We're Baaack!

Welcome to Live Design's first ever Theatre Quarterly, and, I suppose, welcome back to all of you who've been missing your fix of Theatre Crafts, Theatre Crafts International, or even Entertainment Design over the years. Like those earlier, and apparently still missed publications, this supplement to the regular issue is dedicated to all of the design and technical challenges facing all aspects of theatre today: lighting, sound, sets, costumes, and makeup for high school, college, regional, and Broadway.

How is this supplement different from Live Design? Well, obviously, we cover sound, costumes, and other design disciplines that you won't find in the main book, though you will find lighting, sets, and even the occasional projection item here in these pages. And though we do include theatre in the main book as part of our overall coverage, here in these pages, it's all theatre, all the time.

And when I say theatre, I don't mean just Broadway, which, while an important component, is way beyond the scope of what most theatres around the country can afford to put together. Our cover story, for instance, is a roundup of the design and technical challenges of three recent regional theatre productions around the country: Hitchcock Blonde at South Coast Rep, Pericles at the Goodman, and Moon for the Misbegotten at the McCarter.

Because the focus for this first issue is sound, you'll find a plethora of information pertaining to that discipline, from Davi Napoleon's Problem/Solution on creating a storm on a very low budget for a production of King Lear at a community theatre in Illinois, to the sound on the recent Broadway production of Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life, to a lively Q&A with Matt Callahan, the resident sound designer at Actor's Theatre of Louisville, site of the upcoming USITT.

But there's also much more: we've got a sneak peek at Martin Pakledinaz' costumes for the upcoming Broadway revival of The Pajama Game, a thought-provoking column by set designer Michael Allen on the delicate balancing act of being a designer vs. being an assistant, and even a look at the design elements of the theatrical shows at Disney Hong Kong.

Not a bad lineup, if I do say so myself. Theatre has been a key component of this franchise since the birth of Theatre Crafts back in 1967. A lot has changed since then, but what remains is our commitment to theatre, in all its forms. We hope you like TQ and continue to support it so that we can keep giving you the kind of information you need to get your show up and running. See you in Louisville!