All participants in this year's Broadway Sound Master Classes will attend the fun-filled musical, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, on Thursday evening, June 23, followed by a post-show discussion about the sound design.
A hit in both the West End and Broadway, this production has one of the best stage props ever made–an incredible flying car, which thrills the audience at every performance. The award-winning sound designers for the show are Andrew Bruce and Simon Baker of Autograph Sound in London (UK). Bruce, who is also the chairman of Autograph, will be honored with a 2005 EDDY Award on June 22. In addition, the production's sound design will be the focus of an in-depth BSMC session on Friday, June 24, featuring members of the Chitty sound design team.
Written by Ian Fleming, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is the story of a madcap inventor named Caractacus Potts, a widower who delights in eccentric gadgets. He sets about restoring an old car from a scrap heap with the help of his two children, and a lady friend named Truly Scrumptious. However, when the car develops magical properties it comes under the evil eye of Baron Bomburst. The story was turned into a hugely popular movie in 1968, starring Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes. The Sherman Brothers wrote the music and lyrics for the stage production with the book by Jeremy Sams based on Ian Fleming's original work.
The heart of the sound system is the new DiGiCo D5T console, with a LDS Ribbon loudspeaker system. XTA provides the system control, with Pram wireless tablets. Sound effects are running on a mix of Mackie 2486 and Akai Z8 all controlled by Mattware, running through Outboard Electronics' TiMax system. Martin Audio Effect 3R is used for surround sound. The wireless mikes are by Sennheiser, with a mix of AKG and Sennheiser in the pit. Sound Associates provided the sound gear. The production sound engineer is Scott Sanders.
The third annual Broadway Sound Master Classes, part of the week-long Entertainment Design Master Classes, will take place June 22-24 at the Tribeca Arts Center in downtown New York. Headed up by veteran sound designer Abe Jacob, the BSMC will feature such top theatre sound designers as Peter Fitzgerald and Peter Hylenski, as well as large event sound expert Larry Estrin (the 2004 Summer Olympics), optimization maven Sam Berkow, and more. Click here for more information.
The Entertainment Design Master Classes, a week-long exploration of the best in design and technology, consists of the 11th annual Broadway Lighting Master Classes, headed up by Jules Fisher, the inaugural Projection Master Classes, with Wendall K. Harrington serving as faculty chair, and the aforementioned BSMC. The 13th annual EDDY Awards, to be held Wednesday, June 22, is also part of this exciting and must-attend event.
To register for the Entertainment Design Master Classes click here.