industry news

Hemsley Internship Application Dates The Gilbert V. Hemsley Jr. Internship in Lighting has announced the details of the application process for the 18th annual Internship Program with the New York City Ballet and New York City Opera. Applications for the internship will be accepted January 1 through February 15, 2001. Interviews for finalists will be held in New York City in early April.

Candidates should submit a resume, a one - page statement of personal goals and anticipated benefits from the internship, and three letters of recommendation. The selected intern will begin in June 2001 and continue until the end of February 2001. The program includes experience with the Lincoln Center International Arts Festival, New York City Opera, and the New York City Ballet, as well as additional opportunities outside of Lincoln Center.

Gilbert Hemsley was known for his dedication to the training of young theatre professionals. For 18 years, the internship has continued his legacy by providing young designers with the opportunity to work in a professional repertory situation with resident and guest designers.

Additional opportunities may include touring and media events. A small monthly stipend is provided in addition to travel expenses.

To submit an application or for further information, contact: Mark Stanley, Lighting Director, New York City Ballet, 20 Lincoln Center, New York, NY 10023, phone: (212) 870.5658; email: [email protected]

Sour Grapes I: Andrew Lloyd Webber discussing in Variety the less-than-spectacular performance of his West End musical, Whistle Down the Wind, cast the blame on everyone but himself: "It's a little piece," Lloyd Webber says now of Whistle, conceding, among other things, that Peter Davison's multitiered set was "ghastly."

What nerve. It's true that Davison's set was pretty strange (the opening scene placed the congregation of a backwoods church in the middle of a highway, next to a giant neon sign advertising God's love). But the idea of Davison putting one over on Lloyd Webber, the most powerful man in English theatre, is pretty rich. For the record, Whistle Down the Wind is the worst musical I've seen in 15 years of professional theatregoing. You don't see the designers going around publicly complaining about Whistle's phony book and tinny score...

Sour Grapes II: Richard Huntington, theatre critic for The Buffalo News, who was offended by Robert Morgan's costumes for The Full Monty: "Who would have expected leopard-skin pedal-pushers, pink shirts, maroon vinyl jackets, fringed cowboy boots, and assorted polyester horrors, that no one outside of an Amvets store has seen in 1969." On John Arnone's scenic design: "It's too bad Arnone couldn't also have visited our fair city...where he would have been confronted by some of the greatest industrial landscapes in the Northeast. That would have given this ever-fanciful musical the true bite of our grand industrial past."

If you ask me, The Full Monty is a riotously funny show, and very nicely designed too, especially the costumes. Not having been to Buffalo since the age of three, I cannot comment on its charms, but I suspect that Morgan, Arnone, and company didn't make anything up....

Sour Grapes III: The Arizona Republic reported that musicians picketed a performance of the musical Evita at the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix, because it employed the Virtual Pit Orchestra, "a recently developed technology that combines prerecorded music, computerized effects, and digital sampling with the efforts of eight musicians." The article continues. "Protesting musicians called it a `dangerous precedent' that will cost them jobs and have a detrimental effect on performance quality."

Actually, this doesn't really qualify as sour grapes; it's an interesting issue that will raised again and again in the future. I sympathize with musicians who fear for their jobs; on the other hand, several people in this office have heard the Virtual Pit Orchestra and are very impressed by it (you can read more about the technology in a future issue of ED). Let's just say you haven't heard the end of this controversy....

