‘New York, New York’ is a big, spectacular Broadway musical with stunning designs that saw Scenic Designer Beowulf Boritt win a Tony Award and Lighting Designer Ken Billington get a Tony nomination. They tell us about how their designs evoke 1940’s New York and interpret it for a musical theater stylized staging.
Romania’s Bucharest Opera recently staged The Phantom of the Opera, Broadway’s longest-running musical, with a wide array of Claypaky fixtures illuminating the beloved play’s romantic and thrilling scenes. The production at the Bucharest National Opera House ran from March 31 to May 14 with the first performances selling out hours after tickets went on sale. The show’s staff worked with teams from Broadway and London’s West End to ensure a high artistic level was achieved.Read More »Claypaky Fixtures Shine for ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ in Bucharest
Santa Fe Opera announces the 86 members of its 2023 Apprentice Program for Theater Technicians. Selected from a pool of exceptional international candidates, these young artists bring a wave of fresh creativity and technical expertise to the opera industry. Each season at the SFO, the Apprentice Technicians perform backstage functions within one of eight separate crews: Audio/Visual, Costumes, Electrics, Production/Music Services, Properties, Scenic Arts, Stage Crew, and Wigs and Makeup. The crews carry out the majority of work on daily changeovers between the season’s operas and fill positions crucial to the live-running of productions.Read More »The Santa Fe Opera Announces 86 Apprentice Technicians for the 2023 Season
Janet Jackson’s ‘Together Again’ tour is her 10th outing. For the ‘five act’ retrospective of her 50-year career, Eric Wade, Principal of Crossfade Design served as Production Designer as well as Tour Director. Troy Eckerman was Associate Lighting Designer/Lead Lighting Programmer. Both speak with PLSN about the production solutions supporting this dynamic artist’s tour.
PLSN presents the lighting and video solutions provided by CT and Ayrton for the recent Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, England.
The Howell Binkley Fellowship Program announced their third Fellow for 2023, Amara McNeil; and a 2023 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre will be presented to Production Supervisor and Production Stage Manager Lisa Dawn Cave. We also look at the Tony design nominations and present the news of appointments and promotions at the Washington National Opera (WNO).
Washington National Opera General Director Timothy O’Leary and Artistic Director Francesca Zambello announce two new appointments that will oversee the newly defined Artistic and Production departments. The delineation aims to create clearer lines of responsibility, a more sustainable workload for Washington National Opera (WNO) staff, and new support for WNO’s mission. Chelsea Antrim Dennis will join WNO as Director of Production, beginning August 7, 2023. Dennis comes to WNO from Santa Fe Opera, where she currently serves as Director of Production and where she began her career in 2004. Dennis’ position will oversee the technical production, costumes, lighting, stage management, facilities planning & administration, and rehearsal departments.Read More »Chelsea Antrim Dennis Joins the Washington National Opera as Director of Production
An informative interview with Lighting Designer and Educator Lap Chi Chu about working on two shows at Lincoln Center simultaneously; “Camelot” and “The Coast Starlight.” Both shows were very different, yet for the designer, there was more that connected them than just a staircase.
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.
Here’s a look at look at the lighting gear choices for two lighting designs, one for the opera “Macbeth” in New Zealand and the other in Chicago for the new musical, “The Notebook.”
Broadway’s longest running show in history, The Phantom of the Opera, takes its final bows and will go dark, closing in mid-April. PLSN speaks with some of the creative and production team who have been with the show since the beginning 35 years ago. Sharing their thoughts are Lighting Designer Andrew Bridge, Associate LD Vivien Leone, Head Electrician Alan Lampel. We also talk with Gary Fails about the fog system, which is integral to the overall impact of the show.
There is no shortage of glitz at the red-carpet festivities that precede the Premios Los Nuestro Awards. Year after year, many of Latin Music’s biggest… Read More »CHAUVET Professional and 4Wall Help Rene Garcia and Chris Fernandez Design Accent Premios Los Nuestro Red Carpet Event