Stageline has contributed to the outdoor staging industry once again with the introduction of the SAM750, a giant concert stage which can be quickly assembled.
The original article can be found here: http://www.tpimagazine.com/News/2463006/stageline_sam750_embark_on_first_run_in_us.html
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For One Direction’s latest stadium tour, Brilliant Stages delivered a series of staging elements designed around a central theme of a skatepark. The 3-dimensional diamond-shaped ‘skate park’ features multiple performer levels that spread across the 54m wide x 21m deep main stage. The set incorporates pairs of ego- and band-risers, perimeter ramps and screamers arranged either side of a steep central slope, which rakes upstage at a 19° angle to a height of 4.5m, and is fronted by a 34m long skate thrust to the B-stage.
More details from Brilliant Stages (www.brilliantstages.com)
One Direction recently kicked off their latest stadium tour, Where We Are, to celebrate their third album, Midnight Memories. Working with designers Ray Winkler and Ric Lipson of Stufish, Brilliant Stages delivered a series of staging elements designed around a central theme of a skatepark.
Stufish designed the 3-dimensional diamond-shaped ‘skate park’ with multiple performer levels that spread across the 54m wide x 21m deep main stage. The set incorporates pairs of ego- and band-risers, perimeter ramps and screamers arranged either side of a steep central slope, which rakes upstage at a 19° angle to a height of 4.5m, and is fronted by a 34m long skate thrust to the B-stage.
Brilliant Stages designed and built the decking and supporting framework for the walkways and risers, along with scarlet powder-coated aluminium access stairs and onstage treads, handrails and skate bumper rails, and plentiful substage storage and tech areas. Also incorporated into the design are LED strips that edge all audience-facing fascias and weatherproofed lighting positions for the Mac Aura moving lights that are inset onto the on-stage ramps. The whole is finished in a customised slip-resistant coating in striking colours of red, black and silver.
“When looking at the design of the stage I had to make sure that the supporting structure was kept to a minimum to keep the clean look of the set,” says Brilliant Stages’ CAD designer, Mel Welch. “As always we have to consider the working crew as well as the artist making sure there is as much storage and tech areas as possible to operate the show.”
The perimeter ramps, ego risers and screamers positioned stage left and right are fabricated from Brilliant Stages’ customised, heavy duty, aluminium deck frames, into which are slotted 18mm birch plywood facings. “The decking drops into the aluminium extrusion from the top and is hand-crafted for an exact fit,” explains production manager, Wob Roberts. “The aluminium frames are designed to fit flush with the decking so water cannot penetrate and swell the boards. This saves the crew significant maintenance time which might otherwise be spent changing water-damaged decks.”
The steep central ramp incorporates a hinge-down section for support band access; the symmetrically positioned band risers are fitted with overhead frameworks and plastic covers as weather protection for the keyboards and drumsets and conceal tech bunkers beneath; the down stage apron walkway, or ‘boomerang’, has been fitted with five hatches, or ‘toasters’, to facilitate the entrance of the band mid-show. All are constructed of the same Brilliant Stages frame and decking system and supported above the Stage Co substage by scaff insert legs.
The 4.2m wide skate thrust that leads to the B-stage sports a series of ramps and red powder-coated aluminium skate bumper bars. The bumper bars locate into Brilliant’s plywood decking and aluminium framework and can be set to two different heights, while a pair of specially-designed adjustable access treads lead to the thrust and can move so the whole system can be raised or lowered easily to suit the varying heights of each venue.
Revolution Display Blade LED battens trace the edges of the thrust and B-stage and are attached to the sides of the decks by aluminium brackets. Further LED strips are inlaid into silver dibond edging on the downstage deck and screamer fascias. These delineate the edges and accentuate the set’s complex aesthetic structure. “Devising a method to incorporate the LED strips into the set was the main challenge of the project,” says Welch.
The extreme gradient of the skateboard slopes, especially the central slope, combined with the potential wet weather conditions in the outdoor stadiums provided another challenge in need of a Brilliant solution. It was evident that something more heavy-duty than a standard non-slip finish to the decking was required. Brilliant Stages rapidly employed some creative thinking to develop a customised, extra-strength anti-slip coating which was then produced in the three signature colours of the set, each of which had carried its own level of slipperiness.