On a happier note, designers have recently won awards in Chicago and Los Angeles. In Chicago, the coveted Jeff Awards were given out on October 30. Scenic designer Geoffrey M. Curley won for the production [sic] - love that title! - at Roadworks Productions, in association with Soho Rep. Costume designer Paul Tazewell won for A Midsummer Night's Dream at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Lighting designer T. J. Gerckens won for The Odyssey at the Goodman Theatre. And sound designer Lindsay Jones won for Among the Thugs at The Next Theatre. Gerckens was a double winner, also taking an award for his work on The Odyssey at Los Angeles Ovation Awards (this time the production was seen at the Mark Taper Forum). The Ovations split their design awards into Large and Intimate Theatre Categories. The other Large Theatre winners, besides Gerckens, were scenic designer David Gallo for Jitney (Mark Taper Forum), costume designer William Dudley for Amadeus (Ahmanson Theatre), and sound designers Andre Pluess and Ben Sussman for Metamorphoses (Mark Taper Forum). (Gallo's Jitney scenery and Dudley's Amadeus costumes have been covered in previous issues of ED). In the Intimate Theatre category, lighting designer David Flad won for The Angels of Lemnos (Road Theatre Company), scenic designer Thomas Buderwitz won for Against the Glass (T'Kaye Productions at the Court Theatre), costume designer Alvin Colt won for Forbidden Broadway Y2K/LA (Tiffany Theatre) and sound designers Jef Bek and Eric Snodgrass won for Nosferatu (Zoo District at Art Share). Congratulations all around...Keep your eye on Thoroughly Modern Millie. The new musical based on the 1967 Julie Andrews epic opened last fall at La Jolla Playhouse, where the reviews ranged from good to excellent. It's a certain bet for Broadway in the fall of 2001. Designers include David Gallo (scenery), Robert Perdziola (costumes), Donald Holder (lighting,) and Otts Munderloh (sound)...Finally, a sad note: Ruth Mitchell died on November 5. Mitchell was a pivotal figure in Broadway history, as a stage manager and later as associate to producer/director Harold Prince (She was involved in Fiorello!, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, She Loves Me, Fiddler on the Roof, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Cabaret, and Kiss of the Spider Woman, to name a few). She was also the longtime companion of costume designer Florence Klotz. Mitchell was 81.

Using its proprietary Tower System, Edwin Shirley Staging designed and constructed a 99' x 66' x 59' steel and fabric structure for De La Guarda's Las Vegas production of Villa Villa. The $1.2 million contract is the first major one to be completed by ESS' new US office, based in Austin, TX. The structure forms part of the Rio Hotel complex and will remain there for three years, the duration of the show....Two units of Klark Teknik's DN9848 loudspeaker management system were sold as part of a new 30-cabinet Electro-Voice X-Array rig complete with EV P3000 amplification to Pro-Tek Audio of Kansas City. The inaugural gig for the system as The American Royal, Kansas City's longest running show celebrating Kansas City's agricultural heritage. Held in the Kemper Arena, the event included one of the biggest rodeos in the Midwest and performances by Willie Nelson, Toby Keith, Montgomery Gentry, and Brad Paisley. The entire audio system was flown for safety and coverage reasons, and the stage where the acts performed also came down from the roof on a series of motors....Portland, OR - based scenic and staging company R.A. Reed Productions teamed up with The Production Network of Seattle to build sets for this year's Microsoft Global Summit and Microsoft Company Meeting. Reed Productions provided all scaffolding, flooring, and custom scrim work for the company meeting, which was held at Seattle's Safeco Field in September. The project was a challenge in that none of the staging, scenery, video, lights, sound or personnel could impact the baseball field's grass. To accommodate this requirement, Reed Productions constructed a 300' road that led to a custom-built bridge over the grass on the infield of the baseball diamond's first base line. The Georgia Dome in Atlanta provided the setting for this year's Microsoft Global Summit in July. Reed Productions was again hired by The Production Network to provide all the staging, scaffolding, and scenery for the summit, which was held for the benefit of the company's international sales team. Out of 10 semi-trailers loaded with sets and equipment, the largest set piece was a 60' - high "Tower of Power" that translated into a five - story building with stair access to six different floors, and included a 60' x 80' roof-rigged drop that covered the entire structure when necessary....The current Christina Aguilera tour features 22 Coemar CF7s and four NAT 2.5ks, among other equipment used. LD on the tour is Peter Morse; lighting director is Butch Allen. Coemar also has CF7s out with Sarah Brightman, Britney Spears, Don Henley, Radiohead, Limp Bizkit, Eminem, and Elton John.... A Nexo PS15 system is currently being used on four revue shows a day at Disney World's Diamond Horseshoe Revue at the Magic Kingdom. Former audio director for Walt Disney World Bob Owens is now the director of design at SGA Audio Design, the Orlando-based sound installation company that provided the Nexo rig.... In November, one of the world's greatest tenors, Jose Carreras, played the biggest concert of his performing year in front of 50,000 people in Santiago, Chile. Carreras' voice was amplified with a pair of DPA Type 4023s from DPA Microphones. Sound engineer Jordi Hernandez chose thepair of 4023s rather than a single microphone to minimize the effect of the singer's movement. At front-of-house, Hernandez used a Midas XL-3 console "because it has very good mic preamps and a low floor noise, and I like the clarity of speaker systems like Meyer Sound and L-Acoustics' V-DOSC"....

