Politics In Opera, a timely theme as the election approaches, so The Metropolitan Opera is playing its political repertory this week. So watch a few operas—John Adams' Nixon In China and Philip Glass' Satyagraha for example—and be sure to vote for the upcoming election in the US. The week continues to present a lot of online activity with sessions on lighting and rigging, as well as XR, as this new twist on technology continues to fascinate and facilitate... it certainly has been a timely addition in the time of COVID-19. So make yourself a cocktail or a mock-tail and enjoy the options for Tuesday, October 27, 2020 and the next few days!
Training & Webcasts:
• October 27 @ 11am Central: Harman Learning Sessions: The Art of Perfect Playback in Lighting Design with Michael KellerWe will discuss how to learn the art of running a perfectly timed show when designing lighting for a wide variety of artists and applications. Register Here.
• October 27-29: Maxon 3D & Motion Design Show: Learn Cinema 4D, Redshift, and the Red Giant suite of products right from home with Maxon' talented featured artists. Dive into creative workflows, career tips, virtual reality, illustration techniques, character animation, and so much more. Register Here.
Looking Ahead, Register In Advance:
• October 28 @ 11am Central: Harman Learning Sessions:A Brief User’s Manual For A Lighting Career with Benny Kirkham: “Freelance Production Professional” is a niche role that no one outside of our business understands very well. In this webinar, we’ll try to create a bit of a checklist to make “adulting” less of a chore in your dream career. Register Here.
• October 28 @ 2pm Eastern: Bill Sapsis Free Rigging Training: Entertainment (E-series) ANSI Standards: Pointing the way. The key word is ‘guidance’. Standards put together by industry professionals provide knowledge and guidance that isn’t available anywhere else. And it’s free! Register Here.
• October 29 @ 11am Central: The ABC's of Awesome Lighting Terminology with Brad Schiller: Join Brad as he explores his favorite lighting terms and explains their meaning, importance, and history. Covering all genres of production, this lively discussion will introduce you to some of the more obscure nomenclature from every letter of the alphabet. Register Here.
• October 29 @ 1pm Eastern: Ahead Of The Curve: Geoffrey Platt interviews Cory FitzGerald of Silent House Productions as they chat about the ongoing changes and challenges within the rapidly evolving and changing world of virtual production and mixed reality. Watch Here.
• October 30 @ 3:30 Eastern: USITT Community Conversations: Lighting Design: Join lighting designers Jim Streeter, Christina Watanabe, Adam Honore, and Hideaki Tsutsui as they discuss their careers, process, and what inspires them. Register Here.
Live Design Master Classes:
• 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.
For Your Viewing Enjoyment:
• Some Like It Hip Hop: Written by Kate Prince and Felix Harrison. Check out the trailer here:
• October 27: Alice In The Pandemic: A Digital Opera: Time is elastic. Today is like yesterday like tomorrow. Elena Araoz directs and Tianhui Ng music directs in this new technology version of cyber opera. Buy tickets here (suggested ticket prices or pay what you want).
Learn about Alice:
• Thru November 1: Conflict: Mint Theatre Company: A play by Miles Malleson, a love story set against the backdrop of a contested election. How To Watch Online.
• New York City Ballet: Digital Fall Season: 21 Century Voices: October 20-27 at 8pm Eastern: A program of contemporary ballet. Watch Here.
• The Metropolitan Opera: Week #33 of nightly streams from the opera archives. Highlight of the week are Nixon In China on October 29, directed by Peter Sellars, sets by Adrianne Lobel, costumes by Dunya Ramicova, lighting by James F. Ingalls, choreography by Mark Morris, and sound by Mark Grey. and Satyagraha, designed by Julian Crouch, with lighting by Paule Constable, associate LD Kevin Sleep, costumes by Kevin Pollard, and video design by Leo Warner and Mark Grimmer. Other operas include Agrippina, Simon Boccanegra, Boris Godunov, and The Ghosts of Versailles. 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.
• 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.
• 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
• LDI on demand videos and webcasts
• Magnum’s complete list of free training and resources
Let's Go Shopping:
• Gillioz Theatre Poster Auction: Calling all poster collectors! In an effort to raise money to survive the pandemic, the historic Gillioz Theatre in Springfield, Missouri, for the first time is auctioning 99 event posters from its archives. Bid Here. Through October 31.