“Brilliant are very good at the little details that make our life easier on the road,” says head carpenter, Darren Davidson-Morris. “They have a solid understanding of how we have to work. For example, upstage laser platforms and fixings for the in-ear system transmitters have been built directly into the set, the trim edges on all the walkways clip together quickly, decking just slots into the aluminium framework from above for rapid assembly and quick change space and guitar and drum tech areas have been designed into the sub-stage space.”
Brilliant Stages also designs with an accuracy that extends beyond physical components to the method of construction: Welch created a series of hooked spacers that connect the Stage Co substage to the Brilliant Stages set and orientate the main stage alignment precisely on every load-in. “This means the crew can rely on building the rest of the show around the main stage’s position straight away,” says Davidson-Morris. “It’s a brilliantly simple way to save time for all the crews during construction and we can put the whole thing together in just twelve hours.”
An upstage performer lift – a late introduction to the set design – delivers the band’s initial entrance. Brilliant built the platform and hoist points that lift it from stage level to the entrance point 4m above ground level, and worked with Davidson-Morris and his team to create an adaptation of a standard 10ft set cart that would accommodate the large 12ft-wide structure. As with the stage framework, the lift is constructed from aluminium for lightness during transit.
Welch, who has worked with the show’s technical co-ordinator, Nick Evans, on several occasions, spent much time on site with the One Direction crew to understand their precise requirements. “We have known these guys a long time and have a great relationship with them,” he says. “We also appreciate the high level of coordination that exists between Brilliant Stages and Stufish. They are always very enjoyable to work with and I get great satisfaction from a job when everybody is happy with it.”
“I really like working with Brilliant Stages on stage set as they have never let me down,” says Roberts. “They are very hands-on and, being UK-based, are able to be on-hand for site visits, which is great for fine tuning. It also means we don’t incur the expense of international freight costs.”
Davidson-Morris agrees: “The budget was a challenge on this show but Brilliant always provide what the designer wants and design to fit the budget with no loss of quality. Their set is simple but professional and fast to put together. This is the third show I have worked on with Brilliant Stages. They understand what we have to do on the road and have created a set I enjoy working with.”
The Where We Are Tour will travel through the UK, Ireland, Europe, USA, Canada and South America between April and October this year.
The original article can be found here: http://www.plsn.com/international-news/13821-brilliant-stages-delivers-skatepark-for-one-direction-tour-.html
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KORTRIJK, Belgium – Barco has expanded its projection portfolio for rental and staging with a brand-new three-chip DLP projector. Offering a brightness level of 35,000 center lumens, the HDQ-4K35 is capable of showing native 4K content at 60 Hz frame rates. It features a unique integrated design with internal power supply, rental frame and no external chimney fan.
More details from Barco (www.barco.com)
KORTRIJK, Belgium – Barco, a global leader in projection technology, is proud to expand its projection portfolio for rental and staging with a brand-new three-chip DLP projector. Offering a brightness level of 35,000 center lumens, the brand-new HDQ-4K35 is capable of showing native 4K content at 60 Hz frame rates. It features a unique integrated design with internal power supply, rental frame and no external chimney fan. What’s more, the HDQ-4K35 is fully ready to be combined with Barco’s groundbreaking 4K screen management system, which allows native 4K projector blending – a first in the industry. Barco will unveil the new HDQ-4K35 at InfoComm, from 18 – 20 June in Las Vegas, and the projector will be commercially available as of Q4 2014.
“Barco has been the industry leader in high-brightness and high-resolution projection technology for decades and with the introduction of the HDQ-4K35 projector we continue to raise the bar for image quality,” comments Bill Morris, Vice President Venues & Hospitality at Barco. “Thanks to its 4K (4,096 x 2,160) resolution and 60 Hz frame rate, it delivers razor-sharp images to boost live events with stunning visuals in vibrant, rich colors.”
Striking image quality
The HDQ-4K35 is equipped with a Xenon 6.5 kW lamp and a high-contrast optical engine that guarantee vivid colors and present audiences with crisp, stunning images on every occasion. Rental companies that already own a fleet of HDQ-2K40 projectors can reuse their XLD lenses for the HDQ-4K35 projector or opt for dedicated 4K lenses if higher lens shifts are needed to achieve the right image.
A perfect match for E2
Offering native 4K input and output, the brand-new E2 image processor – also being launched at InfoComm 2014 – is the only screen management system on the market able to manage a 32 projector blend using the HDQ-4K35 with refresh rates up to 60 Hz.
