resulting sound wave is almost double their volume.Phase = Time = 20 Thousand Different ThingsFigure 1 shows two waves of equal frequency and level.When the two signals are in phase with each other, theyadd and produce a wave that is twice the level of theoriginal signals. When the phase of one wave is changedrelative to the second, the addition of thesignals produces a result that is less thantwice the level. When the two waves reach90° (1/4 of a period) out of phase with eachother, the resulting wave is equal to thelevel of the original waves. At 180° of phasedifference, the signals cancel each other outcompletely.Why is that important? Every frequencyhas a different period (the time it takes toproduce a single full wave) and thereforeTwo speakers that will be “married” to support the same audio feed, and their signals will need to be aligned.Figure 4a different wavelength. For example, the period of a 1000Hz sine wave is 1 millisecond. The period of a 1500 Hzsine wave is 0.6 milliseconds. Phase is a time unit relativeto frequency. The 90° and 180° points for each frequencyoccur at different times for different frequencies. The damagingeffects are compounded when one applies delay to aspeaker. When one chooses to delay a speaker the amountof delay is Figure 3usually basedon the timeit takes thesound toreach the listener'searand that timeis determinedby the mediumthroughwhich thewaves pass.In this case,air. The speedof sound inair is variableas well andbased on thedensity of theThe measure of delay between our two speakers.air, which is determined by temperature and humidity.That, however, is another story for another time.Of course, the seemingly simple activity of aligningtwo speakers is shockingly complicated. Let us look at aFrequency response with no delay—you can see the filtering that happens, resulting in an jagged frequency response (combfiltering).18 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

Figure 5The smoother response with a delay added to the system‘simple’ example. In Figure 2 there are two speakers. Theone above the stage is the main signal source and theone in the house is, in this case, for coverage extension.These two sources are to be ‘married’ together to workas a single system. It would seem that alignment of thesignals requires the speaker closer to the listeners to bedelayed the distance between the speakers relative to thelistener’s position.While that is mostly true, what is the actual amount ofdelay that should be applied to effectively marry thesetwo sources? That’s a tough question to answer. We canpick a listening position, measure and set the delay equalto the measured value, as shown in Figure 3. Applyingthat delay will get us close, but only for the one singlepoint that was measured. You can see the difference infrequency response for a specific location in Figures 4and 5. Figure 4 shows the frequency response withouta delay, while Figure 5 shows the smoother response adelay will afford you.But that’s still only for one spot. If we move to a differentposition, say one row back from the first position,and measure again, the relationship between the listenerand the speakers is different, if only a little. It’s those littlechanges from one position to another that make aligningFigure 6Comb filtering will still occur, though, even close to your original measuring position.two sources a lesson in compromise. Figure 6 shows thecomb filtering that happens just one row behind yoursmooth, delay-applied location. One might be able toget the alignment right for one person, but it won’t beexactly right throughout the entire coverage area of aparticular speaker.How To Hear It…Listen to some full range music in mono (single channel)to start. This can be a stereo recording mixed to amono signal. Some recordings are better than othersat summing to mono. Have a listen to several differentrecordings to see what works best. Using mono musicis important because it will allow you to more easilyhear the interactions between the speakers. Interactionsare most apparent with correlated (the same) signals.A stereo recording consists of two channelsof audio. These two channels are mostoften different, or non-correlated, signalsand therefore speaker signal interactions inthe room won’t be as obvious to the ear. Itis important to use familiar music, perhapseven in the style of the music that the systemwill amplify or reinforce. Try to steer awayfrom music that purposely uses distortion ornoise in its content. These things will make itmore difficult to hear the summations and cancellations.Figure 7Two speakers producing the same frequency—the different colors show a “heat map” of where thefrequency is increased or decreased.While listening to a mono signal, walk the space listeningfor inconsistencies in the overall sound. There maybe places in the room where there is a precipitous risein low frequency energy and conversely other locationswhere there low frequency energy is lower than average.As you walk you may also hear the highfrequencies appear to come and go. Thisinteraction (comb filtering) is createdwhen the same sound arrives at yourear at slightly different times. The arrivaltime differences create some placeswhere the waves add together and otherswhere the waves cancel. Notice thatthe peaks and valleys in the low frequenciesare feet apart and the peaks andvalleys in the high frequencies are quiteclose together. The locations where peaks and valleys areobserved are directly related to the wavelength of thosefrequencies. Figure 7 shows two speakers separated by adistance, both are producing the same frequency. As onemoves from the center line arrival times from the twosources begin to vary producing the pattern of summationsand cancellations shown.Having done this, you will have a much better understandingof the interactions between the speakers.And, for more in-depth information on complex soundsystems, sound waves and system optimization see SoundSystems: Design and Optimization by Bob McCarthy.Jason Pritchard is head of audio on the Cirque du Soleilshow LOVE. Get your message to him loud and clear atjpritchard@stage-directions.comwww.stage-directions.com • March 2011 19

Feature|By Trish CauseyStandand SingDiane SobolewskiWill Chase and Malcolm Gets in Story of MyLife at the Goodspeed Musicals workshop.Festivals that nurture the next generation of America’snative artform, the musical.Today’s composers are clamoring for a chance to be heardat the handful of festivals catering to new musicals. Eachfestival has different submission guidelines, but they alloffer selected emerging composers the chance of a lifetime:to see their work performed. Five festival gurus sat down forinterviews to shed light on the process and the necessity ofpromoting America’s greatest original artform: musical theatre.New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF)—New York, NYAccording to Executive Director Isaac Hurwitz, the New YorkMusical Theatre Festival (NYMF) was founded in 2004 becausea group of independent theatre professionals were “frustratedwith the challenges of getting new musicals up on their feetand noticed in a professional framework, in an environmentthat could draw attention to new artists and untested titles.”He explains, “We thought we would put our resourcestogether and create something, using an economy of scale,that would allow new artists to affordably and three-dimensionallypresent new musical theatre and bring it to the industryand to the general public—to provide an engine for theircontinued development and the development of the artform.”Inspired by other festivals, NYMF presents 30 productions,from solo shows to full musicals, in midtown Manhattan overthree weeks each Fall in six theatres. Hurwitz adds that NYMFmusicians are top-notch and include “Tony winning orchestrators,arrangers and musical directors…Everyone wants to be inon the ground floor.”NYMF supplies the theatres, lighting and sound equipment,plus five to six staff members. However, presenting a show cancost the composer over $10,000. The applicant is responsiblefor the details of the production, but NYMF can help resourceactors and rehearsal space. The “Next Link” program helpscomposers even further.NYMF shows have an impressive track record. Fifteen haveplayed Off-Broadway and two have gone to Broadway. Butquality, not commercial potential, is paramount. NYMF wants“projects that are engaging, promising and artists whosevoices we think should be represented,” states Hurwitz.The music is still king. “We don’t have a house style,” saysHurwitz. “We try to represent the breadth of musical theatre“We want everyone who stands up and hoofs.” —Bob Kleinstylistically, thematically. We’re always looking for things thatfeel relevant, that speak to a contemporary audience: childrenshows, rock opera, more avant garde and traditional, oldfashionedmusical comedies…When we see something we’venever seen before, we’re drawn to that.”Festival of New American Musicals—Los Angeles, Calif.The Festival of New American Musicals (FNAM) in LosAngeles, Calif., grew out of Reprise, a wildly successful eventthat presented revivals of classic musicals. But Reprise co-20 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

Seth WaltersFeatureAnthony Rapp, original cast member of RENT, turned his memoirs into a musical called Without You for the 2010 New York Musical Theatre Festival.founders Marcia Seligson and Bob Klein realized audienceswere hungry for new musicals.Klein remembers his words to the Board: “Musical theatre iscoming back…and we want everybody involved: big theatres,small theatres, colleges, high schools. We want everyone whostands up and hoofs.”During a production of Pippin, its composer, StephenSchwartz, came to L.A. to meet Klein and Seligson for lunchwith ASCAP’s head of musical theatre, Michael Kerker. Schwartzand Kerker liked the idea and in2008, the Festival of New AmericanMusicals was born.The summer-long festival featuresevents such as the ASCAPSongwriters Showcase and Cabaretevenings. FNAM also has a strongcommitment to promoting thecreation of new musicals even inelementary and high schools.As for the Musical Theatre scenein California, Klein says, “It’s allincredible, without being competitivewith New York at all. Broadwaywill always be Broadway... You neverknow where the magic is going tostrike—never… A moment, a show,a performance can absolutely knockthe props right out from under you.We are happy to say that southern California is now a hotbedof new musical theatre.”Klein also mentions, “We don’t produce, we present.” IfFNAM likes a composer’s show, they forward the show to alocal California group to flesh out the cast.FNAM welcomes all kinds of musical show styles. “We haveno restrictions. We love what’s new and contemporary. We lovewhat’s traditional, musical and gorgeous. We love it all. Andthere’s a place for it all. I would say if we are looking for any-

thing in particular, it’s shows that colleges,high schools and even youngerschools can do. We want something foreverybody. We’re greedy,” he laughs.Village Theatre’s Village Originals—Issaquah, Wash.Village Theatre in Issaquah, Wash.,began in 1979, performing standardrepertoire. The group’s interest shiftedover the years toward new musicalsand so began the “Village Originals”program.Executive Director, Robb Hunt,explains the symbiotic blend of oldand new: “It’s actually on the wall in ourlobby that we will develop new musicalsto achieve national exposure.”Hunt jokes that the festival is “6 shows in 4 days with 5 parties,”but he makes clear that Village Theatre has the futureof musical theatre in mind. “We’re not only developing themfor our own purpose but for the repertoire.” He adds, “Newmusicals need to be cared for and nurtured to achieve theirpotential.”Village Theatre wants innovative new musicals, as in “somethingthat moves the craft forward, moves musical theatrePUC Charter Schools in Los Angeles adapted Shakespeare’s The Tempest into the musical Tempest Toss’d at the 2010 Festival of New American Musicals.as an artform forward.” Hunt explains the objective is always“telling a good story… to make positive changes in the worldthrough our artform of Musical Theatre.”When asked about the thread of social awareness woventhrough the history of the American musical, Hunt replies,“Musical theatre has a unique capability of moving societyforward by being able to move the audiencet...People considerthemselves separate. But if you can entertain them and theystart feeling emotions that are more understanding, then thatwww.stage-directions.com • March 2011 23