Clear-Com Intercom Systems has appointed Jim Peacher, a 20 - year veteran of the broadcast television equipment industry and most recently director of worldwide sales for Leitch's ASC broadcast video server business, as director of worldwide sales. Peacher will manage domestic sales and work closely with Clear-Com International, developing partnerships and enhancing market penetration....PRG has also expanded its audio operations in the Las Vegas market, relocating its concert touring inventory and assembly operations from LA to Vegas. The LA-based audio sales staff will remain at the Burbank location; as the expanded audio operations in Vegas require additional space, ProMix/Electrotec will relocate to PRG's Entolo Las Vegas location....Lycian Stage Lighting has moved: 1144 Kings Highway, Sugar Loaf, NY 10981; phone: (914) 469-2285; fax: (914) 469-5355....Sister companies Christie Inc. and Christie Digital Systems Inc. will merge to form one company under the name Christie Digital Systems. The merger, expected to be finalized in April, will create one company "dedicated to providing technologically advanced projection solutions for cinema, control rooms, board rooms, conference centers, large venues, rental and staging, simulation, 3D, and the emerging digital marketplace." Under the new organization, Christie Digital Systems Inc. will maintain headquarters in California and Ontario, Canada; the company will continue to operate regional sales and marketing offices in Canada, Europe, Japan, Singapore, the UK, and the US. Manufacturing operations will be based in Canada and California. In other Christie news, rental staging company Creative Technology and Christie Digital Systems have signed a contract worth $5 million. Creative Technology will invest in Christie projectors, which will be divided between Creative Technology's North American interests and parent company Avesco PLC's subsidiaries....QSC amplifier owners can now order factory-direct accessories and assembly kits online at QSC's online Order Center. The web address is: http://www.qscstore.com. Customers will be able to browse descriptions and view photos of QSC products; purchases must be made with a credit card and online orders are for shipments within the US only....Syracuse Scenery & Stage Lighting Co. has added Ellen E. Jones, a scenic/lighting designer and scenic artist as well as co-commissioner of the USITT Lighting Commission, to its staff, as lighting/paint specialist in the sales department....Adirondack Scenic, Inc. and Michael Hagen, Inc. have formed an alliance to offer scenic services to their clients in opera, ballet, and live theatrical productions. Owners of both businesses stress that this partnership is not a merging of their firms; each firm will remain independent. Under the guidelines of the alliance, Adirondack will assume responsibility for construction and handling of scenic elements and Hagen will undertake painting and finishing operations. For further information, contact: Michael Hagen, 107 Ferry Blvd., South Glens Falls, NY 12803, (518) 747-8986, or Thomas Lloyd at Adirondack, P.O. Box 2028, Glens Falls, NY 12801, (518) 761-3066....The board of directors of professional lighting distributor AC Lighting has appointed Bob Gordon, one of the founding partners of the company, as president and CEO....Orlando-based Soundelux Showorks has moved to a new location: 1701 Park Center Drive, Orlando, FL 32835; phone: (407) 926-6500; fax: (407) 926-6501. The new facility provides state-of-the-art production and post-production services, including 2D and 3D animation, sound design, mixing, music composition, and graphic design; Showorks Studios also houses Orlando's newest 1,600-sq.-ft. soundstage....Tracoman has hired David Sullivan as retail segment manager, serving retailers of both Antari and Abstract products. Sullivan previously was sales manager for Stanton Magnetics and has worked as a retailer and independent rep. Tracoman has also negotiated contracts with two automated lighting rep firms - Surround Design Associates and Marathon Marketing - for representation of the entire product range in addition to Tracoman's other lines. Surround Sound will rep in Nevada and Northern California; Marathon will cover Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Additionally, Diversified Lighting in Colorado will also cover Utah and Nebraska and Rob Joseph Marketing will cover Ohio and western Pennsylvania....Since adding 50 new products to its online catalog, Penn Fabrication has expanded its distribution center based in New Jersey by 18,000 sq. ft. In other Penn Fabrication news, the firm has hired Stephen Gough, a laser production engineer....California-based Apogee Sound International has signed on two new European distributors: Lightfactor Sales, based in the UK, and KEM Pro Sound & Vision Systems, a Greek distributor of audio products since 1983....Transamerica Audio Group joins the growing number of audio companies moving to Las Vegas, having moved its corporate headquarters to 4760 W. Dewey, Ste. 133, Las Vegas, NV 89118; phone: (702) 365-5155. The offices will house all sales, marketing, and administrative functions....