Designed for the road
Perfect for a multitude of rental & staging applications, the HDQ-4K35 boasts a unique integrated design with internal power supply, rental frame and no external chimney fan. Designed with the road in mind, the HDQ-4K35 comes with a rugged metal chassis to withstand the challenging conditions of continuous shipping. Just like the other Barco rental projectors, the HDQ-4K35 features a modular design for easy installation and servicing – a feature that’s widely acclaimed by rental customers across the world.
Showcasing an 8K by 2K blend at InfoComm
At InfoComm, Barco will showcase the brand-new HDQ-4K35 in a two-channel blend of 8K by 2K pixels, a first in the industry. Visit Barco at booth #C6308, InfoComm trade show, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas (USA), from 18 – 20 June.
The original article can be found here: http://www.plsn.com/product-news/13656-barco-introduces-35000-lumens-native-4k-projector-for-rental-and-staging.html
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KORTRIJK, Belgium – Barco has expanded its projection portfolio for rental and staging with a brand-new three-chip DLP projector. Offering a brightness level of 35,000 center lumens, the HDQ-4K35 is capable of showing native 4K content at 60 Hz frame rates. It features a unique integrated design with internal power supply, rental frame and no external chimney fan.
More details from Barco (www.barco.com)
KORTRIJK, Belgium – Barco, a global leader in projection technology, is proud to expand its projection portfolio for rental and staging with a brand-new three-chip DLP projector. Offering a brightness level of 35,000 center lumens, the brand-new HDQ-4K35 is capable of showing native 4K content at 60 Hz frame rates. It features a unique integrated design with internal power supply, rental frame and no external chimney fan. What’s more, the HDQ-4K35 is fully ready to be combined with Barco’s groundbreaking 4K screen management system, which allows native 4K projector blending – a first in the industry. Barco will unveil the new HDQ-4K35 at InfoComm, from 18 – 20 June in Las Vegas, and the projector will be commercially available as of Q4 2014.
“Barco has been the industry leader in high-brightness and high-resolution projection technology for decades and with the introduction of the HDQ-4K35 projector we continue to raise the bar for image quality,” comments Bill Morris, Vice President Venues & Hospitality at Barco. “Thanks to its 4K (4,096 x 2,160) resolution and 60 Hz frame rate, it delivers razor-sharp images to boost live events with stunning visuals in vibrant, rich colors.”
Striking image quality
The HDQ-4K35 is equipped with a Xenon 6.5 kW lamp and a high-contrast optical engine that guarantee vivid colors and present audiences with crisp, stunning images on every occasion. Rental companies that already own a fleet of HDQ-2K40 projectors can reuse their XLD lenses for the HDQ-4K35 projector or opt for dedicated 4K lenses if higher lens shifts are needed to achieve the right image.
A perfect match for E2
Offering native 4K input and output, the brand-new E2 image processor – also being launched at InfoComm 2014 – is the only screen management system on the market able to manage a 32 projector blend using the HDQ-4K35 with refresh rates up to 60 Hz.
Designed for the road
Perfect for a multitude of rental & staging applications, the HDQ-4K35 boasts a unique integrated design with internal power supply, rental frame and no external chimney fan. Designed with the road in mind, the HDQ-4K35 comes with a rugged metal chassis to withstand the challenging conditions of continuous shipping. Just like the other Barco rental projectors, the HDQ-4K35 features a modular design for easy installation and servicing – a feature that’s widely acclaimed by rental customers across the world.
Showcasing an 8K by 2K blend at InfoComm
At InfoComm, Barco will showcase the brand-new HDQ-4K35 in a two-channel blend of 8K by 2K pixels, a first in the industry. Visit Barco at booth #C6308, InfoComm trade show, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas (USA), from 18 – 20 June.
The original article can be found here: http://www.plsn.com/product-news/13656-barco-introduces-35000-lumens-native-4k-projector-for-rental-and-staging.html
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Stageco Staging Group, the award-winning international staging, event and structures engineering company, has hired Mark Cunningham at Liveculture Group as its new media & marketing consultant.
The original article can be found here: http://www.tpimagazine.com/News/2381744/stageco_hires_liveculture_group.html
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LAKE ORION, MI — When a large, high-tech client posed a challenge for staging its annual meeting, Alford Media Services, Inc. found an effective custom solution in HRS Control’s Universal Device Controller (UDC).
