www.lightingandsoundamerica.com February 2008

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February 2008 • Lighting&Sound America emerges as an international with the actors. Stephen Brimson Lewis designed a seamless set. —and critic-proof—stage hit There’s not a lot of scenery, but the change of visuals is constant, through By: Julie Rekai Rickerd the lighting, video, and projection designs.” Martin, who works for the he title—Dirty Dancing: The Classic audience than the normal core group Jacobsens, is the “conduit of infor- TStory On Stage—is unwieldy, of theatre fans. They’re lured by the mation” for all productions of Dirty but the grosses are impressive. opportunity to see a spectacular, live Dancing; his job is to facilitate and Eleanor Bergstein’s stage adaptation recreation of a beloved pop experi- supervise the continuity of the of her phenomenally successful 1987 ence—the music of ABBA or Queen, creative team from venue to venue. indie film is causing hormones to rage or a film favorite. What separates “I haven’t been home [to ] in audiences worldwide. The tale of Dirty Dancing from the rest is the fact for seven months,” says the veteran the unlikely romance, at a Catskills that it’s not a musical. Instead, it’s a technical director, whose background resort, between the innocent teenager fairly literal transcription of the includes 10 years at the Sydney Baby Houseman and Johnny Castle, screenplay, complete with sound- Opera House, a stint with Cameron the street-wise dance instructor/ track; the dance sequences are set to Mackintosh, the Sydney Olympics, gigolo, has played to sold-out houses the pop tunes immortalized in the Phantom of the Opera in Australia, ever since it opened at the Theatre film: “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” and The Lion King in South Africa. Royal in Sydney, Australia in and “Hungry Eyes.” It’s a strange new (Prior to overseeing future Dirty November 2004. theatre-film hybrid, and, as such, it Dancing companies, he’ll squeeze in Following an 18-month run Down poses any number of design and the mounting of an Australian Under, Jacobsen Entertainment, in technical challenges. production of Spamalot.) “Dirty association with Lionsgate and Magic “There are 106 scene changes in Dancing is a marriage of energy and Hour Productions, opened the show the show—one change takes place technology,” he says; “backstage is in Hamburg, Germany. An open- after three words of dialogue—and just as much a marathon as onstage, ended production at the Aldwych 640 automation effects,” says Richard just as exciting as out front. There are Theatre in London celebrated the first Martin, who has overseen each of the 40-odd performers who share 600 anniversary of its opening last productions to date. “There are costumes, seven dressers, 50 stage October and is offering tickets for double revolves onstage. LEDs crew—all in constant motion.” sale well into 2009. enhance the scenes and the automated Although the creative team A $10-plus million production that lights and sounds are intermingled changed as each production of Dirty costs $500,000 a week to run, Dirty Dancing recently had its North American premiere at producer David Mirvish’s Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, co-produced with Jacobsen Entertainment, Lionsgate, and Magic Hour Productions. The theatre’s box office set a sales record on the first day of ticket sales, and the clamor for seats has continued since then. For the week of December 26-30, sales set a new record of $1,347,525. Reviews have ranged from good to don’t ask, but reviews aren’t the point. As the famous line in the film goes, “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.” And, in fact, Baby won’t budge; she’s doing far too well. Dirty Dancing joins the current list of critic-proof hits— including Mamma Mia! and We Will Rock You—that draw on a far broader Photo: Cylla von Tiedemann

www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • February 2008 THEATRE

Dancing evolved, the Toronto The Catskills surround element; this center revolve is also production’s lineup worked together Lewis’s set is designed to facilitate where Baby and Johnny take part in a on the London edition. Lighting the play’s many scenes and locations; mambo contest at a neighboring designer Tim Mitchell worked with Driscoll’s video projections provide resort. “Outside of the drum is the set designer Stephen Brimson Lewis, most of the crucial scene-setting ring revolve,” he adds. “It’s basically a video and projections designer Jon information, often in collaboration donut turntable, about 4' wide, which Driscoll, and sound designer Bobby with Mitchell’s lighting; the importance spins around the drum.” Aitken. The four have produced any of the projections can be seen in the In addition, Howe says, “There are number of remarkably cinematic fact that Driscoll even designed two deck tracks that come from interiors and exterior effects—in gobos to be used in part of Mitchell’s stages left and right. Further down- an innumerable variety of moods, lighting rig. stage, at the apron, is another elevator, natural settings, and climatic According to David Howe, of which comes from the deck level and conditions—seamlessly and at a Hudson Scenic, the company that rises about 6' above the deck. On galloping pace. built much of the scenery, the set that lift, there are two curved hand design includes a drum rails that are independently controlled. revolve in the center of the As the deck rises, the railings can stage. “The drum revolve has come up, individually, or not. In most two lifts in it—they’re basically scenes, it’s a foot or two above the half circles of the revolve, and deck; in the finale, the two stars rise both move 30" above and 5' above the deck level.” below stage level; they’re Then there’s the famous log effect. also on a turntable and can “There’s a 35'-long log standing spin. On one of the half circles, vertically in the stage right wing,” there’s a standard screen says Howe.“It’s made of fiberglass door that pops up out of the and composite, a single piece on a floor; the characters walk pivot point controlled by a hydraulic through it as a transition arm offstage. It eases its way down

