LiveBlog

I had two experiences yesterday at the Broadway Lighting Master Classes that were really great as an exhibitor. There is a high school student here from Redbank, NJ, and he has unbelievable enthusiasm. He actually rents his own gear for the HS productions from 4Wall. He started asking me about our scrollers and about Morpheus’ scrollers and if we can make similar products. It was then I noticed Ken Billington standing across the room and knew that Ken knew more about Morpheus, so I suggested to the student we go talk to Ken and ask him. Well, I thought he would fall over. We had a great talk with Ken, and that sort of thing would just never happen outside of here. And from a commercial standpoint, we now feel like we have an ally in this student and future great designer.

The second meeting was with a woman from Cal Arts who works with Don Holder and has some of our gear. She mentioned she was having some issues with the CXIs. I told her to send all the stuff back so we can take a look, and we’ll send her back everything with an Infogate system, so we can perform diagnostics more easily. She was thrilled. I didn’t even know she was going to be here, and that sort of meeting just would not have happened over the phone…only here.

What an enjoyable first day at the BLMC! I got to the conference a little early, met up with some other CalArts friends and had a lite breakfast before the day started. It was definitely not a day to be running late. The conference started with an amazing lecture from the one and only Jules Fischer. His eloquent public speaking and kind mannerisms really got his points across to the audience. Jules presented a lot of interesting magic tricks and optical illusions to get everyone excited about his lecture. It is funny how the simplest tricks still amaze me. Jules’ lecture was intense, in depth and certainly very insightful into the world of lighting design. There is a lot of content to summarize, but the key elements that I enjoyed hearing about were his theories on stage lighting and his message to strive for excellence by controlling light to its fullest extent.

The morning flew by fast. At the lunch break everyone was introduced to the numerous vendors showing off their favorite and latest gear. It was nice to speak with some of the reps and ask them questions and grab some swag.

After lunch there was a color theory demo session from Beverly Emmons and Clifton Taylor. Talking about color theory can be very daunting
sometimes, but actually being able to visually show how colors mix and interact on stage in a demo always makes it more enjoyable.

The afternoon concluded with a discussion on how light creates the ability to tell a story by my mentor Don Holder. I had heard some of the stories from discussions we had in class, but each time I do I pick up something new. In today’s lecture I was particularly fascinated with Don’s comparisons (including photo documentation) of classical style Broadway lighting for South Pacific to the current revival at Lincoln Center. We did a case study of the plot at Calarts, but it wasn’t until his lecture that everything fell into place and made sense about why we (lighting designers) light shows the way we do today.

Additionally, I was unfortunately not able to make it do Clam Bake after today’s sessions ended as the schedule between the two conflicted slightly.

As it would have been a rush to get to Clam Bake after BLMC, I decided to fit Young Frankenstein into my schedule. The sound design master class got to enjoy it as t heir feature show earlier in the week, so I figured I should get the chance to enjoy it as well. I will have to say that I was laughing from start to finish at the songs, jokes and numerous stage gags onstage. It was an enjoyable way to end my first evening in the city.

I’m looking forward to the 2nd day of BLMC and a full day of lectures, plus the added bonus of seeing Passing Strange.

The Broadway Lighting Master Classes are underway, with a fantastic first day of sessions with Jules Fisher, Beverly Emmons, Clifton Taylor, and Don Holder. Attendees were treated to a manufacturers showcase during lunch and had the chance to get their hands on gear from sponsors.

Surprise visits today included Ken Billington, Kyle Chepulis, Kevin Adams (speaking Thursday), and Peggy Eisenhauer (speaking tomorrow and Thursday). Visits from mentoring companies who were not exhibiting included Patrick O’Rourke and Mike Cannon, both from 4Wall.

The Excellence Awards and Lighting Products of the Year ceremony starts, within the hour, so check back tomorrow for photos and more news.

Marian Sandberg and LD Brian MacDevitt, who spoke at both the PMCs and will speak tomorrow at the BLMC

Projection designer and PMC presenter Zak Borovay

From left to right: PMC speakers Sean Cagney, Peter Acken, Patrick Dierson, and Adam Dunaway.

Here are some pictures taken at the Broadway Sound Master Classes this weekend.
From left to right: Acclaimed music director Paul Gemignani, sound designer Dan Moses Schreier, and Broadway orchestrator Jonathan Tunick, right before their Sunday session “Sound Designers Collaborating With and Working with the Music Director and the Orchestrator.”