More details from HRS Control (www.hrscontrol.com):
Based in Coppell, Texas, Alford is known for its forward-thinking approach to supporting the AV needs of a variety of clients. For this project the client wanted to reset their massive general session ballroom into six circular, stand-alone breakout pods during a lunch break. And once the pods were in place each presenter needed to have full wireless remote control of AV playback in the pod.
“The client wanted to convert the ballroom into individual breakout rooms without walls or dividers,” says Rich Tate, director of marketing and creative at Alford. “They wanted six draped circular pods to come down from the ceiling; 40-50 seats were set up for each pod. Presenters had to have iPad control of the projector, screen and speakers in each pod and all the playback equipment backstage.”
Alford rigged each fully-equipped pod on a circular truss that could be quickly lowered from the ceiling. The self-contained set up permitted a fast turnaround of the ballroom but the issue of playback control remained.
“The head of our video department was familiar with HRS Control’s UDC,” says Tate. “We’re always on the lookout for innovative remote control solutions; we do a lot of iPad and IOS mirroring.”
Alford IT Specalist Cy McCormick used UDC software to build a custom iPad interface for the presenters that would wirelessly control centralized AV gear backstage from each pod. The presenters could not only control their slides, videos and audio levels, they also could instantly switch between primary and back up equipment if needed.
“Each pod had unique content with AJA Ki Pros and computers used for playback and graphics,” Tate explains. “We could talk to the playback devices very easily with UDC’s AJA Gang Control feature.”
Tate designed the graphical interface and buttons on the presenters’ iPad controllers. “It was cool to do custom buttons in custom sizes and put things on the screen wherever we wanted them — there were no restrictions,” he notes. “We even used a custom background, client colors and brand logo.”
He reports that “everything worked like a charm” at the meeting’s breakout sessions where the pods were a big hit. “The client was thrilled with UDC’s custom control solution. We want to develop UDC for more clients and are eager to have the opportunity to use it again.”
The original article can be found here: http://www.plsn.com/news/21-news/13243-alford-media-services-uses-hrs-controls-udc-for-corporate-gig.html
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ARTS provides a number of wedding production services, ranging from up-lighting and effects lighting to sound reinforcement for ceremonies and receptions, we provide various effects such as bubble machines and confetti cannons, we even offer a package where guests can take photos at your reception with digital cameras and the photos will be displayed in real-time in a slideshow on a projection screen.
Our special effects, event lighting, and projection services include:
Making your wedding day a memorable one is of prime importance to us. We work with brides and grooms to provide creative solutions to make their wedding unique. Our team has a vast amount of experience in audio, lighting, and video production and can implement that experience in context of your special day.
Today a few of us visited R&M Materials Handling, the manufacturer of Stagemaker Concert Hoists, in Springfield, Ohio. A buddy who works for another production company, that recently purchased a couple dozen Stagemakers, hooked us up with a factory tour.
Stagemaker concert hoists are designed to handle stage and theatrical equipment and enable the safe and accurate positioning of speakers, lighting systems, stage sets, and sceneries. Its low weight makes it ideal for touring events. Its compact size permits it to fit inside truss structures. Its quietness makes it ideal for operation during performances, even in theaters.
There’s so many advantages with Stagemaker motors: compact design for better space utilization on stage in trusses and on the truck, it’s quiet operation of less than 75dB allows it to be used during performances, 5-pocket load wheel (six on SM16) provides exceptionally smooth operation and reduced chain wear, its increased safety with combined torque limiting device/brake, its hoist housing is made of injection-cast aluminum which makes it really light, it uses black lifting chain, it ejects chain out the side to make it easier to invert the motor, and it even has ergonomic handles for easy transportation. There’s not much they’ve missed on this one, except for maybe being able to make me a sandwich
ARTS isn’t in the market for hoists yet, but when the time does come, we’re pretty positive that we’ll be going with Stagemaker.
KaLightoscope was an Axxis Inc production.
Christmas at the Galt House Hotel is so spectacular, it’s featured on the Travel Channel’s Christmas Crazy special. The event is fast becoming an annual tradition for families across the U.S. Located in Louisville, Kentucky, Christmas at the Galt House Hotel will get your family in the holiday spirit! KaLightoscope Luminaries are handcrafted sculpted works of art made by Chinese artisans.