Feature“This material is not made to sit ona page; it is made to be interpreted.It is a living, breathing artform.”—Donna Lynn Hiltonis a positive change in the world.”Composers who already have a relationship with VillageTheatre or the National Alliance for Musical Theatre can submit,or submit via a literary agent. Other composers should emaila letter of inquiry via the website. Village Theatre prefers fulllengthmusicals: two-acts or even a long show sans intermission;but they steer away from one-acts.If your show isn’t Broadway-ready, not to worry. “Our festivalis full readings with piano,” Hunt says. “We’re looking for thingsin an early enough phase that we’re actually collaborating onshaping the show.”Goodspeed Musicals’ Festival of New Artists—East Haddam,Conn.Similar to Village Theatre, the Connecticut-based GoodspeedMusicals presents its “Festival of New Artists” each January,focusing on shows still in development. Goodspeed’s history ofworking new musicals dates back to the 1960s.Line Producer Donna Lynn Hilton explains the festival“has developed into a truly valuable developmental tool forGoodspeed.” And as for what types of musicals, she is quick toreply, “Anything and everything.” Including one-acts.Poor composers will rejoice to learn Goodspeed pays for thewhole thing. Hilton explains, “We wrap the machine of producers,musical directors, music interns, company managers, soundengineers and electricians, marketingand developing people around them…This festival is a direct address to a majorpart of our mission which is to developnew works for the repertoire.”With so few musical-only festivals,Hilton is amazed when composersthank Goodspeed. “It drives it homeeven more intensely how few opportunitiesthere are and how incrediblyvaluable this opportunity is to our writers.We hear ‘Thank you, Thank you,’ andwe’re going, ‘No, Thank you.’”Storytelling reigns supreme. “We dothe presentations at music stands withpiano because we want to be sure thefocus is on the material,” says Hilton.Goodspeed focuses on work thatis in development, so completed andorchestrated shows may not be suitable.Nurturing composers is part of thejob. “This material is not made to sit ona page; it is made to be interpreted. Itis a living, breathing artform,” Hilton24 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

Festival InfoNew York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF)W: www.nymf.orgEvent Dates: 3 weeks each FallSubmissions: Submit an inquiry via the websiteUnique feature: “Next Link” program to help composersget their show to NYMFOther Events: ASCAP Songwriters Showcase, NYMF’s NextBroadway Sensation, Reading Series, Dance ProgramNotable Productions: Avenue Q, Next to Normal, Yank!Other Events: Affiliated with Finger Lakes Musical TheatreFestivalOther new musical works opportunities• National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT): namt.org• Summer Music Theatre Festival at NorthwesternUniversity: www.communication.northwestern.edu/tic/• New York International Fringe Festival: fringenyc.org• TheatreWorks: www.theatreworks.orgFestival of New American Musicals (FNAM)W: www.lafestival.orgEvent Dates: 2011 TBA (2010 dateswere May 16 to August 21)Submissions: Go to the website ore-mail info@lafestival.orgOther Events: ASCAP SongwritersShowcase, ASCAP Staged Readings,Academy for Young Professionals,Musicals as Social Therapy, CabareteveningsNotable Productions: FOX partneredwith FNAM to present Gleebefore it aired on TVThe Village TheatreW: villagetheatre.orgEvent Dates: August 11-14, 2011Submissions: Letter of Inquiry (forcomposers they don’t already know);deadline end of February for considerationof August festivalOther Events: Parties, Meet-and-GreetsNotable Productions: FeelingElectric (became Next to Normal onits way to NYMF)Goodspeed MusicalsW: goodspeed.orgEvent Dates: January each yearSubmissions: Letter of Inquiry toinfo@goodspeed.org, accepted yearroundUnique feature: Pays all performancecostsOther Events: Exhibits, Tours,Cabaret, Guest Speakers, Panel discussions,ReceptionsNotable Productions: Man of LaMancha, Shenandoah, AnnieMusical Theatre Festival (MTF)W: www.Musicaltheatrefestival.orgEvent Dates: Summer 2012Submissions: Letter of Inquiry to festival@musicaltheatrefestival.orgUnique feature: Pays all performancecosts plus composer royaltieswww.stage-directions.com • March 2011 25

Dan AchatzVillage Theatre presented Feeling Electric (later Next to Normal) atits 2005 festival.says. And working with new composersis reward in itself. “Being on the groundlevel is like watching Michelangelo doingthe sketches of the Sistine Chapel.”Goodspeed knows the importanceto a composer of having his or her workput on stage. In exchange, Hilton says,“We just ask them to give us two weeksof their lives.”Musical Theatre Festival—Auburn,N.Y.The Musical theatre Festival inAuburn, N.Y., will not begin until 2012,yet its founders have big plans. Inspiredby other festivals, MTF will run severalshows in repertory from April to Octobereach year.“Musical theatre is just exploding,”says Ed Sayles, the man behind the curtainat MTF. He has noticed modernmusicals ranging from jazz, folk andpolka, to country, rap and hip-hop. “It isspeaking in every voice.”As for style, MTF is open-minded. “Wewant newer shows, but we’ll do anythingwe have an audience for, or shows thathaven’t been done in this region before.”As executive director, Sayles feels storytellingis paramount. “It’s nice to havethe tech and the sets and all of that, butyou have to have a great story.”Like Goodspeed, MTF will foot thebill. “We are producing all of theseshows. Whenever possible, we intendto use the original creative team,”promises Sayles. And for the writersand composers: “We’ll pay standard,professional royalties.” MTF will bringin union actors, musicians and produc-26 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

tion teams to create quality productions.The festival will also offer a variety oftheatres for various show styles, includingtwo proscenium theatres, 368 and500 seats, respectively. Smaller showswill play in a smaller, black-box. MTFwill also use a 200-seat shotgun theatre,“like in New York, but with muchcleaner bathrooms,” Sayles jokes.When asked if a composer can submitmultiple entries, Sayles exclaims,“The submission process here is goingto be so free and so democratic andso close to anarchy, that people aren’tgoing to believe it.”With one last tip, he adds, “Yourchances of getting selected are goingto go up if I can come and see it…Todevelop a new show is a lot of time anda lot of money… and it has to be somethingthat an audience wants to see.”Clearly, musical theatre is on therise around the country and thesefestivals are going above and beyondto assist composers in getting theirworks on stage. Check the festivals’websites for specific submissionrequirements and let’s inundate themwith the voice of 21st century composersand lyricists. Their arms areopen.A trained singer and composer, TrishCausey is the Guide for Theatre on About.com, and the new managing editor ofBroadwaySpace.com. She interviewsBroadway stars and creative teams onher radio show at MusicalTheatreTalk.com.www.stage-directions.com • March 2011 27

Feature|By Katherine BrodskyDiscipline, Angerand UrgencyJohn Patrick Shanley shares what keeps him writingJohn Patrick Shanley has been whipping up prose sincehe was just 10 years old. When he first wrote a play, however,he realized what he was truly born to do. He’s beenwriting them ever since—and for that he thanks the MarineCorps. It gave him the discipline to wake up at 5 a.m. andwrite for three hours each day before heading to work.“I don’t think I would have had my act THAT together at21-22 if it hadn’t been for the Marines,” he says.Richness in WritingShanley has always had a particularly distinct voice in hiswriting, but it wasn’t until he was about 31 that he beganto write from a particularly personal space. Around the timethat his first marriage had fallen apart, he was falling aparttoo. In fact, his whole life was a disaster. Poverty stricken, acareer that seemed to be going nowhere—no consoling factorin sight. “It was hard, it was just hard,” he recalls, “And thestress of that made me write more candidly.” Shanley beganto write in a way that was more dangerous—more personal.He had also found a “different kind of humility,” moving awayfrom the need to showoff in his writing. “I think that was a bigstep for me,” he says.With that newly found approach, Shanley’s worlds of proseexploded, stretching the medium of expression even further.Many of the situations and characters occupying thoseworlds can be a little twisted, to say the least. Is there a pointwhen one might have gone too far? “Well, I think it is interestingto try and figure out where that point is,” he responds. “Idon’t know, I feel like I am normal, but that most people arenot,” he says with a laugh. “So, I’m willing to say things thatother people aren’t willing to say about how I feel and evenwhat I do.” This might get Shanley in trouble on occasion inreal life, but has won him accolades in the world of theatre.ONLINE BONUSTo read more about JohnPatrick Shanley’s take on educationand how his divorceaffected Savage in Limbo, visitwww.stage-directions.com/shanleyPlaywright John Patrick ShanleyKeeping It SmallAs he turned 40, Shanley decided that he would turn hisgaze outward toward the outside world and write plays thatwere more involved with his society and less involved withwhat his latest girlfriend might have done to him. Taking itfrom a personal level to a larger social level. “And that’s kindof what I’ve done,” he says.This suits Shanley’s preference for working in very smalltheatres. A 50-seat house is his ideal number. With a showthat size, you know from the start that no money is to bemade. “No matter how long you run the show, it will alwayslose money and that’s what is so great about it,” confidesShanley. Losing money is great? Most people would disagree.“Well, it’s one of the reasons that I do theatre. Because itis where the money isn’t. Where the money is—there go toomany people that I don’t want to hang out with.”Shanley isn’t terribly attracted to money. “Certainly if Ididn’t need to make money, I probably would not,” he says.“When money becomes an objective in and of itself for anartist—they’re sort of dead in the water.”When it’s not about money, it becomes about somethingdifferent.“It’s about art. It’s about doing something that interestsyou. It doesn’t have to appeal to 10 million people. It canspeak in a quiet voice and penetrate deeply into corners thataren’t ordinarily explored.”28 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