The exterior scenes blend projections on the upstage cyc and on the Daktronics screen.

February 2008 • Lighting&Sound America The Daktronics screen also serves as a projection backdrop for the interior scenes.

and lands on one half of the drum lift; Driscoll’s projections, Mitchell’s lighting, projection surfaces. There’s the that’s how they do the scene where and modest-sized flats or props from Gerriets Revue cyc upstage, and Baby and Johnny are walking across the flies. Three windows descend there’s the video screen, also upstage, the river.” from the flies to recreate Johnny’s under the bridge. “Working with the Upstage is a stationary bridge, with dance studio; the room belonging to Daktronics Pro Tour PT-8i LED screen staircases at both stages right and left. Penny, Johnny’s dance partner, is a is a thrill, a technology not usually Beneath the bridge is a Daktronics Pro series of log cabin wall projections, affordable to theatre productions,” he Tour PT-8i 8mm LED screen, which is as are the guest log cabins. In many says. “LED technology usually comes used by Driscoll for scene-setting cases, different design disciplines with the problems of heat and noise, video work. Upstage is a large cyc combine to create a single effect. A but Daktronics and Sound Associates made of Gerriets Revue fabric, on projection of an outdoor swimming of New York [the video gear supplier] which are projected any number of sky pool looks real; the addition of solved the problem for us with the Pro vistas. Besides Hudson’s contribution, lighting to cause ripples renders it Tour panel specification.” The most of the flying elements and some even more authentic. Beds, tables Daktronics screen, he adds, “is articu- rolling units were built by Hamilton and chairs are among the few props lated, with a center section that can Scenic Specialty Inc., of Dundas, that dress some scenes. open; it looks like a Cinemascope Ontario. Softgoods were supplied Driscoll describes himself as “some- wedge, and can slip into four quarters, by Rose Brand. one who likes absorbing light. I love with members of the cast in the “All of the flying pieces are auto- the challenge of these fast-moving middle of it. Hudson fabricated the mated,” adds Howe, noting that shows. It’s really like a huge puzzle entire movement of that piece. It is everything is driven by Hudson’s I like to solve.” In Dirty Dancing, similar to a bus door; when it closes, it motion-control system. “There are 27 Driscoll’s transitions are tight and closes flush. They drive a car through axes of fly control—including three seamless, bouncing from scene to it on two occasions.” The screen sets of Chinese lanterns, chande- scene, indoors and out, sunrise to provides important location informa- liers, and a bunch of flying drop sunset. “The show content is supplied tion; in the early sequence in which the pieces. There’s also a chassis with to the screens by three Catalyst family drives to the Catskills, the car two different car bodies on it; for the media servers,” he says. ”The unit is positioned in front of the screen, opening, it’s dressed like the Catalysts are driven by two [High End which shows images of the country- Houseman family’s car in the film; Systems] Wholehog III PC consoles side passing by. At other times, four later; offstage, it’s switched to the following MIDI show control from the robotic cameras captures the action ’58 Chevy that Johnny drives.” lighting department’s Strand desk. onstage live in some of the dance Apart from the framework of the The lighting and video cues have the sequences—and the imagery is set, which allows plenty of space for same numbers and trigger simultane- transferred to the Daktronics screen, the non-stop motion on stage, nearly ously, keeping a very tight sync.” helping to “amplify the energy” of the all the scenes are conjured via Driscoll works with many different dancers, says Driscoll. Photos: Courtesy of Jon Driscoll

www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • February 2008 THEATRE

and along the road to the Catskills. “The journey sets the whole thing up—it sets a style that we stick to,” he says. “It is derived from photo realism, but then edited and assem- bled into a montage to become quite theatrical. I’d be looking out for things like a diner—iconic little things. I came across perfect old buildings in . To create the footage, I worked with animation director Gemma Carrington, creating the 1963 period by compositing all the separate elements into animated sequences. The footage is entirely designed, and we can control the speed and direction of the sequences.”