Axxis Inc is the cornerstone of the project. The Louisville production company provides the tent, staging, truss, lighting and audio gear, and the majority of the labor to implement this huge show.
KaLightoscope is an indoor winter wonderland that is housed in a Creative Tent Shasta Shelter FTS100 85’x160′ structure with 13k+ square feet of Staging Concepts and Granite Industries deck flooring. Over 700 feet of 12″ truss was suspended by 27 SR5 Stage Maker chain motors and hundreds of rigging points with thousands of feet of rigging cable. Thousands of feet of electrical cable powered the hundreds of lighting instruments and luminaries.
ARTS Owner, Robert Vance, spent nearly a month, beginning in mid-October, down in Louisville working for Axxis Inc, hands-on, during the installation of the temporary tent structure, staging, rigging, truss structure, electrical, and the final setup of the luminaries.
Here’s a video from The Galt House that’s about Christmas at The Galt House.
Here’s a video from Stage Maker that shows the use of their chain motors for this project.
For more information about this and the many other awesome projects around the country that Axxis Inc is working on, please visit their website.
Here you will find a photo of the stage setup taken prior to the festival’s kick-off teen event, Friday Night Lights.
ARTS Production Services provided audio and lighting production services for the 2013 Old Hilliardfest Community Stage. This included live audio mix with main PA, four individual floor monitor mixes, a tall rack of amplifiers, a dozen compressor/limiters for vocals and instruments, 32 channel Yamaha mixing desk, and various mic and DI configurations throughout the day for the countless performing acts that took the stage. The lighting included a number of PAR64 fixtures, some LED border lights, a handful of movers, and an Elation controller. The audio, lighting, and stage power all ran off of a 20kW generator and several spider boxes.
The festival has been around for nearly thirty years and continues to grow each year. The festival has had a Community Stage for a number of years, but it has generally seen little funding for talent or technical production. This year the festival organizers agreed that making a larger commitment to the Community Stage through advertising, bringing some professional acts, and the addition of professional audio and lighting production would both benefit the festival and the community who attended.
Robert with two of the local students who shadowed him for the event.
ARTS Production Services provided sound engineering and lighting for a new venue at the annual Old Hilliardfest street fair this year. The venue was named New Hilliardfest and featured a couple dozen performance acts throughout the day. The acts were local high school and college students.
Several local students shadowed ARTS’s owner, Robert Vance, throughout the day to learn about running live sound in a concert venue setting.
Setup included a sound system with mains, subs, several floor monitors, various microphones, and house mixing console; a lighting system with various PAR fixtures, portable Leviton dimmers, and lighting console; power distribution including several 20Amp stage circuits, a generator trailer with several 30Amp spider boxs, etc.
We do events. This most recent event was a retirement celebration. Lighting, sound, audiovisual, the entire package. You could call our company an event planning company, we really can support every aspect of an event.
This particular event required a variety of lighting needs. We had some general mood lighting, some accent lighting, and for one schtick during the event we even had some intelligent lighting setup for some special effects. Additionally, we provided sound reinforcement; podium speaking, vocal performance, etc. We also took care of the video projection needs.
Not only did we supply audiovisual services, we provided pre and post video production services. Prior to the event, we created video presentation pieces for the event. Additionally, the event was shot using five HD cameras, one of which was using a steady cam rig.
ARTS has a wide variety of experience, so does it’s team members. Robert Vance, ARTS Owner, has a wide range of experience in theatrical settings, including audio, lighting, and scenic design for high school theatrical productions. A local high school presented a fall musical, Little Shop of Horrors, and Robert provided audio, lighting, and scenic design for the production.
Little Shop of Horrors is a comedy horror rock musical, by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood and flesh. The musical is based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Roger Corman. The music, composed by Menken in the style of early 1960s rock and roll, doo-wop and early Motown, includes several well-known tunes, including the title song, “Skid Row (Downtown)”, “Somewhere That’s Green”, and “Suddenly, Seymour”.
In addition to the original long-running 1982 off-Broadway production and subsequent Broadway production, the musical has been performed all over the world. Because of its small cast and relatively simple orchestrations, it has become popular with community theatre, school and other amateur groups.