Shanley believes Doubt’s Broadway production (amoment of which is shown here), was one of the fewcases of his plays working better when moved into abigger space.Doubt, Shanley’s only play to go to Broadway, worked betterin a bigger theatre, however. This surprised Shanley.“I was very surprised when I took Doubt to Broadway.Usually the wisdom is that shows get diluted when they gointo a bigger house. They’re not as effective. They’re not asgood. And when we took Doubt from a 300-seat house to a900-seat house—it actually was better. And that surprisedme.”Nonetheless, Shanley isn’t about to reconsider his positionon 50-seat theatres. “Most of the time that is the best idea,”he says, “Once in a while, something else is a good idea.”ProcessWhen Shanley develops a new play he does a series ofreadings and re-writes, repeating the process at least threetimes. Then he will follow it up with a polish and rehearsalbefore diving into the full production. The response to thematerial helps him shape it—a combination of audiencefeedback and the actual readings by the actors.Although in his work Shanley displaysextraordinary freedom, whenit comes to writing habits, there is agreat deal of self-imposed structure.“I have a lot of rules, because I haveno rules,” he says. One such rule is,whenever possible, to only write athome. “Otherwise, what happens isyou’d never stop writing,” he says,“You become a wearied person thatis just worn away by something thatthey can never let go of.”In terms of “breaking in” as aplaywright into a crowded landscape,Shanley’s only real advice is:Write well. “I think that if you writesomething that’s really good, itgets noticed,” he explains, “Becausemost things aren’t.”Shanley also advises playwrightsto write a lot: “You have a lot of badwriting to do and you might as wellget started. Don’t try to prove thatyou’re smart, try to tell the truth.”Some of the best advice thatShanley himself had received camefrom his father. As a child, he hadto help with chores one day and hisfather presented the tasks ahead tohim: wash the car, cut the grass andhelp him on the roof. He asked theyoung Shanley which of those hewould like to tackle first. Shanleyloved to wash the car and chose todo so. His father responded, “Well,you can do that, but you knowsometimes it’s good to do the hardestthing first because later you’llbe tired.” Again, this might soundsimplistic, but the moral of the storyis to do the hard thing first. “Thatreally landed with me and when I’mwriting I always try to do the hardest thing first.”Discipline is the writer’s guardian angel in a way. There’sno denying that many writers lack its presence by their side.“Discipline, I think, is just schedule. I think that you haveto schedule a certain number of hours a day and then justsit there whether you’re writing or not and think about whatyou’re doing. If you do that long enough, you’ll get boredwith not writing and then you’ll write.” And that’s how it’sdone.Shanley is keeping his own discipline rather busy thesedays. He is currently working on a pilot for HBO, a play withMike Nichols and a New Orleans-related movie for Sony withJohn Cusack. Cause there ain’t no rest for the…playwright.Joan MarcusKatherine Brodsky is a freelance arts, film & culture writer whosework has appeared in MovieMaker Magazine, USA WEEKENDMagazine, Entertainment Weekly, Variety, The Independentand Stage Directions, among others.www.stage-directions.com • March 2011 29

School SpotlightCountry TeamworkA Q&A with the Director of Theatre Artsat Prosper High School in Prosper, TexasPatrick O’NeilMichael StephensPatrick O’Neil, director of theatre arts at Prosper High School in Prosper, TexasA moment from the Prosper High School 2011 production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.Stage Directions: Tell me about the theatre arts programat Prosper High School.QPatrick O’Neil: Our department serves 265 studentsAout of a school population of 1,100 and theatre involvementgrew more than 30 percent over last year. My colleague,Michael Stephens, joined us this school year due tothis growth; our goal is to run everything collaboratively. Hedirected our fall show and I helped with tech; we reversedthese roles for our recent musical.I attribute our program’s growth to this same spiritof teamwork and inclusion. There’s no favoritism—actorsaren’t considered better than tech folks. We all work togetherand it’s a very welcoming department. Auditions areopen to anyone in school—some students in our recent playweren’t in a theatre class.We staged three main productions this year: The Cruciblethis fall, Disney's Beauty and the Beast this winter and ourone-act competition play, Sweet Nothing in My Ear, thisspring.Along with ticket sales and ad revenue, our theatre programraises money by organizing the homecoming dance—we handle everything from selling tickets and hiring the DJ todecorating and clean-up. The last dance raised $6,000.We’re out in the country—Prosper is 35 miles north ofDallas—and many people are surprised to find such a vibranttheatre program out here, in a large, new high school.QHow do your facilities and equipment support yourprogram?I love our facilities—they are hands-down the nicest I’veAexperienced. This is my third year here and eleventhyear teaching. Our lighting and sound systems are state-ofthe-artand expansion-ready. The physical layout of our shop,green rooms and dressing rooms is also excellent.We have both a 970-seat proscenium theatre and 100-seatblack box. We’re in our black box almost daily for theatreclasses, including scene work and monologues.Our department has a wide variety of theatre equipmentfrom Wenger Corp. and I appreciate how versatile it is.Whenever I’ve got a challenge to solve, I automatically thinkof our Wenger equipment.To create scenes, my students use flipFORMS and StageBoxes instead of dragging chairs and desks out of my classroom.Students can easily configure flipFORMs to fit theirneeds.For audience seating in the black box, we use Versaliteplatforms and portable audience chairs from Wenger. Theyboth are fantastic! I like the flexibility of being able to reconfigurethe seating arrangement in the future.Although our dressing rooms have lockers, they lack anyfixed places to hang clothing or costumes. We use threeRack ‘n Roll garment racks to accomplish this. Becausethey’re mobile, we can also roll them out to the loading30 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

Encore!Michael StephensStudents from Prosper High School in rehearsal with Wenger flipFORMS.Innovative TheatreSolutions from WengerWhether behind the scenes or in the spotlight,Wenger products are uniquely designed to solvechallenges facing theatres. Since 1946, Wenger hasbeautifully blended form and function to deliverinnovative, award-winning solutions including:• Makeup Stations. Two models available—built-in Studio® and portable Backstage®.• Tiered Audience Risers. Upper Deck AudienceSeating Tiered Risers® offer large-capacity seatingideal for black box theatres.• Platforms. Versalite® platforms provide versatilityand easy handling, for applications rangingfrom seating to staging.• Fixed Audience Seating. Quiet, plush luxuryseats in three attractive styles.• Portable Audience Chairs. Flexible optionsoffering comfort, economy and easy handling.• Rehearsal Furniture. Innovative flipFORMS®and Stage Boxes easily transform into variousshapes.• Staging, Pit Fillers. STRATA® pit filler and eventstaging offers unmatched flexibility and strength.Whether backstage or center stage, Wenger equipment plays important roles for ProsperHigh School’s theatre department.dock or stage wings. With the privacy screen, they make agreat changing room.Along with built-in makeup stations in our dressing rooms,we have four portable Backstage Makeup Stations. We purchasedthem primarily for traveling to competitions but nowwe also use them backstage and other locations. I like theirbright lights and large mirror.How are the theatre arts nurtured in your district’sQlower grades?We try to share the same inclusive spirit that characterizesthe high school program. We perform at our dis-Atrict’s elementary schools; in the future we plan to adaptsome children’s books for the stage and this younger audience.Our two middle schools—grades 5-6 and 7-8—share thesame drama teacher; the growth of her programs has alsohelped feed the high school. During her auditions, some ofour advanced students assist her and offer their opinions.This spring, we hope that one of her short plays will bedirected by a high school student.• Costume Racks & Storage. Mobile carts rolleasily; built-in, lockable cabinets are also available.• Acoustical Shells. A range acoustical shells forany venue, décor or budget, offering state-of-theartperformance and beautiful aesthetics.• Music Performance Accessories. For the pitor other areas…music stands, music posture chairsand conductor’s equipment.Wenger solutions are built to last, offering outstandingvalue. Our legendary customer serviceearns ovations. For more information, contactWenger Corp. at800.4WENGERwww.wengercorp.comADVERTORIALwww.stage-directions.com • March 2011 31

Sound Design|By Bryan ReesmanPirates InPromenadeLeft to right: Ryan Bourque, ShawnPfautsch, Zeke Sulkes, Doug Pawlik,Matt Kahler in the Hypocrites Theater2011 production of Pirates of PenzanceAll photography by Paul MetreyeonPersonal accompaniment, promenade-style staging and new arrangements allfactored into the sound for The Hypocrites’ unconventional Pirates of Penzance.Considering how many revivals of classic theatretake place daily, modern producers and directorsneed to find new ways to reinvigorate thematerial, often for a newer or younger audience. TheChicago-based Hypocrites theatre group certainly didthat with their recent production of the famed Gilbertand Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance, performingit promenade style in a small theatre with rovingperformers and a condensed running time. ChicagoTribune theatre critic Chris Jones said of the show in hisblog: “This is not your father’s Gilbert and Sullivan. TheHypocrites’ 80-minute, promenade-style ‘Pirates’ nonethelessis wholly true to the topsy-turvy spirit of W.S.Gilbert and it features some spectacularly audaciousarrangements of the melodic song stylings of ArthurSullivan, here vivaciously rendered on everything fromguitars to banjos to, memorably, a surprisingly tunefulsaw.”ONLINE BONUSFor more from Mikhail Fikselon the perils of over-miking,visit:www.stage-directions.com/piratesThe production even won over a surprising convert,its own sound designer Mikhail Fiksel, who himself wasnot a big Gilbert and Sullivan fan but learned to appreciatetheir artistry through the Hypocrites’ reimaginingof the show. Fiksel has worked with director/Hypocritesfounder Sean Graney on other shows at the off-Loopspace in Chicago, including Angels In America, Oedipusand Frankenstein. And he learned plenty of new trickshere.Stage Directions: So with a promenade style show,the audience is standing and the musicians are generallyplaying acoustic and are not miked?Mikhail Fiksel: Promenade specifically—at least theway Sean treats it—is like walking into a space wherethere’s no assigned seating, but there are plenty ofsurfaces; tables and lots of benches. He seems to be abig fan of those circular picnic tables that you see atrest stops. The action takes place anywhere around thespace, so the actors just move around the space and theaudience follows them. If an actor needs to be in a spacethat an audience member is occupying—like they’re sittingon a bench where they need to be standing—theywill literally point to that person and essentially askthem to move. When we did Oedipus in ‘08, that did havesome live music. There were a few pre-recorded songs inthere and there was an actress who would sing along tothem. We designated one area that was like a mini-stagewhere there was a microphone, one of those imitationElvis Mics, the Shure 55SH Series II, and she sang into it.32 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

