Tony Award-winning lighting designer Jules Fisher will head the distinguished faculty for the seventh annual Broadway Lighting Master Classes (BLMC), to be held from December 8-12, 1999. The event will take place at Fordham University's Lincoln Center campus in New York City. In addition to four days of thought-provoking classes, participants will attend an evening performance of Cabaret at Studio 54, with lighting by Peggy Eisenhauer and Mike Baldassari.
With a focus on the design trends and techniques used to light plays and musicals on Broadway, the Broadway Lighting Master Classes take an artistic look at the world of lighting design. A highlight of this year's curriculum will be discussions about the design and programming for the Tony Award-winning revival of Cabaret, directed by Sam Mendes. A final brunch on Sunday, December 12 will include a roundtable discussion with the show's designers.
Intended for lighting designers, students, teachers, manufacturer's representatives, dealers, IATSE electricians, scenic designers, and directors, the sessions include a wide range of subjects--from what works and what doesn't to uses of new technologies and individual approaches to design. "This is a unique program in which participants get walked through the process of designing a Broadway show in an in-depth way," says David Barbour, editorial director for Lighting Dimensions and Entertainment Design magazines.
The faculty for this year is headed by Jules Fisher, who serves as creative consultant for the Broadway Lighting Master Classes. He has lit over 150 Broadway and Off Broadway shows, as well as film, ballet, opera, television, and rock-and-roll concert tours. He has received 15 Tony nominations, including Ragtime (1998) and seven Tony awards for lighting design, including Pippin (1972), Ulysses in Nighttown (1973), Dancin' (1978), Grand Hotel (1990), The Will Rogers Follies (1991), Jelly's Last Jam (1992), and Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk (1996).
Other distinguished faculty members include: lighting designer Peggy Eisenhauer, whose work on Broadway includes Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk, for which she received the 1996 Tony and Drama Desk Awards with Jules Fisher, and Cabaret, for which she received a 1998 Tony Award nomination; lighting designer Beverly Emmons, who has been awarded seven Tony nominations, the 1976 Lumen Award, 1984 and 1986 Bessies, and a 1980 Obie for Distinguished Lighting; lighting designer Donald Holder, winner of the 1998 Tony Award for his lighting of Disney's The Lion King on Broadway; projections specialist Wendall K. Harrington, who received the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and American Theatre Wing Awards for her design of The Who's Tommy; Chris Parry, winner of the Tony Award for The Who's Tommy and recipient of a Tony nomination for Not About Nightingales; and Paul Gallo, lighting designer for Titanic, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and The Tempest on Broadway.
An addition to this year's schedule are two full-day workshops on the programming of automated luminaires: The first is a basic introduction to moving light programming with Vari*Lite automated luminaires and conventional lights using control consoles from Strand, ETC, Compulite, and AVAB. Presented by LDI and Entertainment Design in association with ESTA, this in-depth session will take place on Wednesday, December 9, 1999, and be taught by Jim Waits, Vari-Lite's outreach manager. The second course is advanced level training with High End Systems automated fixtures and the Flying Pig Whole Hog II console. These courses offer participants the opportunity to combine hands-on training using today's cutting-edge lighting equipment with the theory and insights presented in the Broadway Lighting Master Classes.
The fee to attend the Broadway Lighting Master Classes is $675, which includes the four-day seminar, a ticket to Cabaret, the closing Sunday brunch, and admission to the annual EDDY Awards and holiday party on Friday, December 10, 1999. Admission to either hands-on programming workshop is an additional $195. Special discounts are available for ESTA, USITT, and TEA members. School group discounts are also available.
The Broadway Lighting Master Classes are produced by Entertainment Design and Lighting Dimensions, Primedia/Intertec(R) Publications, 32 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011. For additional information about the Broadway Lighting Master Classes, contact (212) 229-2965 x 829; fax: (212) 229-2084; email: [email protected].