The scenic elements of the show included several locations, but mainly took place in the florist shop seen in this photo. Other locations included Skidrow (outside the shop) and a dentist office. At the end of the show, when the plant has taken over the world, vines with leaves and flowers were rigged to fall from above the stage and audience during the song “Don’t Feed the Plants”.
The main character of the show, a plant that’s cross between a Venus flytrap and an avocado, Audrey II, seen in this photo, is actually four puppets of different size throughout the show. The puppets used in this production came from the Monkey boys, out of Pennsylvania. The largest of the puppets was about the size of a small car.
In this production, the small orchestra was staged behind the set. A brick wall was flown behind the shop and could be seen through the shop window. During curtain call of the show, the wall flew out and the orchestra was included in curtain call. The orchestra being located behind the set complicated some things as far as conducting and audio. So the entire orchestra was miced and mixed separately for the audience and the performers on stage. The orchestra was able to hear the performers through a series of monitors. All of the performers were miced wirelessly. Additionally, the conductor was visible to the performers via camera and an on-stage monitor, and the performers were visible to the conductor likewise.
In addition to scenic and audio design, Robert provided lighting design expertise for the show. The design included rock-and-roll style lighting with vivid color washes from side and back PAR lighting and included a handful of intelligent lighting fixtures.
9/11 is a sensitive topic any time, but especially on the yearly anniversary of the tragic event. You can imagine how emotional the subject could have been on the tenth anniversary. A local high school theatre troupe was determined to honor the memory of those lost in the event and commemorate those who survived by presenting a play to the community and to local firefighters and police officers who were invited to the performance.
In the play, The Guys, Joan, an editor, helps Nick, an FDNY captain, prepare the eulogies for an unprecedented number of firefighters who died under his command that day. The play debuted off-Broadway at The Flea Theater on December 4, 2001, directed by Jim Simpson and starring Sigourney Weaver and Bill Murray.
Since 2001, The Guys has been presented in 48 US states and in the Czech Republic, Argentina, Japan, Italy and Poland. Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon presented it at the Edinburgh Festival. It enjoyed a commemorative rerun at the Flea Theater in 2006 on the 5th anniversary of 9/11.
Robert Vance, ARTS Owner, provided scenic, audio, and lighting design for the local production of the play. The designs were minimal, because the play was very intimate, only takes place in one location, and the focus is entirely on the two characters. However minimal, the audio and lighting added a striking, emotional final moments of the production.
Oklahoma! is the first musical written by the team of composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs‘ 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance with farm girl Laurey Williams. A secondary romance concerns cowboy Will Parker and his flirtatious fiancée, Ado Annie.
The original Broadway production opened on March 31, 1943. It was a box-office smash and ran for an unprecedented 2,212 performances, later enjoying award-winning revivals, national tours, foreign productions and an Academy Award-winning 1955 film adaptation. It has long been a popular choice for school and community productions. Rodgers and Hammerstein won a special Pulitzer Prize for Oklahoma! in 1944.
Robert Vance, ARTS Owner, worked with a local high school theatre troupe on their production of Oklahoma! by providing audio, lighting, and scenic design. Robert has extensive experience working in theatrical settings and often works in the school theatre environment. This particular production involved various scenic location pieces, hundreds of conventional lighting fixtures, and the principal vocalists being wirelessly miced.
James and the Giant Peach is a popular children’s novel written in 1961 by British author Roald Dahl, same guy who came up with Willy Wonka. The original first edition published by Alfred Knopf featured illustrations by Nancy Ekholm Burkert. However, there have been various reillustrated versions of it over the years. It was adapted into a film of the same name in 1996. The plot centers on a young English orphan boy who enters a gigantic, magical peach, and has a wild and surreal cross-world adventure with six magically-altered garden bugs he meets. Originally titled James and the Giant Cherry, Dahl changed it to James and the Giant Peach because a peach is “prettier, bigger and squishier than a cherry.”
Robert Vance, ARTS Owner, worked with a local high school theatre troupe on their production of this play by providing his lighting, audio, and scenic expertise. Robert has been working in the theatrical setting for numerous years and worked with a number of high school level theatrical productions in the past.
This production included a number of sound effects and atmospheric sounds – Birds flying over head, the ocean, etc. The lighting included effects, such as lighting, ocean, etc. There were a number of scenic elements that were achieved through some puppetry – Birds flying, a plane flyby, the Empire State Building appearing out of nowhere, etc. There were other larger-than-life scenic elements – the big peach, a two story silhouette of a house, a giant silhouette of the house on a hill, etc.