“This was definitely one of thoseproductions where you could notanticipate how it was going tosound until you moved into thespace.”Pirates of Penzance sound designer Mikhail FikselIn addition to the main sound system, there was a minisoundsystem that was there.How much has Pirates been tweaked by TheHypocrites?They very much tweaked it. There’s no pit; all of theperformers play their instruments and more importantly,the instruments are mostly acoustic guitars, a coupleof banjos, an accordion and a fiddle. Kevin O’Donnell,who was the music director and arranger, has taken theoriginal score and translated it into this vernacular ofacoustic musicians, so the performers play their instruments,often accompanying themselves and havingsupport from the other musicians. It’s very abridged andvery fast-moving. It’s both acts of Pirates of Penzancedone in an hour and 20 minutes.Are there any microphones used in the show at all?The challenge of this is that it’s a fairly large cast. Letme paint the scenario of what we’re dealing with spacewise.The show’s performing in the Chopin Theatre, whichhas two spaces, and this is in the bottom space. It’s abasement studio space with fairly low ceilings but at thesame time is fairly sprawling. All of the areas that are usuallyoccupied by seats are actually play areas. There area bunch of tables and benches, and there’s a huge pierthat runs across the entire space, so they’re essentiallymoving throughout. In addition, the “booth” for it is actuallynot in the space itself, it is in the room adjacent toit. The stage manager is moving with the audience andon a walkie-talkie, essentially calling cues to the boardop who is in a different room. Even if I had the ability toput wireless mics on all the performers, it still would beimpossible to mix because there is not actually a mixingposition inside the room.Despite the fact that all of the action takes place allover the place, a few locations evolved as stronger positionsfor visuals and just accessibility. So I identified afew of the hot zones where a lot of the songs seemed tobe happening and then asked Sean to make some adjustmentsto some of the other ones to consolidate it, so wewould up adjusting a few of the songs so they were alsoin those hot zones. I did some very basic area miking foreach one of those hot zones, so as a result throughoutthe space there are six microphones, but I would not saythat they’re doing a general coverage of the whole space.They are focused on the six zones that I’ve identified.It was a fairly quick process. This was definitely one ofthose productions where you could not anticipate howit was going to sound until you moved into the space,so while I tried to attend rehearsals and watched howit was performed, at that point it was more about sittingnext to Kevin and noticing how, for example, thesetwo instruments are overpowering things, so we needto adjust either the way they are arranged or just adjustthe dynamics of the piece so that the vocals cut a littlebit more. It was more of a dialogue with the arrangerand when we finally moved to the space—there arevery few prerecorded cues, it was more pre-show andenvironmental—it was more about watching the pieceand putting myself in the shoes of an audience member,following them the way that an audience member wouldand trying to make sense of where there were difficulties,then just reacting to them. Unfortunately this is a storefrontproduction, so there were not too many previewsand a fairly limited tech period, so I made some quickdecisions about putting area mics where I could.What mics did you use?Keep in mind that not all of these mics really qualifyas area mics. For budget and space limitation reasons, Iwound up pulling just regular small diaphragm condensersout of my studio stock, but they did the trick, it seems.I used: Sony ECM 86B, Shure MC202, Sterling Audio ST-31,Shure KSM137, AKG C451E and an Oktava MC012-01.Are the singers singing directly into the six areamics?No, they’re not. They’re concealed microphones.They’re all essentially mounted from the ceiling, whichis fairly low. It is about 12 feet in certain areas and at certainpoints it definitely is lower because of the benchesand the pier.www.stage-directions.com • March 2011 33

Sound Design“Intelligibility became more importantthan directionality.”The staging of Pirates of Penzance had performers, like Robert McLean shown here, standingon benches and other structures in a low-ceilinged space.What are the dimensions of theroom?I would say maybe 20 or 30 feetin depth and 50 feet lengthwise,like a rectangle. It’s not a big space.I covered it with two Yamaha BR15cabinets and two Electro-VoiceSx300 speakers. They get about 90people in there. Realize that theentire set is a playground and seating.It gets pretty lively in there andthat’s part of the spirit of it. It feelsmore like a happening and almostlike a party with a bunch of musiciansthan it does a stiff, “let’s sit inour seats and watch the show” kindof vibe.So the performers are playingtheir instruments in a way akin tothe recent Sondheim revivals onBroadway?Yes, but we’ve taken it one morestep in that the arrangement isdrastically contemporary to theoriginal.How does this compare with othershows that you’ve worked on?I’ve done enough shows with34 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

Sound Designa live band in smaller spaces butnever with a roving band. It alsogets down to where you put thespeakers. Because of the low ceilingsand the large speakers that thereare, the sound system is generallyused in a more conventional waywith center, left, right. The idealplace here was to put the speakersin the corners, because there wereno areas in the middle of the stagewhere they would not actually getin the way. They would be hangingtoo low because of the ceiling andjust the way that the performers aremoving around. That presented aninteresting challenge.It certainly bugs me a lot whenI hear an amplified voice emanatingfrom a location different fromthe singer or the speaker. I try tocompensate the best that I can toa degree where essentially eachmic is meant to cover an area thatif you are in that area you don’tneed amplification because you’restanding right next to them. That’sthe other thing: half the audienceis experiencing music unamplifiedbecause they’re actually so close tothe source that they’re experiencingthe direct sound. However becauseyou move around, half the audienceat that particular moment, until theactors move to a different location,is actually on the other side, so nowthey are another observing this fromdepth and distance. You’re still hearingit fine because there’s plenty ofdirect sound, but it requires just alittle bit of amplification to help thevoices carry a little bit and help theintelligibility, because Gilbert andSullivan are so much about words.That became the priority, which isodd for me just because it has to beabout words, even if it has to comefrom a location that’s not ideal.Intelligibility became more importantthan directionality.So the sound engineer is in theother room during the show?Yes. And the truth of it is, becauseof the position and for a numberof reasons, I set it up not to be asmuch about engineering, becausethere no wireless or personal mics,so there’s not a lot of modifying. Iessentially set up a system with sixmics and tuned them in a certainway and each of them has a slightlydifferent matrix of the speakersthat are around the space to minimizefeedback and also to maximizeamplification for the people whoneed it most. Let’s say the space hasfour quadrants, so if I’m miking thezone that’s in quadrant one, if thepeople who have the most difficulthearing it are in quadrant three, thatis kitty-corner from it, that mic isdesigned to maximize amplificationfor those folks who are in that quadrant.The point is there’s not a lot ofriding microphones. The board opis instructed to listen to it. Despitethe fact that levels don’t move, fromday to day I’m riding the mics fairlyhigh because I’m relying on only sixmicrophones to cover a fairly largearea. Sometimes we run into feedback,which is totally unpredictable,so that’s the only thing I’m watchingout for. I would not call thema sound engineer because they’renot really engineering, they’re listeningand make small adjustments.They’re not turning mics on andoff because I actually have themthroughout the space.36 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

Nikki Klix, Emily Casey and Becky Poole (left-right), and all other performers accompanied themselves on instruments.www.stage-directions.com • March 2011 37

Theatre Space|By Michael S. EddyA New Lease on LifeRed velour drapes help shape the acoustics of theroom and also act as a palette for the lights.The Capitol Theatre in Maryville, Tennessee is Once Again a TheatreBuilt in 1934 as both a movie theatre and performancespace that had seating for 1,000, the Capitol Theatrein Maryville, Tenn., was for decades a mainstay of thesmall town, located near Knoxville. It was built with a fly loft sothe movie screen could be retracted and the space could beused for theatrical and musical performances. After it closedin the late ‘70s the space went through a lot of incarnations,including a record shop, wedding dress store, even a disco. In2002, artist Heath Claiborne bought the building to make it agallery for his paintings, but after learning more about its pastand the importance of the theatre to the memories of manyin the town, Claiborne decided to renovate the theatre backto its original mission as a performance space. He tappedKen Patterson, principal of Knoxville, Tenn.-based TennesseeLighting Company, Inc. to help him bring the space back tolife. Their hard work resulted in the Capitol reopening as aperformance venue in 2008.Chance and Emotion“I got into the theatre business by chance,” says Claiborne.“I saw this building all boarded up. I was just looking for astudio. I had no idea I was going to renovate a theatre. It wasin really bad condition, especially the theatre space, but itwas beautiful also.” Claiborne, who also invests in real estate,operated a gallery and frame shop out of the front lobby portionfor a while but finally decided that he either had to dosomething with the rest of the building or sell it. “I boughtthe 20,000-square-foot building because I got an outstandingdeal,” he says. “In real estate you’re never supposed tomake an emotional attachment to a building, but as an artist,I couldn’t help but to try to bring the building back to life.I came up with a three-phase plan to renovate it—a coffeeshop and gallery in the lobby with the marquee out front.In an unorthodox move, we put a $100,000 marquee on thebuilding before we renovated anything, because I was tryingto build the excitement; it worked and I started to book theplace. Phase two was the main theatre renovation and phasethree—what I’m in right now—is working on the rest of thebuilding, the basement and all the other support spaces.”Since the renovation the Capitol, which still has a retractablescreen, presents movies, theatrical performances, musicalacts and serves as a busy special events facility bookingboth corporate and wedding events. It has flexible seatingthat allows tables to be put in the space that can be arrangedin a wide variety of ways. The stage of the Capitol Theatre is30 feet deep and 50 feet wide. The house, not including thestage, measures about 9,000 square feet.Since Tennessee Lighting is a full service theatrical dealer,Patterson was able to work closely with Claiborne on therenovation of the space. “I was the consultant and designer“Being able to create these really vivid colors without needing to bringin an extra lighting package got people excited.” — Ken Patterson38 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

