letter from the editor

Dear Reader:
Which one is more true: Everything you need to know you learned in kindergarten, or you've never too old to learn something new? Whichever side of the fence you fall on, this special Theatre Crafts supplement should be right up your alley, providing as it does both basic information that every theatre geek needs as well as offering some new ideas even the most grizzled veteran may never have thought of before.

Take our special look behind the scenes of the technical direction for the site-specific production of King Lear (page 4). Housed at the Brewery Complex in downtown LA, the production provided all sorts of challenges one doesn't normally face in the theatre: creating a flat floor, making cars crash, moving the audience, getting rid of kangaroo rats. The technical team offers their own first-person accounts of their experiences of this one-of-a-kind production.

For the student, Michael Eddy takes a look at a design tool that is starting to make inroads at universities: Lightbox, a concept that uses fiber optics and focusable luminaires to provide perhaps the closest approximation yet to scaled stage lighting, complete with color, patterns, even dimming and control systems. Suitable not only for lighting but also set and costume design applications, it may just be the next big thing.

And for both sides of the techie fence, we offer the usual assortment of everybody's favorite, the How-To, as well as a plentiful array of new gear. It's enough to put me on the never-too-old-to-learn fence, but since my two-year-old makes me watch Barney every day, I might not be the best one to choose.