Features

The readers have spoken. And who are we to argue with them? Not that we ever doubted their choice, but they have voted for an especially eclectic group of companies for the regional winners of the Parnelli Hometown Heroes Awards. The common thread among them is that they are all serving their clients above and beyond the call of duty, yet they all do it in their own unique way. From these six winners, one will be chosen to receive the overall Parnelli Award for Hometown Hero at PLSN’s gala ceremony Oct, 24 2008. So read about those you don’t know and reacquaint yourself with those you do. Then go to www.parnelliawards.com and cast your vote!

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) was able to pump up the excitement surrounding its annual extravaganza, WrestleMania XXIV with lighting effects, custom graphics and a huge fireworks display by bringing the event outside for the first time. Not everything played out as planned but WWE still gave wrestling fans a night they’d never forget and broke the Citrus Bowl’s gate record by squeezing 74,639 people into almost every available seat.

The first North American Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference convened in the Michael Schimmel Performing Arts Center on the campus of Pace University in downtown New York City on July 20 and 21. More than 250 people from nine countries attended the conference and participated in a total of 18 panel discussions covering such topics as “The Future of Stage Machinery,” “The Greener Theatre,” “Design for Value” and more. In addition, keynote addresses were given by Richard Brett and Hugh Hardy and the Plenary Session was led by Steven Ehrenberg and David Taylor.

Intense heat radiating from the streets and sidewalks outside of the Las Vegas Convention Center in June was no match for the cool gear at InfoComm 2008. True to form, LEDs, media servers and projection dominated the show, but not all exhibitors followed the formula. Some of them showed products to rig, power and network with LEDs, media servers and projection. Another dominant technology at the show was wireless DMX, with several dimming and control manufacturers offering it as an option as well as one or two automated lighting manufacturers.

It’s not the sexiest part of the world of rock ‘n’ roll, but few can argue with its importance. After all, the band can fly around in their private jets or arrive with all the creature comforts they want in their custom coaches, but if the gear doesn’t arrive on time, safely and soundly, there’s not a lot that can happen.

Some baseball fans might say Yankee Stadium is already a place befitting worship. But as one of the highlights for Pope Benedict XVI’s six-day visit to the New York area in April, the hallowed baseball grounds needed to be transformed into an open-air cathedral including an altar, a performance stage and no billboards or other advertising in sight.  Along with the need to be prepared for inclement weather and to operate under strict security measures, those involved needed to coordinate the efforts of hundreds of crew members, set everything up within a two-day time frame between ball games, and take extraordinary measures to avoid trampling on the grass.

Jill Scott wanted elegance. LD Martin Thomas, as set designer, lighting designer, and lighting programming, delivered. Scott’s Live Soul tour had a lot of elegance, plus a lot of heart and class, when it rolled into St. Louis river city one recent rainy night. The sold-out show was well worth trudging through the wet weather, as the R&B singer provided a powerhouse of great music and showmanship. Scott is far from what all too often passes for a pop star these days: she’s a woman of experience and talent, and effectively and sincerely connects with the audience.

On the road to a conventional lighting update, you could say Mark Sepulveda took an “intelligent” detour. Sepulveda, who is global technical director for the six campuses of the Houston-based, 40,000-member Second Baptist Church, had a big task ahead of him in re-lighting the main sanctuary at the Woodway Campus. The system had originally been installed in the 1970s and updated in the mid-1980s, but with the increasing demand for video production and new high-definition cameras coming into the picture, the lighting needed to be updated.

You’d think that with highway diesel fuel rolling past $4 per gallon, alternative fuels harvested from corn, soy and other crops would be a natural: good for the budget, good for the environment, good for a tour trucking company’s image. But crop shortages have pushed prices for harvested oils to record highs. And growing awareness of the connection between biofuels, high food prices and deforestation, coupled with indignation over government subsidies and mandates, have created flashpoints of controversy.

When the rodeo comes to town, everyone is firing up their outdoor grills, and fields of bluebonnets line the highways as far as you can see, you know it’s springtime in Texas. But this year, spring also brought USITT to downtown Houston. And with it came the sweet fragrance of budding new technology, including just a hint of RDM and ACN. Along with the new growth, there was also plenty of ripe Ruby Red Rio Grande Valley grapefruit-like technology to tempt the attendees.

When you watch a performance of Video Games Live, the touring orchestral show of music from video games, now in its third season, you get a bit of a history lesson. “They start out with the real classics, like Donkey Kong and Tetris, some of which had only two or three colors in the entire game,” says Heath Marrinan, LD for Video Games Live. “As it goes through the night, the lighting begins to blend more with the video. We choose color schemes that reflect those of the games themselves, and the cues follow the dynamics of the music and the action on the screen. It can be sweepy and soft as you watch a guy cruising in an airplane on screen; then he jumps out and starts shooting a machine gun. I’ve never lit a symphony orchestra shredding on Halo 3 before.”

You’re in a nightclub on a Saturday night, you’ve had a drink or two, the DJ is spinning wicked live, and the most incredible guy/girl in the place walks up, and stands at the bar next to you. You (A) lean over and softly say, “Hey babe, are you tired? You’ve been running through my dreams all night.” (B) put on your sexy voice dripping with suggestiveness and ask if you can buy him/her a drink, or (C) don’t notice because you’re too busy watching the light show.