for the entire package that went in as far as soft goods, lighting,control, data distribution, trussing and rigging,” saysPatterson. They looked to do things as cost effectively as possibleincluding choosing an energy-efficient lighting system.“We went with an almost all LED lighting system, so our electricalrequirements were minimal.” Patterson put in Chauvetlighting fixtures, an SGM console and an Electronic TheatreControls (ETC) dimmer pack. The audio package was handledby the Maryville, Tenn.-based company, Murlin’s Music World.Snakes and LED’sPatterson specified red velour drapes for the two wallsin the house to serve the dual purpose of helping shapethe acoustics of the room and as a canvas for some of thelighting. The drapes along the walls are lit with ChauvetColordash Batten 72 Tour linear wash lights. Being able tochange the color of the drapes with the LED lighting is oneof the solutions that both Patterson and Claiborne really liketo highlight.“From the time that you walk in, the fact that we are ableto control the houselights in any color that we want is one ofthe greatest features,” comments Patterson. “We put curtainsdown each side wall as well as a main curtain with valances,borders and legs on stage. With the Chauvet units we wereable to color any curtain and the space in virtually any color.That unto itself is pretty revolutionary in any building todaybecause even with technology as it is today, most houselightingis usually white. We can provide white, but with thecontrol that we have it gave Heath a lot of options to marketthe space for different functions like weddings, birthday partiesand things like that. Being able to create these really vividcolors without needing to bring in an extra lighting packagegot people excited and I think is a really good selling pointfor the space.”For control, Patterson went with an SGM Pilot 3000 console.“It’s a two-universe console with an LCD touch screen,”he says. “Its very powerful and its notterrible expensive. It has a removablememory card and a lot of features forthe money.” Patterson included DMXports on both sides of the stage, so thatif Claiborne wants to add anything for aspecial occasion, all he has to do is plugit in and program it into the console.“We distributed DMX all over the space,so he can do pretty much anything hewants. We did put in an ETC SmartPackdimmer pack for some amount of incandescentlighting on the stage and invarious places throughout the space.”Patterson designed “pretty unique;pretty artsy” serpentine-shaped trussdown the center over the seating area/dance floor. “I bought a 20-foot AppliedElectronics circle truss, but I didn’tassemble it into a circle; I hung it ina serpentine pattern where it snakesback and forth. It was a real challengeto rig it, but I have a lot of experiencehanging truss. Putting in the riggingpoints where they needed to be, givenThe marquee of the Capitol Theatre.the structure in the attic of the space, was the single biggestchallenge,” comments Patterson. “We worked with everythingexisting; they had a very substantial structure overheadabove the ceiling. There was walking space in there; it wasvery well built originally. We hung Unistrut from the roofbeams to handle our points. This allowed us to get the pointswww.stage-directions.com • March 2011 39

Theatre Space“It’s what we call a 95% LEDhouse. It’s the first one of its typein this area.” —Ken PattersonThe Capitol is a “95%” LED house, with a host of Chauvet fixtures throughout. An ETC dimming pack controls the incandescents.exactly where we needed them. It was a very precise hang. We also have a motorized,bi-part main curtain with a control in the booth to open and close it.”Hanging off the trusses are Chauvet Legend 4500 moving lights andColorado 1 wash lights. Also mounted over the stage is a full row of Colorado1 wash lights and some smaller units including Colordash PARs for accents.Patterson notes, “There is a good compliment of moving lights as well as staticlights. It’s what we call a 95% LED house. It’s the first one of its type in this area.”A Technicolor SpaceSince the space serves as both a performance space and an events spacethere are no permanent seats; it’s all a tiered flat floor space in the housewhere tables and chairs are configured for different applications. “Heath wasextremely creative with the tables and chairs,” Patterson comments. “The tablesare all polished stainless steel with a swirl pattern on the top of them. All theLED lights that hit these tables make it look just spectacular in there. When thetables are setup it creates a perfect palette for the lights to show off.”Claiborne works to maintain a balance of events along with theatre andconcert productions. “I’ve tried to have one theatrical show a month. We havea local theatre group—Foothills Community Players that produces two playsa year. I do a swing band concert every other month. Rotating on the othermonths with trying to book a soul or R&B band. I’ve also had bluegrass concerts.We do still show movies for the community once in a while, but we can’t com-40 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

pete with the big movie chains, having only one screen,but it is great on those nights when the space is once againbusy as a movie theatre.”Claiborne has created an interesting space that reallyhelps bring the community together, regardless of whattype of event or performance. “Any of these small townsin America, the theatre was the center for the community;that’s where all of their memories are from. I have lots ofpeople tell me about their first dates or sitting in the balconyas kids. They are always so happy to see the spaceagain being used, creating new memories.”Claiborne sums up that “I’m never happy as an artist;I have a hard time putting the brush down. We are constantlymaking improvements; I want to always be onestep ahead.” The Capitol gets a lot of “ooh’s” and “ahh’s”when people see the space. “It’s an escape; that is whatmovies have always been to people. We’ve taken it toanother level; once people come through the doors, wemake them feel like they are a star. Just like the Wizard ofOz starts out in black and white and goes to color. We triedto do the same thing here; when you walk into our theatre,it’s Technicolor.”

Special Section: LightingAn Electrician’sExpertiseHard-earnedexperience andsage advice from three of thebusiness’ top lighting wizards.By Lisa MulcahyMark Berg’s design and execution of the lighting for Artscapade, an event that takes place on the entrance of the University of Michigan Museum of Art.One of the unsung heroes in lighting is, of course, the masterelectrician. A quality ME is, after all, required to be atrue chameleon: he or she needs to possess a crackerjackhands-on skill set, a cool head under pressure and the ability tochange plans on a dime. Read on to discover the philosophies,strategies and peerless acumen of three highly respected MEs—and use their wisdom to help you do your own work better.A Veteran Who Loves VarietyFor Sheila Donovan, technical director/master electrician atOff-Broadway’s Lucille Lortel Theatre in Greenwich Village, diversityhas been a great tool in learning her trade. Donovan hasworked on scores of productions around New York, ranging fromSecond Stage to Playwrights’ Horizons to MCC Theater. At theLortel, “the great thing about my current position is that I oftenget to work in various capacities,” she says. “Last spring I acted asLD, electrician, board op and set crew for an MCC benefit writtenand directed by Neil LaBute. The PSM Kelly Glasow and I were theonly two people working on the show, outside of the actors. Neilis a great communicator, so he made my job very easy.”Donovan believes a good ME can never pay too much attentionto proper show prep. “I like to start by going over the plotseveral times,” she says. “I check the info on the plot against theLightwright file, make a note of any consistencies I find and contactthe assistant lighting designer for clarification. I break the plotdown into categories to complete the shop order and plan thecrew assignments. Color coding works for me, so I use a systemfor quick info with just a glance at the LX plot. As we start loadingin, I continually reassess my work assignments based on what isgetting done, or not done, to try to be as efficient as possible.”Putting out fires is another of Donovan’s chief strengths. “I aman excellent troubleshooter,” she says. “I attribute this to the factthat I have usually been the house person and often solve problemson my own. I know how to narrow down and address problemsquickly.” Coraline at MCC proved a good test of her mettle.“A variety of practicals in various stages of disarray came intothe theatre to be prepped and then wired to the set,” she recalls.The solution? “We set up a ‘practical city’ in the mezzanine to workon the various pieces that continued to show up during the loadin.”So what other essentials make up Donovan’s ultimate bag oftricks? “Gam Chek—I wouldn’t want to work without it!” she says.Plus the right dose of discipline: “I’ve always been a hard worker—I think that has been my saving grace.”The Choice To Embrace ChallengeHeatherlyn Egan has a gung-ho, go-for-it attitude when itcomes to her ME work. She jumps into regional, Broadway andOff-Broadway shows like Avenue Q, Love Child and Menopause:The Musical, thriving on fast, frenetic activity. Her success secret?Ever since her undergrad days at Marymount Manhattan Collegein NYC, Egan has believed in her talent. “The best educationalexperiences were the ones that scared me out of my wits,” sherecalls. “We would be assigned a show design in a venue by ourprofessor, knowing all the while that he was designing the sameshow in the same venue at the same time. Showing up for thatclass, rolling out the plots and hoping that the justification wasgood enough, especially when it was a departure from his concept,scared me. But I knew what I was doing and was ready todefend it.”Egan also built her reputation by taking on the seeminglyimpossible, such as a 2010 Springer Opera House tour thatrequired lighting houses without proper budget or facilities forlarge-scale production. “Quickly, I developed a method for determiningwhat would be cut, what I could fudge and what I neededto make everything look the way it should,” she recalls. Using her42 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

Sheila Donovan backstageHeatherlyn EganMark Berg on the set of The Who’s Tommyown portable dimmer packs and travel board, “I managed to keeptrack of and successfully run two light boards as well as time theacts and take notes! Developing and subsequently honing theseskills has been invaluable.”Egan recommends stepping outside of your comfort zone inorder to do the very best work. “Think like a designer!” she urges.“Get some design training—being proficient at understandingthe theory behind developing a design and a plot is important.”Egan also feels that the ability to change your work style on a dimeis vital to an ME’s success.“Always remember that things move,” she stresses, “and youneed to be prepared for anything the designer throws at you.”The Expert Running On EnergyMark Allen Berg’s impressive 33 year lighting career encompass10 years with the Nederlander Oranization (he worked onproductions such as Broadway Bound and Romance, Romance), astint at the Edinburgh Theatre Festival and his current position aslecturer at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatreand Dance, where he is ME for university productions. No matterwhere he works, though, Berg’s motivation remains the same: toimmerse himself in a vibrant creative environment. “I love workingwith theatre people,” he says. “They tend to have the best sense ofhumor, the most fun and possess a great deal of talent.”Berg worked early on with designers including Jeff Davis andNatasha Katz, honing his skills through a logical approach. “WhenI begin work on a show, the first two parameters I need are scheduleand budget,” he explains. “You can always get more money;it’s difficult to get more time.” He always works with two budgets:“The first is for gear—dimmers, cable, fixtures, accessories, perishables,transport, etc.,” he elaborates. “The second will be a laborbudget estimate for prep, load-in, show run and load-out. Thesetwo budgets are inextricably bound and need to be at or underthe project budget. I keep in mind the adage, ‘Good, cheap, fast:pick two.’ You might choose to do the project good and fast, butit won’t be cheap—and above all, it must be safe.”Berg believes it’s crucial to keep the managerial aspects of theME position in mind at all times: “If possible, organize the work sothat do you the more difficult jobs earlier in the day. Remember towork smarter, not harder.” Berg also steers his crew back to basics.“If something is not working, check the simplest things first: is yourrack turned on? Is the lamp plugged in? You want as much time aspossible to fix notes before scenery loads in or you begin a focus.”Above all? Remember why you’re doing your job in the first place.“Don’t forget to have fun,” Berg smartly concludes. “Chances areyou’re not in this business to get rich. Remember the answer tothe question, ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ It’s tobe happy!”Sheila Donovan worked on The Break of Noon by Neil LaBute at MCC Theater.www.stage-directions.com • March 2011 43

