Theme parks' focus in the THEA Digital Case Studies, including the popular Star Wars Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA (home of many of LDI's Disney technical tours...). Hopefully theme parks will once again thrive and the industry will get back on its feet but in the meantime take to the interwebs to share the Themed Entertainment Associations' look at winning park attractions on this Thursday, November 5, 2020 as the earth continues to spin on its axis right here in our own galaxy.
Training & Webcasts:
• November 5 @ 10am Eastern: 26th THEA Awards, Digital Case Studies, Block 7: Theme Parks: Warner Bros. World™ Abu Dhabi, UAE; Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, Disneyland Resort, California, USA; Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Disneyland Resort, California, USA; Moderated by: Brian Morrow, BMorrow Productions. Register Here.
• November 5 @ 1pm Eastern: Ahead Of The Curve: On The Spot: A Conversation With Geoffrey Platt: Suzanna (Geoff’s wife) takes over as host to dive deep into Geoff’s past experience in entertainment & technology, why he created Ahead of The Curve and what he thinks about the future. PLUS…. A surprise bonus that Geoffrey will (not) love - she’ll share a few of those little embarrassing & weird things about Geoff you may not know. (Have a question for Geoffrey? Add it in the comments or message us now and we may just include it in the show!) Get ready - this one will be a LOT of fun!!! Watch Here.
Looking Ahead, Register In Advance:
• November 6 @ 12pm Eastern: Theatre Artist Conversations, with DNAWORKS founders Daniel Banks, Adam W. McKinney, and your fellow artists in community dialogue to stay in touch and share ideas, resources and support. Register Here.
• November 9: USITT: Collaboration Conversations: Julie Taymor and Donald Holder: Join Tony Award-winning collaborators, director Julie Taymor and lighting designer Don Holder as they discuss the process of working together to build a production. The first in USITT Collaboration Conversations, Taymor and Holder each won Tony Awards for The Lion King. This discussion of the designer/director collaboration will give you insight into the process and the synergy that can develop when two artistic minds meld to bring a vision to life. Register Here.
Recent Podcasts and Webcasts:
Anne Valentino: A Life In Control: On the event of her retirement, Steve Terry and Dennis Varian talk to Anne Valentino about her long career at ETC and the tremendous influence she has had on the global professional lighting control market. How did the Obsession and Eos family of consoles come to be? A delightful celebration of Anne’s work.Watch Here.
CI To Eye With Joshua Dachs: Jokes Land Better In Tight Spaces and Other Theatre Design Trade Secrets: In this episode, Joshua Dachs and Erik Gensler lift the curtain on the mysteries of theater design. They discuss how seat layout impacts the way comedy is received, why some roadhouses have "absurd capacities," and why Broadway theaters are so uncomfortable. Listen Here.
The Lumen Brothers, Light Talk: In this episode of Light Talk, The Lumen Brothers celebrate the life and legacy of "The Dean of American Stage Design", and a true Mensch, Ming Cho Lee. Steve, Stan, and David welcome special guests Ann Sheffield and Chris Barreca to LIGHT TALK, as they discuss: Their relationships with Ming; the amazing partnership of Ming and Betsy; Ming's studio hijinks; The Clambake; Ming's devastating critiques of David's set designs; Ann and Betsy's CVS trips; Arguing about politics; Wrangling Ming; What Ming meant to education; Ming the mensch; and Ming's amazing theatrical legacy. Listen Here.
Live Design Master Classes:
• November 23 @ 11am Eastern: Live Design Virtual Master Classes: Houses Of Worship: Divine Inspiration: Your inspiration might be heaven-sent, but cutting-edge technology makes it all possible. Houses of Worship simply glow with good LED lighting, top-notch video systems including IMAG, and the best gear for broadcasting. Industry experts share tips and techniques for effective lighting and video that enhance the experience and add magic to your service. Free. Register Here.
• Live Design Virtual Master Classes: Design & Production In Virtual Environments: Intro to XR and Virtual Production; Advanced XR Production Techniques & Case Studies; The Role of XR in Compelling Storytelling. Sessions hosted by Vickie Claiborne, disguise Training Manager in Americas, and additional industry experts. Sponsored by disguise. Free. Available On Demand. Register Here.
• Live Design Virtual Master Classes: Lighting: Three sessions focus on various angles of lighting: GDTF & MVR, a look at his innovative new technology and the bi-directional exchange of data developed by Vectorworks, Robe, and MA Lighting as an open standard for the entertainment industry. Plus a look at 2021 updates, with Matt Geasy of Clear All Visuals; LED Color Mixing, Color Temperature, and Light Quality, with Kevin Lawson and Greg Cohen of UVLD; Designing Immersive Lighting: The design and technical challenges of creating compelling immersive lighting for visual storytelling, using Pip’s Island, an interactive kid's experience, as the quintessential example. Speakers include: Al Crawford, Roya Abab, Zakaria Al-Alami, Manuel DaSilva, and Nicholas Palatella. Free; sponsored by ETC. Register Here to watch on demand.