Lighting up the skies Even Mitchell’s lighting gets into the projection game. Behind the curved RP screen located upstage is a wall of lighting units, approximately 150 in number—both VL3500s and ETC Source Fours, outfitted with custom gobos from Apollo Design Technology; these units, placed on ladders behind the RP cyc, are used to create the various sky-and-cloud looks that are a dominant part of most of the stage pictures. (“Eleanor Bergstein had opinions about this, There are 27 axes of fly control, for such pieces as the Chinese lanterns seen above. saying it’s a piece about skies and light and space,” notes Mitchell). The In addition, there’s a big front In Driscoll’s gear list, there are two Vari-Lite units are particularly useful scrim. “Its primary function is to act Digital Projection Lightning Pro Series here, he adds, because “we can use as a huge, semi-transparent screen projectors, which are used for the the units’ shutters to feather the onto which we project wide land- front scrim images; a Barco CLM edges between each gobo, so we scape images,” Driscoll says. “The R10+ projector, which delivers images don’t have to angle-correct them. It’s actors will appear to be within the of rushing water to the deck for the a neat way of doing scenic projec- projected field or the lake by standing log scene; and four Panasonic tions.” He adds, “We also have some in the crosslight behind the front AW-E750 2/3" 3CCD remotely pro- sets of color and gray-scale glass, scrim.” There’s also a curved scrim grammed motion-control cameras for which combine to create vast panora- that circles around the drum revolve the IMAG content. The images on the mas that Jon designed, in keeping at the opening of the show, which the big upstage cyc are largely created with the video design, on some units projection of the “Magic Moment” by custom gobos in the lighting units. in the house; we do front projection dance sequence is keystoned onto. Driscoll’s images were created to get some depth of field on the RP Driscoll also projects images on other using material from his photographic screen.” Additional VL3500s project parts of the set, including the deck. and film archive, in combination with onto the legs framing the set. Finally, working with Mitchell, he material shot specifically for this pro- “The whole of the RP screen designed projection gobos and sce- duction. To evoke the Houseman’s car features skyscapes most of the time,” nic panoramas for many of the light- trip to the Catskills, the designer shot Mitchell adds, “and most of this is ing units (more about it in a minute). thousands of photos in done with metal and glass gobos.

February 2008 • Lighting&Sound America Behind the RP screen is a wall of blues are really quite blue.” controlled by two Strand 520i lights—about 150 units with sky The lighting rig, supplied by Q1 consoles, one of which serves as a gobos. We also front-project on the Production Technologies, includes 25 backup unit. The lighting was screen to get some depth of field. Vari*Lite VL3500Q Spots, 13 VL2000 programmed by Andy Davis; Vivien There’s also a bounce cloth at the Washes, 37 VL1000TS units, six Leone is the associate designer. base of the RP, with 40 [ETC] Source Martin MAC 2000 Performances, 22 Mitchell readily admits that his Four PARs that provide the horizon Mac 700 Profiles, 267 ETC Source work on Dirty Dancing required a line; they are covered by a Plexiglas Fours and Source Four PARs of “gargantuan effort, like a nucleus, and piece put there by Stephen, with trees various degrees and sizes; 17 PAR 36 all these atoms bouncing around— and the horizon painted on it.” The ACLs, 27 L&E Broad Cycs, 13 Philips they’re all bouncing off us—and Source Fours are fitted with gobos Solid State Lighting ColorBlaze 72 everyone is permanently tired. It’s a and have Wybron Coloram IT LED units, two Robert Juliat Cyrano big rig and we use all of it all the time. scrollers, which are set up in a unique way. “We have a whole frame of color followed by a half frame, and then another whole frame. It’s a 32-frame scroll, with 16 full colors and 16 half colors.” With this setup, the designer can create subtle, progressive time- of-day changes with shifting colors, moving, say, from a late-afternoon sky look to a full sunset, as the scenes unfold. (“The skies are constantly changing,” the designer notes, adding that many viewers think the sky look is the result of a video effect.) There were many challenges in Toronto, not least of which is that the audience rocks out so much during the dance numbers that the balcony rail position bounces up and down, throwing the units off their focus. “Onstage, it’s very, very tight,” says Mitchell. “Everything is on split pipes,” in order to fit around the many flying scenic elements. In one clever solution, the designer built a set of Source Fours into industrial lighting The drum revolve lifts for the dance sequence seen above. units, to create overhead lighting for scenes in the staff quarters. “We built followspots, four ETC Source Fours We have 2,000 moving light groups; the pieces around a Source Four outfitted with Diversitronics strobe Vivien worked with Matt Peal from the body,” he notes, adding he has more caps, Martin Atomic strobes, and 112 RSC, who has developed a databasing leeway behind the upstage RP Wybron Coloram IT scrollers. For fog system to handle this sort of informa- screen, where units are on ladders. and smoke effects, there are four City tion—it runs through the Strand Overall, the lighting is defined by Theatrical SS6000 dry ice foggers, console. But it’s a really busy show.” plenty of saturated colors and a nearly two MDG Atmosphere hazers, five constant parade of cues that fade Martin Magnum 800 smoke Mixing live and from one scene to another, in the machines, and four Jem AF-1 fans. recorded sound manner of a film. “The lighting is very Accessories include 25 White Light Sound designer Bobby Aitken’s heightened,” says Mitchell. “This is a VSFX optical effects systems. resume includes Mamma Mia! and We show about memory, about two people Dimming is provided by ETC Sensor Will Rock You. He is also noted for his falling in love. It’s a warm show. The racks, plus six City Theatrical WDS work in large-scale, in-the-round opera. greens are really quite green and the radio control dimmers. The lighting is “Dirty Dancing is very complex,” Photos: Courtesy of Jon Driscoll