Special Section: LightingAll the World’sa Stage andSomebody’sGotta Light ItA supplier roundtableshares what’s newand trending in theworld of lightingBy Kevin M. MitchellLD Charles MacLeod used Gam Products’ Prismo Prism Rotator to create a “shaken snow globe” effect for the Denver CenterTheatre Company’s production of Reckless.The emotional power of good lighting in theatre issomething everyone with more than a casual interestin the arts appreciates. “Good” can mean howthose ancient par cans delight grandparents who’ve cometo see their granddaughter in her first community theatremusical; it also can mean how the dramatic use of customgobos make the audience feel like they are inside a snowglobe in that stellar regional production.“While it sounds cliché to say, LEDhas become a driving force in theindustry—it’s a true contender.”—Kevin RichieThere are some undisputable facts about lighting:wonderful work can be done on a limited budget withfew tools and dreadful designs happen despite an abundanceof gear. But one can’t deny the importance of thattoolbox. So by extension, those making and supplyingthe tools are a key component to the great theatre thathappens in 30-seat black box spaces and 1,500 state-ofthe-artperforming art centers everywhere. SD checked inwith some of the leading suppliers to find out what’s new,what’s trending and frankly, what they are excited aboutthese days.LEDs“Theatres don’t have a lot of money, generally speaking,”says Ford Sellers of Chauvet. “So educational andsmall theatres are looking for anything that is a valuesolution.” One of the big things today is that people arebecoming excited about LED wash lights. “It is the newerLED technology that is doing everything people want,including having really good dimming curves, the abilityto dial in specific colors, match existing ones—thoseare the sort of things that are very exciting in the theatreworld.”Sellers also sees a lot of traction recently with cyclights. “I come from a background of designing a coupleof shows a year and the quality of light was important tome and LED lights tend to spike on the color spectrum onvery specific spots if it's not used correctly. With newertechnology like the Colorado 72 and 144, you’ll have yourscenery look like what you painted them to look like.”Their Colordash Batten features a broaden spectrum ofLEDs—red, green, blue, amber and white, which allowsfor better color rendering.Sellers insists that the savings LEDs offer in terms ofpower and heat can’t be underestimated. “When you’relooking at projecting a saturated color from an incandescent,in some cases about 4 percent actual light is goingthrough. For a nice medium blue it might be 8 percent,a red 20 percent … so a tremendous amount of light isfiltered out and wasted.” He gets specific: 10 Colorado44 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

Special Section: LightingCourtesy of JimOnLight.com“The simple things work best intheatres.” —Joe TawilJim Hutchinson used InLight Gobos gobos to add texture and breakup for aproduction of Light in the Piazza at Oklahoma State University.

Batten 72 units can replace 24 1k iris cyc Lights. Used 20hours a week for 40 weeks a year, the savings on electricitywould pay for the units themselves in less than a year.“With LED you’re not wasting that energy and you’re addingin the color.”You can also place LEDs very close together, whichyou can’t usually do with traditional lights, and that savesspace. “In smaller venues with no fly loft, you can haveLEDs six- or 12-feet away and still have a nice even distributionof light with no color saturation.”“While it sounds cliché to say, LED has become a drivingforce in the industry—it’s a true contender,” declaresKevin Richie of Stage Spot. “We have a lot of venues thatwe’ve put LED pars, especially the Elation Opti Tri Par,which is a RGBA LED par fixture that is absolutely fantastic.While LEDs have been around for a while, they aregetting bright enough and at an accessible price pointto make them more attractive than other.” He too pointsout the savings in electricity—and that it is optimized toprovide up to 50,000 hours of LED life. This particular unitoperates via 6 DMX channel modes.Gary Dove and his team at Dove Systems specializein controlling incandescent lights, though increasinglythey are focused on LEDs. “That technology has come onfast because of the quality of the color, the low amountof power they use and the low heat they put out,” Dovesays. “LEDs are actually easier to control with electronicsthan other light sources. They are voltage controlled

Special Section: Lightingnot current controlled, taking about 2.5 volts to operatethem.”LEDs are also great in cuing devices. From Gam comesthe Go-Lite, which Joe Tawil says is simple and reliable.For the Green room, in the flies, in the orchestra pit—thefour-color devices goes anywhere. “So often in theatrescue lights are 7.5-watt light bulb on a zip cord running120 volts around a theatre and that’s totally illegal,” saysTawil. “And because the light bulb itself is so unreliable,people normally run two of them! When fire marshals seethat …” Go-Lites replace all that with a low-voltage LEDwith four lights: white, red, blue and green. This allows formultiple code possibilities. “The control wire is a six-wiretelephone cable that is economical because they can getit from us or simply go to any Radio Shack and get thelength they need there.”The controller itself weighs less than one ounce andit can be nailed, taped or Velcroed. Multiple ones can beused as a guide on stage for actors and to illuminate darkareas. “It’s simple and it’s legal! That’s why I love it. Thesimple things work best in theatres.”Gobos & Special EffectsInLight Gobos is a glass and custom steel gobo manufacturer,and for many years they’ve been the exclusivelicensee of Beacon products. That Sweden-based companyholds a patent on ultra thin layer gobos and InLightis the only company in the U.S. that can produce the 1.7mm-thick gobo. “It puts all the colored layers of the goboessentially in the same focal point, so it gives you a verycrisp focus,” says InLight’s Rick Hutton. “We make a widerange of gobos for many different applications, includingBroadway.”One that is especially popular is a grayscale black andwhite on that has a dark mirror coating on the backsideand avoids any “ghost” or “halo” image sometimes aproblem in other gobos. Jim Hutchinson, a professor andtheatre lighting department head at Oklahoma State (andblogger behind JimOnLight.com), used these to greataffect in a recent production and “raved about them.”And for those looking for ways to increase the possibilitiesof their digital media servers, there’s Digigobosoffered through InLight. “Available on DVD are 10 loopedroyalty-free video clips on a disk,” Hutton says.“Overall, we feel there are more LED fixtures cominginto play that are suited for theatrical use. Cost is still upthere for many users, but it is coming down,” says BMISupply’s Steve Roudebush. “There are also more movinglight options for those on smaller budgets. Even just ahandful of fixtures can allow a great deal of creativity andflexibility.” Specifically he says the Reveal SW from PrismProjection “is a good example of this—it offers smoothdimming and a unique design that eliminates multi-partshadows found with most LED fixtures. The ETC/Selador48 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

Chauvet’s Colorado 3p Tour (ground row) and Colorado 2 Tour (down lights) helped keep costs down and the temperature cool for the Cirque Sur L’Eau Congelee.

Special Section: Lightingline also provides excellent dimming, brightness and flexibilitywith the wide range of lenses available.”Data, Dimmers & A New “Arm”“Don’t forget data distribution,” says Roudebush.“There are many new devices available to properly distributeDMX or other protocols throughout your venue.With increasing inventories of data-driven devices, readilyaccessible data ports are important.” A budget-friendlyoption includes the ENTTEC D-split DMX splitters thatcan be had for under $100 each. “These simple one-in,four-out splitters are handy. For network situations, theVIA Ethernet Switch from Pathway Connectivity is readyout-of-the-box for typical lighting networks.”At Dove Systems there is the Scenemaster 6, which is adimmer and controller all in one. “You just plug it into awall outlet to get power,” says Dove. “It’s a true two-scenecross-fading control. While these days there’s other waysto do cross fades, this is the old-fashioned way. You setthe scene on first row and set up the second row for thenext scene and cross fade. You don’t have to be a computerprogrammer. It’s great for schools and for puppettheatres.” He laughs and adds he got an order once forone for a women’s prison though he “can’t say for surewhat they are doing with it.”Also new at Gam is the Prismo Prism Rotator, a specialeffects mechanical device that can be hooked up to aspot light and it animates a still pattern by multiplyingit and giving it motion clockwise, counter clockwise, orboth. “You can have the same image in different colorsand it offers a lot of possibilities for theatres,” says JoeTawil of Gam Products. It can create new snow effects—now it’s always been fairly easy for light to simulate asnow fall with snow coming down in a linear motion,but a blizzard—where you want swirling snow—hasbeen more elusive. The Prismo can do that—along withsand and dust storms. “It’s reliable and simple and hasbeen used on complex operas down to high schools.” LDCharles MacLeod used it to create the feeling of beinginside a shaken snow globe for the Denver Center TheatreCompany’s recent production of Reckless.“High schools and colleges really seem to be interestedin integrating moving fixtures with conventionals morethan they ever have in the past,” says Monty McWilliamsof Apollo Design. From his vantage point, the movementtoward LEDs for these theatres is not huge at this pointand when they do get them, they are mostly using themfor special effects. “Theatres haven’t embraced LEDsbecause they feel they aren’t giving them the right solutionat this point. They don’t feel the colors and brightnessare up to the standards andwhen they look into them and startcomparing prices to conventionalunits.”He notes that community theatresare still struggling financially,so they aren’t spending cash onexpensive gear. What that meansfor Apollo is a surge of interestin their Right Arm, a pan and tiltdevice that you can add any typeof static equipment to. “It can be alight fixture, an LED unit, or even anLCD projector and it allows you tomove it. At a retail price of $1,195,it’s really gaining momentum,especially in smaller theatres thatcan’t afford moving lights.Otherwise, he says he is continuallyamazed that scollers, a productthat’s been around for 25 years,continues to have strong sales.ConsolesSomething else that is gainingin popularity are the new ETCconsoles, especially the Element.“Its price point is about $5,000 orunder, which is a great price forsuch a powerful console,” saysRichie. He adds it has the feel of a$15,000 moving light console butis much easier to use. “It’s expandable,too, so if in a couple of years50 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

