Three BLMC & BSMC Faculty Members Nominated For Lucille Lortel Awards

Kevin Adams will be competing against himself when the 2007 Lucille Lortel Awards are presented on May 7, 2007 at New World Stages. He was nominated twice in the category of Outstanding Lighting Design: for his work on Some Men and on Spring Awakening, the innovation musical that all attendees at the Broadway Lighting Master Classes will attend on Wednesday, May 18, as part of the 13th annual BLMC, May 15-17, 2007.

Spring Awakening was also nominated in the Outstanding Musical and Outstanding Director (Michael Mayer) categories. In addition, Broadway Sound Master Classes faculty member Brian Ronan was nominated in the Outstanding Sound Design category. Ronan will discuss his sound design for Spring Awakening and the new Kander and Ebb musical, Curtains, as part of the fifth annual BSMC, May 19-20, 2007.

A second BLMC faculty member, Christopher Akerlind, was also nominated in the Outstanding Lighting Design category for his work on the off-Broadway play KOAS, based on a series of Pirandello stories. This lighting by Akerlind varies from a warm interior light that shines through doors and windows as they open, to chilling. A large single source upstage right provides the moonlight in the first part of the story, as Bata's wife discovers his secret affliction. In the second part of the story, which comes later as the various tales are editing as a collage, a single source moon is seen downstage right, moves to upstage right, then upstage left as it "rises," increasing its impact. The stage area is left open as if it was the village square, with just a pile of stones and a few chairs as props, allowing the actors freedom of movement. A trap is carried off at one point, as a grave is dug, with dirt shoveled from below the stage level. The side wall stops short of the upstage cyc, allowing a lighting position for sidelight from stage left. On the exposed brick wall of the theatre, stage right, additional lighting positions offer low side light that caresses the faces of the actors.

This year’s Master Classes include the BLMC, BSMC, and the second Broadway Projection Master Classes on Friday, May 18, with featured speakers Wendall K. Harrington and Willie Williams. A highlight of the Mas Classes week is the Live Design Honors event on Tuesday evening, May 15, a special benefit honoring producer/director Hal Prince. The evening includes a panel with designers who have worked with Prince over the years, and a silent auction and raffle to benefit The ESTA Foundation’s Behind The Scenes program.

Complete details and online registration information about the Live Design Master Classes can be found at: broadwaymasterclasses.com.