PLASA 2011 Show Report
Even at eight hours a day and four days long, PLASA offers too much for one person to see. There are simply too many manufacturers with too many significant product introductions to cover everything worth noting.
Nocturnal Wonderland 2011
In late September, electronic music fans were treated to some beats dropped by top artist such as Avicii, Sebastian Ingrosso and Kaskade at Nocturnal Wonderland 2011, held at the National Orange Show Event Center in San Bernardino, CA.
Doing What You Love
The fall is the most exciting time of the year — at least for me it is. I love the changing of the seasons, the vibrant colors in the Blue Ridge mountains. Football is back, the pennant race has begun, the crispness in the air. It’s a wonderful time of year. Most importantly, two of our industry’s biggest trade shows happen. I consider this time of year important for our industry. Call it our Super Bowl, if you will. Two times during the fall, we come together to learn, explore and celebrate.
Anything Goes: Lighting for “Musical Theater Time”
One of the hottest tickets on Broadway is Anything Goes, the vibrant, colorful revival of the famed Cole Porter musical. The mixture of classic showtunes, a lively cast, the return of the charming Joel Grey and the exuberant energy of star Sutton Foster has won over audiences and critics. The fun, fluffy tale of romantic and criminal shenanigans on the high seas was a hit in the Depression and now resonates with modern audiences seeking similar relief from economic stress. And the new production’s three-tiered boat set, which includes smaller set pieces that slide out from its nooks and crannies, is a triumph of scenic design.
Rihanna’s LOUD Tour
Rihanna’s LOUD Tour 2011 is not originally named for its decibel level — although the ears would say otherwise. Production designer LeRoy Bennett uses loud as another word for “intensity.” Loud in looks. Loud for the eyes. Loud as in, “Pay attention and look.”
U2’s 360: Reflections on an Epic Journey
After more than two years performing 110 shows over three legs that visited much of the world, the U2 360° tour took its final bow this past summer. Boasting the highest-ticket grosses and a record-breaking final attendance of over 7,000,000 concertgoers, the both commercially and critically successful tour pushed the envelope of every production discipline. At PLSN, we wondered how some of the production team would reflect back on their incredible journey now that it had come full-circle (Okay, you had to see that coming.)
Packing a Truck
Loading up a truck. Even though this is a crucial skill that, when properly executed, can save a production rental company lots of time, money and headaches, it’s a skill that isn’t often taught, and even less-frequently learned.
Kid Rock Turns 40 with Pyro, Lasers, Video and Lighting
Kid Rock turned 40 this year, and he had a small party. Just hundreds of thousands of his closest friends. Also, it went a little long. Eight months.
Part of the party was set/lighting designer and programmer Richard “Nook” Schoenfeld, who has been lighting up Rock since 2000. And there was a lot to light, too. Rock brought out a 10-person band plus four dancing girls. Kicking off in Detroit, Rock’s hometown, the high-energy flame-ignited spectacle dazzled more than 50,000 at Ford’s Field on July 17. He took the party across America through to September.
Rod Stewart/Stevie Nicks: Heart & Soul Tour
Mark Payne, lighting designer, director and programmer for Rod Stewart, credits the late Ian Knight, who died in March 2010, for the general concept and set design for the 2011 Rod Stewart & Stevie Nicks Heart & Soul tour.
Ed Wannebo, Winner of the 2011 Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award
Ed Wannebo stops in mid sentence. He’s halfway through a long interview, and he’s up to working for Hall & Oates. He’s already spoken of his work with Van Halen, Tina Turner, David Bowie, ZZ Top, and Stevie Nicks, among others. He’s not yet gotten to Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, or Kenny Chesney.
Addressing the Risks of Uneven Load Distribution
With storm-related collapses of outdoor stage structures in the news this year, there have been extensive discussions on topics ranging from wind loads on truss structures to foul weather evacuation protocols. Here, we take a closer look at one of the many critical inter-related factors that all add up to truss collapse prevention and stage safety: The problem of unpredictable load distribution and the importance of load monitoring.
Richard Pilbrow’s “A Theatre Project”
Autobiography, corporate history, theatre history, memoir—the new book, A Theatre Project, by Richard Pilbrow, is as hard to classify as Pilbrow himself. Best known as a lighting designer, Pilbrow has also served as a ground-breaking theatre consultant. He’s also produced theatre, film and TV and was a projection designer before there was even a recognized craft as such.