Special Section: Lightingyou need to double the capacity, you can get the updateon a thumb drive.”“There are three products in the Eos family, with Eosbeing the high-end desk, Ions the mid-range and thenthe Element,” says ETC’s Anne Valentino. “They all sharethe same software, but for the Element, we took somethings out that would be confusing for entry-level users.”The family of consoles was specifically designed for theatreand they were built to address the reality of today’straditional theatre market where moving lights, LEDs,traditional lights and media are all part of the mix.“This is not a rock ‘n’ roll desk,” Valentino insists. “Itwas developed with the input of theatre designers fromaround the world.” Eos was first used on Broadway’srevival of 110 In the Shade and more recently on AmericanIdiot. “What is intriguing is typically designers woulduse two boards—one for traditional and one for movinglights.” But not only can this one handle both, theydesigned it using traditional theatre lighting languageand syntax. As typical moving light boards use a differentlanguage, this one features what lighting designers areused to, so communication with the programmer is downin familiar language.“It’s absolutely fascinating to watch a designer workwith an Eos board, because they get specific and talkabout exact key strokes.”Contact InfoApollo Design4130 Fourier Dr.Fort Wayne, IN 46818P: 260-497-9191W: www.apollodesign.netBMI Supply571 Queensbury AveQueensbury, NY 12804P: 800-836-0524W: www.bmisupply.comChauvet Lighting3000 N. 29th Ct.Hollywood, FL 33020P: 800-762-1084W: www.chauvetlighting.comElation Lighting6122 S. Eastern Ave.Los Angeles, CA 90040P: 866-245-6726W: www.elationlighting.comElectronic Theatre Controls (ETC)3031 Pleasant View RdP.O. Box 620979Middleton WI 53562P: 800-688-4116W: www.etcconnect.comGam Products4975 West Pico Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90019P: 323-935-4975W: www.gamonline.comInLight Gobos2348 Irving BoulevardDallas, TX 75207P: 877-589-GOBOW: www.inlightgobos.comStage Spot11900 Metric Blvd.Suite J-116Austin, TX 78758P: 888-567-8243W: www.stagespot.com52 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

Special Section: LightingDesigning by ContentNYX Design uses a three-headed approach to strike up inspiration and designNadine Froger and Jean-Jacques Pochet,used by permission of Microsoft XboxBy Justin LangEven when designing for corporate theatre, like this Microsoft Xbox product reveal, NYX Design still focuses on the content and its narrative.The three principle design partners and founders of NYXDesign, Emanuel Treeson, Abigail Rosen Holmes andBrian Gale, started their careers in very different places.Treeson started his career in theatre, then ventured intolive event and television lighting. He now has a long list ofcredits, including the movie premieres of Pearl Harbor, SharkTale, and the world tour for Fantasia 2000, as well as corporatepresentations for clients including Microsoft, Toyota, Ford,DreamWorks, The Walt Disney Company, Suzuki, Mazda andParamount.Gale, on the other hand, began in regional theatre lightingdesign and then spent 24 years with the Walt DisneyCompany. A portion of his later career working at Disney waswith the Imagineering division. He designed the lighting forthe Los Angeles Opera’s three-year mounting of Wagner’sRing Cycle as well as the movie premieres of Pocahontas, TheHunchback of Notre Dame, and Tarzan.Holmes began her career in the live event and concertlighting world with such notable designs as “The Wall Livein Berlin” in 1990, and including tours for Shakira, The Cure,Janet Jackson, Cher, Peter Gabriel and Pet Shop Boys. She hasalso designed for Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus,The Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Hannah Montana/MileyCyrus: The Best of Both Worlds Tour.They started to come together in the ‘90s, when they allfound their work intersecting. Shortly after LDI in 2002 theymade it official and started searching for a name for their newcompany. A search through some literature gave them thename “Nyx,” from Greek mythology. Nyx was the daughterof Chaos and the goddess of the night, and held exceptionalpower and beauty. The name seemed to fit the philosophyand spirit of all three designers, thus NYX Design was formedin January of 2003.Three-Headed InspirationWhile each designer typically has his or her own projects atNYX Design, there are times when two heads—or even three—are better than one. Working together like this allows Treeson,Gale and Holmes to pool their resources and bounce design ideasoff of each other, and share moments of inspiration.Treeson’s favorite example comes from driving on an L.A. freeway—or,as he corrected himself, “parked on an L.A. freeway.” Henoticed the interchange ahead of him, and the shape and formof the curved concrete pathways opened his eyes to its inherentbeauty amidst the smog.Between the three of them, Treeson, Gale and Holmes havea range of credits and clients that covers almost every aspect oflighting. This range and versatility gives NYX Design, or, as Galecalls it, the “brain hive,” their edge in the industry. As a firm, theyhave used their skills to light theatre productions, architectural ormovie premieres and corporate events. They don’t limit themselvesto one particular type of lighting. Instead, they’re increasinglylooking for opportunities to work and explore new anddifferent realms—wherever the inspiration strikes.One such area is corporate work. NYX Designs now handles allof Microsoft’s Xbox 360 corporate communication work, includingmedia and press events. What’s so special about these types ofevents is that not only do they have to be lit for the audience, butfor camera as well. In addition to designing the lighting, NYX alsohandles the digital content and projection work for the events.Another unique project that NYX worked on was the YouTubePlay Biannual Video Art Competition held at the GuggenheimMuseum in New York City. Holmes worked closely with event producerSalli Frattini from Sunset Lane Entertainment and ObscuraDigital projection designers to bring the video art entries to lifein the museum. With Holmes in the lead, the NYX team workedtogether to design a dramatic lighting scheme for the event that54 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

helped carry the message and feel of the entire event. A big challengewas to light multiple live performances from bands likeOK Go for live YouTube broadcast, while protecting museum’sprecious artwork and ensuring overall visibility of the projectionall at the same time.Technology in the Arts (Design)With offices on both the east and west coast, it can be challengingto keep the communication and work flow open across almost3,000 miles. But with modern technology, collaboration betweenthe team and their client base is simple. NYX Design incorporatesa wide range of traditional and new technologies to keep in constantconnection with each other and clients. The partners arenever more than a phone call, e-mail, Skype, or text away fromeach other—they’ve formed what Treeson, Gale and Holmes callthe “virtual cubicle.”It isn’t uncommon for the team to leave a voice Skype conversationopen for hours at a time. “It gives us the ability to talk toeach other as though we were right there,” says Gale. Doing sogives the partners who are thousands of miles apart the abilityto talk and exchange ideas as if they were sitting a cubicle apart.NYX Design also uses DropBox, a cloud-based file storageutility that offers the ability to sync files across a local drive andthe internet. When a file is saved to your local DropBox folder, itis automatically synced and saved to your cloud drive. When youuse another computer or device, the files are automatically syncedand available as a local file.Being a remote team and working with clients from all over thecountry means NYX takes full advantage of DropBox by sharingspecific folders from their account to share files and comps withtheir clients for approvals. Once a new file is loaded to a client’sshared folder, a quick notification is sent so that the client knowswhen a new file has been added and downloaded to their localfolder. From there, clients can comment and share their thoughtsby uploading an updated file.When it comes to entertainment technology, NYX Designdoesn’t limit itself to any particular CAD software, media server,or type of control. It all goes back to the needs of the productionand what will work best for the given project. While the firm usesa wide array of technologies throughout the design process andinto the production, it is never about the tools, but what helpsdeliver the message quickly and easily in the end.It has been asked and discussed many times throughout theentertainment lighting industry, where is the line drawn betweenlighting and video? NYX Design has a clear understanding thatthe line is being blurred by advances in LED, projection and videodisplay technology.Still, “It is never about the technology, but the end results andkeeping with the narrative of the project” says Holmes. NYX usesall three to help convey the message set forth by the project. Theyinterchange lighting and projection to create and enhance thenarrative of the project to a point where they seem as one. ButNYX Design still believes that a screen is there for projection ofcontent. Video and projection used on scenery, set pieces and talentare an extension of lighting to help create movement, textureand effects to help establish the narrative.This brings us back to the very core philosophy that drives NYXDesign and its founders, Emanuel Treeson, Abigail Holmes andBrian Gale: It not the glamor or glitz of the production that mattersmost; it’s about creating meaningful, beautiful designs driven bythe message.Craig SchwartzA moment from Lieutenant ofInishmore at the Center TheatreGroup, with lighting design byBrian Gale of NYX Design.Craig SchwartzMuch like Randy Newman, the writer ofHarps and Angels (starring Michael McKean inits world premiere), members of NYX Designfind their inspiration everywhere, includingthe urban environment of L.A.

