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Realizing an Otherworldly Performance for the ‘Kids’ Choice Awards’

For the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, which aired March 4, 2023, the show featured a digital performance segment with rapper/Nickelodeon star Young Dylan. The sequence was shot via virtual production at LA’s Lulu Studio 18 with a Production Design by Silent House Principal Tamlyn Wright, who was Creative Producer, Production Design for the segment. Lulu Studio 18’s owner Michael Zinman served as Virtual Production Producer. Zinman and Wright share how they created the otherworldly, kid-friendly virtual environment.

‘Wu-Tang: An American Saga’ Takes a Tour Bus Ride Without Leaving the Stage

When the production team of the Hulu series’ “Wu-Tang: An American Saga” had an episode that took place primarily on a tour bus, they brought Carstage, an In-Camera Virtual Effects (ICVFX) specialist, onboard. While dealing with ICVFX for such a large vehicle like a bus may seem daunting, it was something Carstage had already tackled. They also got a big assist from Nationwide Video’s Secaucus, NJ location, which was just a five-minute drive from the filming stage.

Trey Anastasio Band and Goose: Four Heads are Better than One

Trey Anastasio Band (TAB) and Goose co-headlined an arena tour in the northeast with Lighting Designers Marc Janowitz for TAB and Andrew Goedde for Goose. Joining them on the road were Lighting Directors / Programmers Patrick Hayes for TAB and Tony Caporale for Goose. Their great teamwork and creative synergy resulted in two equal but distinctively different full blown shows every night.

Blake Shelton: ‘Back to the Honky Tonk’ Tour

From the creative minds of designers Steve Cohen and Bob Bonniol, working along with Felix Peralta, Blake Shelton’s “Back to the Honky Tonk” tour, with dynamic lighting, a cutting-edge video environment production design and a working bar stage extension, is a visually engaging theatrical experience. We catch up with the team to learn about the design and the practical solutions they relied on to realize it.

ODESZA: ‘The Last Goodbye Tour’

Electronic music with live music from drumline and horn sections produces a unique acoustic and visually arresting live musical experience for ODESZA’s audiences. Co-Creative Directors Luke Tanaka and Sean Kusanagi along with Lighting Designer Kyle Kegan have been working with the band and PM Shane Crowl to ensure the visual design reinforces the dynamic performance on tour and at festivals during “The Last Goodbye Tour.”

Streaming The Last Rockstars at the Hollywood Palladium

The Last Rockstars, a Japanese supergroup, played sold-out dates in Tokyo, New York City, and Los Angeles. We speak with Lighting Designer Peter Morse about his rocking design that showcased the band in the best light, and with Video Director Kevin Garcia about capturing and livestreaming the Hollywood Palladium show globally, including to 100 movie theaters in Japan.

Maggie Rogers: ‘The Feral Joy Tour’

Maggie Rogers, the Grammy nominated singer/songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist, is touring with Lighting Designers Dan Hadley & Tess Falcone and Lighting Director Ali “Blue” Allison. Along the way, they talked to PLSN about working with the artist for “The Feral Joy Tour” and how the design supports the artist.

Tove Lo ‘Dirt Femme Tour 2023’

Mason Ford, Lighting Designer, Programmer and Director for Tove Lo’s “Dirt Femme” Tour, noted how the cloud set pieces were “the main element” at the start of his discussions with Creative Director Charlie Twaddle and the Tove Lo team. They opted to focus more on lighting than video—with no complaints from Ford—with a rig provided by Premier Global Production, the lighting vendor that had supported this artist’s “Sunshine Kitty” Tour in 2020. “When I heard from our Production Manager Tyler Young that we were going with [PGP], I definitely breathed a sigh of relief,” Ford said. “With Mark Donahue out as our Lighting Tech, and the gear they sent us out with, I didn’t have much to worry about.”

Vance Joy ‘In Our Own Sweet Time Tour 2023’

Vance Joy’s “In Our Own Sweet Time Tour” was Lighting Director Morgan Embry’s first chance to work with LD Sooner Routhier, which Embry called “an absolute pleasure,” noting that the design “has really served the show by allowing us to customize to each venue,” including arenas, stadiums, theaters, and amphitheaters. This tour was also the third where Embry worked alongside Lighting Crew Chief & Tech Quincy Stanton, whom Embry credited for expertise and leadership skill. She also gave kudos to programmers Dan Norman and PJ Carruth for “an excellent job of laying programming groundwork that would translate to clean cloning, regardless of which fixture types changed from show to show.”

Making the Evening Happen: The Sponsors

The annual Parnelli Awards ceremony is the one night a year we shine the spotlight on those who spend their careers away from it, toiling backstage. And the evening wouldn’t be possible without our forward-thinking, industry-supporting sponsors. Here’s a brief introduction to who they are and what they do for our industry.

Willa Kim Scholarship & Exhibition; News from Perdue and USITT

The Theatre Communications Group (TCG) has announced the recipients of 2023 The Willa Kim Costume Design Scholarship, honoring costume designer Willa Kim’s legacy and her life’s work as a pioneer, legend, and inspiration for many of today’s theater artists. Kim’s iconic work in ballet, theater, opera, and television is also the subject of a career spanning retrospective at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts as noted in this month’s theater news, along with a new online course in Structures for the Stage from Purdue University. We also look at USITT’s Gateway Program and USITT’s 2023 Joel E. Rubin Founders Award honoree, Elynmarie Kazle.