For Your Viewing Enjoyment:
• Being Shakespeare, now streaming, right here:
• Extended thru November 8: Conflict: Mint Theatre Company: A play by Miles Malleson, a mix of love and politics set against the backdrop of a contested election. How To Watch Online.
• The Metropolitan Opera: From The Baroque To The Present: A Two-Week Tour Of Opera History: Weeks #34 & 35 of nightly streams from the opera archives. Watch Here.
• Cirque du Soleil: Behind The Curtain of Mystère: This week on #CirqueConnect, enjoy watching our latest behind the curtain of Mystère by Cirque du Soleil. Be a witness to the backstage adventures and stories that make up the foundation of #CirqueduSoleil’s longest running #LasVegas resident show. Watch below:
#WeMakeEvents #RedAlertRESTART
• RedAlert LIVE The four-hour live stream of the #RedAlertRESTART event on Tuesday, September 1, 2020. Hosted by lighting designer Christian Jackson, with live feeds and video from across the country plus Trinidad & Tobago. Watch Here.
An Important Conversation:
• Live Design and USITT co-hosted "A Conversation On Diversity And Anti-Racism In Entertainment Design," moderated by David Stewart, production manager for Disney Parks Live Entertainment, and an important voice in the ongoing quest to increase diversity in our industry. The full panel for this important discussion includes lighting designers Rachael Blackwell, Porsche McGovern, and Xavier Pierce, lighting/projection designer Roma Flowers, lighting designer/event coordinator Ebony Madry, and production manager Lawrence Bennett. Watch Here.
Training & Webcasts When You Want:
• GLP 10 Out Of 10: This episode of 10 Out Of 10 features LD Bryan Hartley best known for his work with KISS, Anthrax, Megadeth, Velvet Revolver, and Trans Siberian Orchestra. Watch Here.
• Bill Sapsis Rigging Classes: Fall Arrest Harnesses: What you don’t know could kill you. There’s a lot more going on than just sticking your arms and legs in and tightening the straps. This session will help you harness up safely. Watch Here.
• Notch Showcast: Algorithm Studio use Notch and the Noitom V2 motion capture suit to create an intimate music video in the peak of social distancing. Creative director Kev Freeney and Notch designer Dillon O’Sullivan welcomed the challenge of creating The Blizzards ‘Pound The Pavement’ music video during a national lockdown. Watch Here.
• Strand and Vari-Lite: A series of online training videos on various aspects of lighting systems. Watch Here.
• History In The Making: Steve Terry In Conversation With Dave Cunningham and Gordon Pearlman... A time machine talk about the advent of computer-controlled lighting consoles. Watch Here.
• Elation Professional Online Learning Center: Provides lighting professionals with easy-to-access learning options, the new resource site is full of free educational and training material. Watch Here.
• The Elation Hour: A series of interviews with leading designers from film/TV, theatre, concerts, corporate events, festivals, and more... Watch here.
• Scott Parker: A lot of training videos to choose from, from his Stage Seminars to a book review of Richard Pilbrow's Stage Lighting Design. Watch Here and Here (Stage Seminars)
• Lighting designer Mike Woods: Online training videos. Watch Here.
• Ross Video: Ross Live | 2020: A weekly series of presentations, podcasts, and product launches designed to highlight best practices across a range of live production environments. Watch Here.
• frame.work videos are now online, a conference for video professionals. Watch Here.
• 4Wall Entertainment: Archives for Sunday Roundtables and Thursday Tales From The Road. Watch Here.
• ETC Story Q&A with Tom Littrell: thoughts from Outreach and Training Specialist Tom Littrell on LEDs. Read Here.
• Unreal Interactive Demo. Watch Here.
• Opera America – live streams.
• ETC On Headset: The Billington Files
• TDF Stages, list of streaming performances updated daily.
Podcasts:
• Light Talk With The Lumen Brothers (and Sistah!): A conversation with BIPOC lighting designer Adam Honoré, an award-winner at age 26 and nominated for this year's Live Design Achievement Awards, now open for voting. Listen Here.
• Real Talk With Mason Brady: A talk with Brad Berridge is a sound artist at Feld Entertainment, which is the company that produces Disney ON ICE!, Marvel Experiences, and others. He has worked across the United States bringing his sound design and composition to tons of different theaters and auditoriums. Listen Here.
• USITT TECHnically Speaking: A COVID-19 Discussion With Kathy Perkins: The Summer 2020 edition of Theatre Design and Technology (TD&T) explores racism in the theatre in an important piece by Taylor Leigh Lamb. TECHnically Speaking talks with lighting designer Kathy Perkins, interviewed for the article, to discuss her 1995 TD&T article, how the conversation on racism in the industry has shifted, and if Black designers are finally getting the industry recognition they deserve. Listen Here.
Industry Resources:
• USITT Women In Theatre Network