Off the Shelf By Stephen Peithman|Here and NowInsights from modern American playwrightsActing teacher Stella Adler once said that the theatreis the “spiritual and social X-ray of its time,” and thismonth’s focus on the work of contemporary Americanplaywrights is a case in point.The inspiration for Clay McLeod Chapman’sCommencement was the horrific Virginia Tech massacreof 2007. “There was a great deal of anger and resentmenttoward the mother of the VT shooter and there was a needfor closure,” Chapman has said, “but since the young man hadkilled himself, there wasn’t any. It was something I wanted toexplore.” And explore he does, with a single actress portrayingthree women drawn together in the grim aftermath ofa high school shooting—the shooter’s mother, one of theshooter victims and the mother of that victim, who pays anunexpected visit to the shooter’s mother after the graduationceremony where the daughter’s name was never mentioned.Commencement is strong stuff and frequently moving.[$10.95, Original Works]Tanya O’Debra combines nostalgia with social satire inRadio Star, a send-up of a 1930s-style detective radio show.In the broadcast of “The Case of the Long Distance Lover,”private detective Nick McKitrick is hired by Fanny LaRue tofind her husband’s killer. The plot is similar to The MalteseFalcon, but O’Debra cleverly blends the clichés of mysterydetectivefiction with modern elements, as when DetectiveNick McKittrick says, “a regular morning at the office for me isunlike what the average Joe deals with at work. You see, Joehangs his hat and coat, takes a seat at his desk, opens up histypewriter and looks at Facebook all day while pretending towork. Not me.” The result is a satisfyingly funny and nostalgicsend up—especially since the show may be performedby a single performer playing all the roles, or with the rolesassigned to several different actors. [$10.95, Original Works]Old and new meet in a new series of complete book andlyrics of selected Broadway musicals in handsome paperbackeditions, each volume with a new introduction and colorphotos from one or more productions of the show. Titlesinclude Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! and The Soundof Music and Avenue Q, by Jeff Whitty, Jeff Marx and RobertLopez. [$16.99 each, Applause Theatre Books]A new collection of works by Pulitzer Prize finalist RajivJoseph (Gruesome Playground Injuries; Animals Out ofPaper; Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo) makes clear whyhe’s one of the most talked about of young American playwrights.In Gruesome Playground Injuries, Doug and Kayleen“mature” from accident-prone kids to self-destructive adults.Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo is a thought-provokingconsideration of the Iraq War, inspired by the true story ofan American soldier who shoots the tiger of the play’s title.Animals Out of Paper is perhaps the highlight, focusing on a17-year-old high school student with a talent for calculus, alove of hip-hop and an unexpected gift for origami. [$15.95,Soft Skull Press]Playwright Sheila Callaghan is the subject of her own threeplaycollection: Lascivious Something; Roadkill Confidential;That Pretty Pretty, Or, the Rape Play. Her work is literate, edgyand tightly woven—often laced with moments of the surreal.Lascivious Something takes on failed idealism, economic collapseand sexual confusion. Roadkill Confidential is a noir-ishmeditation on brutality. And That Pretty Pretty is a standoutdark comedy about two ex-strippers on a killing spree of abortionopponents. [$17.95, Soft Skull Press]What if God told you to be a better person but the worldwouldn’t allow it? That’s the dilemma facing the centralcharacter of Neil LaBute’s The Break of Noon, which exploresthe narrow path to spiritual fulfillment—and how strewn it iswith the comic, frantic and sometimes heartbreaking failingsof humankind. [$13.95 Soft Skull Press]The Best American Short Plays 2008-2009 offers a broadspectrum of works by 20 contemporary playwrights. Arguablythe most intriguing is Murray Schisgal’s monologue, “NakedOld Man,” about an 80-something Jewish playwright dealingwith questions of health, sexual prowess and growing old.“Early Morning” by Eric Lane focuses on a woman namedDoris, under police questioning to determine if she killedher grandson, dying from AIDS. And “Little Duck,” by BillyAronson, is a delightfully satirical account of the creation ofa new children’s television show. Other playwrights in thecollection include Neil LaBute; David Ives; Carey Lovelace;co-writers Adam Kraar, Maria Filimon and Tasnim Mansur;Meg Miroshnik; Emily Conbere; Polly Frost and Ray Sawhill;Marla Del Collins; Joe Salvatore; Lewis Gardner; Rick Pulos;Amy Herzog; and James Armstrong. Each playwright providesa brief overview of the theme, plot and inspiration for theirplay, making this a particularly good read. [$18.99 ApplauseTheatre and Cinema Books]56 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com

By Stephen EllisonTD TalkHeaderA Touch of ClassMoulding may sound bad, but it can add a luxurious touch to any setSubHeadThere was a lot of moulding to install on Ellison’s set for A Flea in Her Ear—and this is just the drawing room.This fall I designed the set for a farce; you might thinkthat being a farce with all the fun involved, this wouldbe an easy task—wrong. The farther the director and Igot immersed in the project the more we wondered why weever thought it was a good idea. The show was A Flea in HerEar by George Feydeau, a show in which everyone talks aboutsex, but nobody gets any.But for now, let’s talk about moulding, since the play is setin 1900 in a rich man’s drawing room. (Except for the secondact, set in the Frisky Puss Hotel—but that set piece, and itsrotating bed, is a story for another day.) The walls in thatroom had to be decked out in all the best finery, includingmoulding. Moulding can take a flat and lifeless wall and giveit the definition and depth to make it stand out. I am not sayingyou have to spend lots of money either, you can fabricatemoulding from a variety of materials like cardboard and styrofoam,I will explore alternative materials in another column.The standard moulding for a wall starts at the floor withbaseboard. Then, as you move higher, you get a chair rail,designed to be at a height to protect the wall from the topof the chair that is placed against it, not really dividing thewall equally. The height provides a nice break in the verticallook of the wall as frequently the area below the chair rail isdecorated differently than the larger top section. The nextsection of moulding as you go up the wall is at the top, thecrown moulding. But there’s still other moulding in the room.Each door (all nine of them) and window should be framedwith moulding.Moulding, with the exception of the crown variety, doesn’trequire too much complexity to install. The only angle youneed to concern yourself with is 45 degrees, for the mostpart. So a good miter box and back saw can be used, or if youcan afford one you can get an electric miter saw, sometimescalled a chop saw. Framing in doors and windows is easy tovisualize how to make the cuts since you are working withthe flat section of the molding. Things get a little more fungoing around corners with the baseboard and chair rail, butstill doable without any complex math.The only time this gets interesting is when the walls aren’tsquare to each other, a frequent event on stage, since wecheat the walls away from square all the time. But again, nottoo complex for the chop saw; more difficult with a miter boxsince they are not as flexible in providing all the angles. Themost important tool to have here is a good bevel square. Forthose of you not familiar with this tool, I would suggest youget one. A bevel square is a two piece tool that has a solid sectionwith a round end that has a metal blade pivoting arounda screw so that you can capture an angle and lock the bladein place, allowing you to transfer the angle to your moulding.(Although if you capture the angle around a corner don’t forgetto divide it in half before you cut the moulding.)One last thought on the baseboard and chair rail moulding:how to deal with wall sections longer than what you havein stock. Here you can use two short pieces of moulding tocreate the length you need with a scarf joint. A scarf joint ismade by overlapping the pieces by cutting angled planes. Ascarf joint is not a structural joint so it will not support weightbut in this instance it provides a way to hide the extension. Agood scarf joint is hard to see close up and impossible from30 feet. So you can save buying an extra piece of mouldingwhen someone makes a mistake on a 45-degree angle by savingthe mistake and using it to extend length in other places.After all, if no one can see the joint, who says that you can’thave a couple of them in a long wall section?Next time we will go into the joy and pain of crown moulding.www.stage-directions.com • March 2011 57

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Answer Box|By Rich DionneBreaking the LineThe production of Scapino! at PurdueUniversity’s Nancy T. Hansen Theatre hadtwo decks that broke the fire curtain line.It was directed by Gordon McCall with setdesign by Eric Luchen.Keeping your theatre up to code whenyour set breaks the fire curtain linerequires a little more work…The Nancy T. Hansen Theatre at Purdue University is surprisinglyintimate for a 300-seat proscenium theatre; no seat is more than50 feet from the stage. However, because the forestage is some15 feet in depth, it can sometimes feel that a set is very far away fromthe audience, however close audience members are to the stage.Consequently, set designers in the Hansen often design decks or rakesthat extend out onto the forestage, breaking the line of the fire curtain.For a deck which spans the full width of the proscenium, as we allknow, this is not usually a problem; build the deck with a double-wallof gypsum board at the fire-curtain line, and let the fire curtain come torest on the top of the deck. Unfortunately, however, our designers tendto favor decks that are not full-width, or which have rakes that are notperpendicular to the plaster line, or, sometimes, both. (As happened,for example, in a recent production of Scapino!, which actually calledfor two separate decks that both broke the fire curtain line.) In orderto comply with fire code requirements and still satisfy the aestheticof these designs, we’ve developed a trap-door approach that allows aportion of the deck to swing down and out of the way in the event thefire curtain is tripped.Disclaimer: we’ve worked with local officials at the University toensure our design satisfies all applicable codes and regulations. Whatworks for us may not work for you, so be in touch with your local firemarshal or other official who regulates these matters in your locale!The basic design—which we continue to improve—is simple: webuild a trap door, approximately 1 foot in depth, which runs across thefull width of the deck, centered on the line of the fire curtain. The downstageside of this trap door (which can be in multiple pieces) is hingedto the rest of the deck; the upstage side rests on a steel square tubeledger (which in turn rests on framing for the deck). At evenly spacedpoints along this steel ledger, short, “pancake” pneumatic cylinders areA diagram of the trap door so that the fire curtain line can maintain its integrity.bolted through the steel tube and secured to the deck. These cylindersare mounted such that when they are at full extension, the steel ledgersupports the trap doors; when they are retracted, they pull the steelledger clear of the trap doors, allowing them to swing down and open.(It is important that the cylinders are mounted on the upstage side ofthe deck, so that no air tubes or control lines have to pass through theline of the fire curtain.)The air supply for the cylinders is provided by the (very large) compressortank for our building. The air system utilizes a 2-position, solenoidoperated, spring return directional control valve (DCV); this valveis controlled by a normally-closed roller switch mounted high on thesmoke pocket, which is plugged into an out-of-the-way Edison outlet.In normal operation, the switch (normally-closed) passes current to theDCV, keeping the cylinders extended. When the fire-curtain drops, ittrips the roller switch, opening the circuit; when the DCV loses power,the spring moves the spool in the valve to the other position, directingpressure to the rod end of the cylinders, causing them to retract, allowingthe trap door to fall.Ensuring that the system requires electrical current to keep the trapdoor up means that if, for any reason, the power should fail during a fire,the trap door would immediately swing open, allowing the fire curtainto pass. However, this also means that any time power is lost, the trapdoor swings open. This can be potentially dangerous if, for example,there’s a power outage during a performance and an actor happensto be standing on the trap door. To address this, we’re developing animprovement to this system that utilizes a battery backup, a programmablelogic controller, and a flashing light: if the roller switch is trippedor power to the system is lost, the PLC would begin flashing the lightand wait for about 10 seconds before opening the door, allowingactors or technicians time to safely get clear.60 March 2011 • www.stage-directions.com