www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • February 2008 THEATRE

The images on the upstage cyc depict a variety of sky looks, as per the vision of the author, Eleanor Bergstein.

he says. "Musically, it combines a Sennheiser EW 300 in-ear monitors.” the system processing is handled by a nine-piece band in the sub-stage, live At the front of house, there is a lot variety of XTA DP448 units. music played onstage, ProTools of movement in the sound as well. The front-of-house sound is con- augmentation, and a stack of remixed "The ‘soundscape’ is central to the trolled by a DiGiCo D5T 12 console. hit songs from the ‘60s. All of this success of the design,” says Aitken. "We use 127 inputs to the D5, which runs simultaneously with a constantly ”Following on from the cinematic means we have to sacrifice the shifting cinema-style surround sound- origins of the piece, we envelop the on-board effects package,” says scape. It’s not musical theatre in the audience in an ever-changing Aitken. "For outboard gear, I use four accepted sense; for example, the environmental atmospheric track. I T.C. Electronic 4000 reverbs, two XTA principal characters don’t sing to use QSC, a system developed in the DP324s for vocal processing, two each other.” Nor, indeed, do the U.K. It’s a multi-channel PC-based T.C. Finalyser Express processors, songs serve to illuminate the system.” As a result, he adds, one T.C. G Major unit for guitars, and characters or move the story along, “Programming is a constant opera- one Alesis DM5 drum module to as happens in a traditional musical. tion—as scenes get tighter with occasionally replace the kick drum.” Nevertheless, Aitken’s design is rehearsal, their timings have to be Sound Associates in New York sup- responsible for Dirty Dancing’s perfect altered; it’s never-ending!” plied the audio equipment for the amalgam of technology and live Aitken’s primary loudspeaker Toronto production. music. “The monitoring systems are systems are manufactured by Martin Dirty Dancing’s Toronto run is very important,” he says. “Many times Audio. "In Toronto, I use W8LCs and open-ended; a Utrecht production is during the show, we will have a band W8LCDs for the left and right, and scheduled to open in March, followed onstage playing with a band offstage, W8LMs for the center fill,” he notes. by another production in Stuttgart. both of which are locked to ProTools. The other front-of-house loudspeakers The show’s North American tour will If they can’t hear exactly what they consist of a mix of units from d&b begin performances at Chicago’s need, then we are sunk! audiotechnik and EAW. Amplification Cadillac Palace Theatre on “The bands all have Formula is provided by Lab.Gruppen fP 3400s September 2. There appears to be Sound Que-18 mixers and set their and fP 2600s, and d&b D12s. little doubt that Baby and Johnny’s own mixes,” he adds. “They are origi- Onstage, the loudspeaker monitoring many fans will be able to savor their nated on a DiGiCo DS00 board. When is a mix of d&b E3s, and, from Meyer romance in countless venues for the band is onstage, they make use of Sound, UPA-1Ps and UMS-1Ps. All of years to come. Photo: Courtesy of Jon Driscoll

February 2008 • Lighting&Sound America