The one thing you can expect at the Parnelli Awards is the unexpected. That was certainly true at the 12th Annual Parnelli Awards gala held Oct. 20 at the Mirage Las Vegas when Jake Berry (tour manager for Madonna, U2) showed up and then after him, Billy Squier. Both wanted to surprise Lifetime Achievement honoree Charlie Hernandez, and that they did (and everyone else).
It has been a dozen years now that PLSN and FOH magazines have combined their energies to shine the spotlight on the people who make shows happen at the annual Parnelli Awards. It is truly one of the most important things we do every year. It allows us to pay tribute to our industry and the people who have dedicated their careers and lives in making this an industry we can all share the privilege of being a part of.
For more than 20 years, the PLASA Show has called London’s Earls Court home. Sadly, 2012 is the last year the show will take place in the legendary hall — PLASA 2013 moves to London’s ExCel Oct. 6-9. With more than a 125-year heritage filled with history, stories and shows, Earls Court is closing and being demolished to be replaced with 8,000 new apartments, retail stores, and, possibly, a new meeting center.
To download PLSN’s 2012 PLASA Show Report, CLICK HERE
Like many other disciplines in the theater, lighting design has undergone a big shift in recent years as technological innovations have increased and as the demand for more eye-popping shows has grown. At times it feels like Broadway has gone Hollywood, but seasoned LDs know how to strike the right balance between the artistic and the technical. Not every big show has to be over-the-top to be effective; it all comes down to what the show and its story require. Both Don Holder and Ken Billington have tackled their share of smaller productions, big extravaganzas and other projects. Their latest credits include Annie and Chaplin: The Musical, respectively. Their combined experience came to the fore when they sat down with PLSN in Billington’s office to discuss their craft, their careers and their philosophies.
By the end of “Girl Gone Wild,” the first song in Madonna’s MDNA tour, you know that this will be a concert experience unlike any before. More operatic in design style than pop concert, the creative team has married technology, music, and choreography with the precision and glamour that exemplifies the star herself. The MDNA tour opened in Israel in June and is currently touring North America.
Joe Gallagher’s name and reputation is so tied to live event staging that it seems like his own company started years ago. But while Gallagher Staging and Productions, Inc. is barely a year old, the Gallagher name is a 30-plus year institution.
Lighting/Video Co
Visions Lighting
Venue
Nokia Theatre
Los Angeles, CA
Lighting Co
Epic Production Technologies
Venue
Various (Tour)
Lighting Cos
Upstaging, BP Productions
Venue
Chicago Sheraton, Chicago IL
Lighting Co
Premier Global Production
Venue
Various (Tour)
Lighting Co
PRG
Venue
The Don Thompson Theatre
Tampa, FL
Lighting Co
Performance Lighting/Stewart Independent Production
Venue
B1 Parking Lot
Notre Dame, IN