PROJECTIONS Copyright Lighting &Sound America June 2009 http://www.lightingandsoundamerica.com/LSA.html The Season of Projections So many shows, so many projections— that projection designers can join the union on an equal basis with set, but are they really necessary? A leading lighting, and costume designers, perhaps the members of the designer and educator takes a look Broadway League would rather not recognize projection designers, thus By: Wendall K. Harrington saving themselves from the duty of more pension and welfare payments? (Editor’s note: In New York, this has sets had major projection elements, Projection designers are not going been an extraordinary season for but completely ignored the contribu - away; we’re organized and multiplying projection design. Never before have tions of the projection designers. This like pixels. The ranks will only grow; so many major theatre productions seems odd, especially when the academic theatre departments like Cal made crucial use of projections. Drama Desk managed to recognize Arts and Yale will soon give projection Wendall K. Harrington, herself a noted and reward me for my projection work MFAs, and, from what I read in the projection designer and educator, on The Who’s Tommy 15 years ago. blogs, audiences are generally excited attended some of these productions Is it possible that, this year, the video by projection. My first question is: Can to investigate how and why projec - work was not worthy of mention? Is it we all decide on what to call it? There tions were used. Have projections possible that the nominators lack the are projection designers, video really become so necessary to the experience and sophistication to know designers, and imaging designers— theatre? And why were they shut out where scenery ends and projection maybe that’s adding to the awards of this year’s awards season?) begins? Is there a conspiracy? Now judges’ confusion. Josef Svoboda, the This time last year, Tim Bird’s stunning projections in Sunday in the Park with George caught everyone’s attention and gathered a number of awards, including the first-ever Tony nomination for a projection designer. This year, there have been so many new, and potentially eligible, produc - tions with projections that the Drama Desk and Tony Awards eliminated projection design altogether. Huh? It sure makes you wonder— last year, there were six Drama Desk nominees in the category of Outstanding Video and Projection Design; this year, the Drama Desk, g g e s which considers both Broadway and o R l o r Off Broadway shows, managed to a C : s nominate two set designers whose o t Above left: This Beautiful City. Above right: Irena’s Vow . o h P 88 • June 2009 • Lighting &Sound America godfather of us, all called it kinetic exists, the LED lightbulbs exist, but scenography. I’m not recommending the rest is digital dust—locale-giving, that, although it is precise, and, emotion-raising, thought-provoking, having been there in the moment and beautiful little 0s and 1s. having made a conscious decision not to call it multi-media, I still vote for Projecting the time projection design as the most encom - and place passing term. We can take a vote on (This Beautiful City , with a book by it; just remember there will be more Steven Cosson and Jim Lewis and tools coming. “There are more things music and lyrics by Michael in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are Friedman, was a project of theatre dreamt of in your philosophy…” company The Civilians; it was It proved impossible to see all the presented at Off Broadway’s Vineyard Mary Testa in Guys and Dolls . recent shows with substantial Theatre. Based on interviews, it’s a projection, but I did see several of portrait of life in Colorado Springs, them, both on and Off Broadway, Colorado, which has become the logical images—projecting the Rocky (and, in one case, at a nearby resident center of evangelical Christianity as Mountains on the cyc upstage of the theatre), trying to take the temperature well as the Ted Haggard scandal. roof drop to indicate a sense of of a medium that, in 30 years, has The production, which also featured place—felt less satisfying, and, when gone from invisible to ubiquitous. After lighting by David Weiner in addition to the same sky was used as projected all, cinema is the language of our age. the designers mentioned below, signage, I sensed an inconsistency in Unlike early film audiences, who ran earned mixed to good reviews .) the design. There is something I call commitment to surface: You invite the “Last year, there were six Drama Desk audience to understand the theatrical nominees in the category of Outstanding Video space and the way you are prepared to tell the story, so they can absorb it, and Projection Design; this year, the Drama forget it, and concentrate on the play Desk, which considers both Broadway and off and the players. When you mix it up Broadway shows, managed to nominate two too much—it’s scenery, it’s informa - tion, it’s the punchline—the constant set designers whose sets had major projection reassessing seems unnoticed, but it elements, but ignored the contributions of the takes a toll. I’m not blaming Jason projection designers. This seems odd, especially Thompson, the projection designer; I’ve done too many shows myself not when the Drama Desk managed to recognize to be aware of the demands from and reward me for my projection work on The directors or producers to make things Who’s Tommy 15 years ago. more explicit, but I think this work ” could have benefitted from trusting the intelligence of its audience more. away when they saw a locomotive The set of This Beautiful City , by (A somewhat similar use of projec - coming at them, we accept shadows Neil Patel, was a vertical white wall tions is seen in Irena’s Vow , the story as representative of reality. Not only do depicting a bird’s-eye view of Colorado of Irena Gut Opdyke, a Polish Catholic we accept them, it is our willingness to Springs’ landscape, with its rooftops woman who, during World War II, hid fill in the gaps that makes the dance rendered in relief. The audience easily a dozen Jews while keeping house for between the stage and the audience accepted that handsome abstraction; a Nazi officer. Dan Gordon’s play, so thrilling and so life-affirming —one later, the roofs were revealed to be which opened Off Broadway in the fall must be alive and engaged to get it. light boxes, filled with LED units— and transferred to Broadway’s Walter Without an inherent respect for the and, used as individual screens, Kerr Theatre in the spring, is framed audience’s imagination, projection flashing news of Ted Haggard’s as a long flashback in which Opdyke design can’t exist. Actually, for all exposure, it had a visual harmony, even tells her story to an audience of intents and purposes, projection though it was logically impossible. schoolchildren. Kevin Judge’s set is doesn’t exist—the screen surface However, the use of more visually an architectural arrangement of www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • June 2009 • 89 PROJECTIONS platforms, plus a few flown-in pieces. Alex Koch’s projections draw on historical material, including photos of the Nazi occupation of Poland and images of the real Opdyke. The lighting is by David Castaneda) If Irena’s Vow had been presented ten years ago, I have little doubt it would have been done with a drop and lights. I don’t want to denigrate the contribution of the delicate, scene-shifting projections; I think they are modest in the best way, and, for the most part, perfectly appropriate. But I wonder who thought they were essential to begin with. Why do we think we have to take the audience by however, nobody could agree on what the hand? Have we lost faith in the not to like. Reviewers singled out ability of actors to create worlds? different members of the cast for Do today’s audiences need the praise or criticism. Similarly, Robert stimulation? It’s a question we should Brill’s scenic design and Dustin never get tired of asking. Would a O’Neill’s projections were described more extensive use of sound with the as original and eye-filling, or agitating historical images do as much, if not and overwhelming. The lighting was more, to evoke a sense of period and designed by Howell Binkley.) create the shifting locales? Guys and Dolls is as flawless and The projections are used here to charming a musical as has ever been create a sense of place, except for a written; even a high school production few documentary images that establish of it will delight. This expensive the time frame. This is always a production’s sets are very handsome; difficult approach, because, as in This the LED wall is majestic and hand - Beautiful City , there is a conflict of somely humanized by the addition of intention. You ask the audience to an RP screen and a bobbinette just accept the projection screen as a wall, downstage of it, removing all those Top: Distracted. Above: Impressionism . a garden, or a cellar—but then it ugly little pixels and allowing for a s u c becomes a news-delivering surface. graceful fade to black. The video r a M It’s easy to make the leap from wall to imagery is expertly made—but it just one feels shot out of a cannon. The n a o J garden; it’s the news part that feels won’t stop.