Rumors opened on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre on November 17, 1988and transferred to the Ethel Barrymore Theatre where it closed after 535 performances and eight previews. Directed by Gene Saks, the original cast included Lisa Banes, Christine Baranski, Andre Gregory, Ken Howard, Ron Leibman, Joyce Van Patten, and Jessica Walter. The song “La Bamba” was required to be used in the play. Baranski won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play,and Joseph G. Aulisi was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design.
The play starts with Ken Gorman and his wife, Chris Gorman at the 10th anniversary party of Charlie Brock, the Deputy Mayor of New York, and his wife, Myra. Unfortunately, things are not going quite to plan. All the kitchen staff is gone, Myra is missing, and Charlie has shot himself in the head. Chris calls Charlie’s doctor, but before Chris can tell him what has happened, Ken dictates that she not inform the doctor of anything that has happened, for the bullet only went through Charlie’s ear lobe. It appeared that he had taken some Valium, and was falling asleep as he fired the gun, managing to miss his head. It all goes downhill from there in this farcical play by Neil Simon.
ARTS Owner, Robert Vance, provided the local high school theatre troupe with his scenic, lighting, and audio design expertise. The set included a two-story home with a number of doorways – Neil Simon comedies always have doors! There were sound effects throughout the play, including live gun shots. Special effects lighting included a car pulling up to the house and its lights been seen through the window, police lights through the same window, etc.
ARTS Owner, Robert Vance, worked with a local high school in conjunction with their spring musical, Wizard of Oz. ARTS has worked with various high schools over the years on various theatrical productions. With this particular production, Robert provided his expertise in effects flying.
There are a number of flying effects sequences in the Wizzard of Oz; the tornado flying through Kansas, the Wicked Witch flying on her broomstick, Glinda flying in her bubble, the Flying Monkeys throughout the show, the Wizard flying away in his balloon at the end of the show, etc.
ZFX Flying Effects, out of Kentucky, provided all of the hardware and training for the effects. Having worked with ZFX on a number of other projects, Robert assisted with the rigging and installation of the equipment, worked with students to perfect the choreography, supervised the safe operation of the equipment, and supervised the load-out and return shipment of all of the gear.
Photo of the tech students in Willy Wonka’s Wonkavator.
As an actor, how cool would it be to fly on stage?!?! That’s right, fly! Like Peter Pan, only without all the pixy dust and silly green uniform. Well, ARTS Owner, Robert Vance, helped one local high school theatre do just that for their musical production of Willy Wonka.
Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka is a musical play that combines elements of both Roald Dahl’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and of the 1971 movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory with newly created material. The play has several versions: the original version which premiered in 2004, the Junior version, the Kids version, and the Theatre for Young Audiences version. All are owned by Music Theatre International, the company that owns the Willy Wonka license. The original version has several instances where characters fly during the show. The Wonkavator, for instance, is an elevator that magically levitates and travels people throughout Willy Wonka’s factory. Another instance is when Charlie and Grandpa Joe drink one of Willy Wonka’s new potions that makes your body lighter than air. There were also several other scenes with flying characters.
Robert worked with ZFX Flying Effects, out of Kentucky, who provided the hardware and training to achieve the flying effects. ZFX is a complete service provider for all flying effects, offering expert pre-production advice, custom built equipment, skilled and safe installation, effective choreography and experienced flying performers.
Incidentally, Robert also provided his audio, lighting, and scenic design know-how for the production.
Sylvia is a play about a dog, the couple who adopts her, and the drama that results. It was written by A. R. Gurney and first produced in 1995.
Middle-aged, upper-middle class Greg finds Sylvia, a dog played by a human, in the park and takes a liking to her. He brings her back to the empty nest he shares with Kate. When Kate gets home, she reacts very negatively to Sylvia and wants her gone. They eventually decide that Sylvia will stay for a few days before they decide whether she can stay longer, but Greg and Sylvia have already bonded. It goes down hill from there.
ARTS owner is working with Hilliard Bradley High School Theatre Department with their first play as the school opens for its first school year since being built. He will be collaborating with the theatre department’s director and create the scenic, lighting, and audio design.
With our extensive scenic, lighting, and audio production experience, ARTS envisions being able to provide support like this to other local high school theatre departments.