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TheatreFace.com • Upgrading for the Nederlander’s Newest Tenants • Preparing a Portfolio • Burying the Body at Boston Court www.stage-directions.com SEPTEMBER 2009 Next to Normal’s Composer and Writer Talk About the Path from Thesis to Broadway Table Of Contents 2 0 0 9 Samuel Morgan Kurt Boetcher S e p t e m b e r 16 28 Features 10 Portfolios That Wow Our writer takes you through eight steps to a perfect portfolio. By Kevin M. Mitchell 19 Sound Policy A glimpse at the working lives of two of NYC's most innovative audio service firms. By Lisa Mulcahy 22 Audio Manufacturers and Distributors Just in time for AES, a directory of audio equipment manufacturers and distributors. Special Section: New York City 14 The Many Styles of Normal Next to Normal’s creators share how they brought life and lightness to a serious subject. By Bryan Reesman 16 Everything Old is New Again Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre gets a beautiful renovation as well as a technical boost. By Michael S. Eddy 6 In the Greenroom Arena Stage gets $1.1M to support an ambitious new play development initiative, Livent founders sentenced and more. 9 Tools of the Trade Some audio gear to keep you sounding good and working well. 28 Answer Box Using set design to move between locations and help bury a body. By Jacob Coakley Columns 25 Show Biz Times are tight—it’s time to tighten up your grant app, too. By Tim Cusack 26 The Play’s the Thing Plays and playwrights that still speak to us—and the human condition. By Stephen Peithman Departments 4 Editor’s Note NYC holds the dubious distinction of being the only city I’ve ever had to go through security to get to my clean clothes. By Jacob Coakley • Upgrading for the Nederlander’s Newest Tenants • Preparing a Portfolio • Burying the Body at Boston Court www.stage-directions.com SEPTEMBER 2009 ON OUR COVER: A scene from Next to Normal. 4 Letters Headset chatter on TheatreFace.com Next to Normal’s Composer and Writer Talk About the Path from Thesis to Broadway PHOTOGRAPHY BY: Joan Marcus Publisher Editor Audio Editor Lighting & Staging Editor Terry Lowe [email protected] Jacob Coakley [email protected] Jason Pritchard [email protected] Richard Cadena [email protected] New York Editor Editorial Assistant Bryan Reesman [email protected] Victoria Laabs [email protected] Contributing Writers Tim Cusack, Michael S. Eddy, Kevin M. Mitchell, Lisa Mulcahy, Stephen Peithman, Bryan Reesman Consulting Editor Stephen Peithman Art Director Garret Petrov ART Production Production Manager Linda Evans [email protected] WEB Web Designer Josh Harris ADVERTISING Advertising Director National Sales Manager Audio Advertising Manager Sales Manager Greg Gallardo [email protected] James Leasing [email protected] Jeff Donnenwerth [email protected] Matt Huber [email protected] OPERATIONS General Manager William Vanyo [email protected] CIRCULATION Subscription order BUSINESS OFFICE www.stage-directions.com/subscribe Stark Services P.O. Box 16147 North Hollywood, CA 91615 6000 South Eastern Ave. Suite 14-J Las Vegas, NV 89119 TEL 702.932.5585 FAX 702.932.5584 Advisory Board Joshua Alemany, Rosco; Julie Angelo, American Association of Community Theatre; Robert Barber, BMI Supply; Ken Billington, Lighting Designer; Roger claman, Rose Brand; Patrick Finelli, PhD, University of South Florida; Gene Flaharty, Mehron Inc.; Cathy Hutchison, Acoustic Dimensions; Keith Kankovsky, Apollo Design; Becky Kaufman, Period Corsets; Keith Kevan, KKO Network; Todd Koeppl, Chicago Spotlight Inc.; Kimberly Messer, Lillenas Drama Resources; John Meyer, Meyer Sound; John Muszynski, Theater Director Maine South High School; Scott C. Parker, Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film; Ron Ranson, Theatre Arts Video Library; David Rosenberg, I. Weiss & Sons Inc.; Karen Rugerio, Dr. Phillips High School; Ann Sachs, Sachs Morgan Studio; Bill Sapsis, Sapsis Rigging; Steve Shelley, Lighting Designer; Richard Silvestro, Franklin Pierce College BR ELE AT C 20 G IN SD Stage Directions (ISSN: 1047-1901) Volume 22, Number 9 Published monthly by Timeless Communications Corp., 6000 South Eastern Ave., Suite 14J, Las Vegas, NV 89119. It is distributed free to qualified individuals in the lighting and staging industries in the United States and Canada. Periodical Postage paid at Las Vegas, NV, office and additional offices. Postmaster please send address changes to: Stage Directions, P.O. Box 16147 North Hollywood, CA 91615. Editorial submissions are encouraged, but must include a self-addressed stamped envelope to be returned. Stage Directions is a Registered Trademark. All Rights Reserved. Duplication, transmission by any method of this publication is strictly prohibited without permission of Stage Directions. Y S YEARS OF SERVICE TO THEATRE OTHER TI ME LE S S C OM M UN IC AT ION S P UB LIC AT ION S Editor’s Note Fourth Floor, T-Shirts Dan Hernandez O ne of the strangest things about my time in NYC is that I lived the longest on the Upper East Side—a fluke I can only attribute to the universe paying me back for having me keep clean clothes in a self-storage unit while I tried to find a place to live. Seriously, having to sign into a warehouse, take an elevator up three floors, find your way through a maze of darkened hallways and then open a lock the size of a small dog just to get a clean t-shirt is a little much. I don’t much talk about the fact I used to live in New York. It’s immaterial, and frankly, the New York I lived in doesn’t exist anymore. I don’t say that out of nostalgia, just out of the simple recognition that New York is constantly re-building itself—both in reality, and as a concept. New York City is a locus of ideas, buildings, people, subways and everything else that make up the metropolis. And it has a particular gravity on theatre practitioners of all ages. So love it or hate it, we’re spending a little more time there in this issue, and I’ll be visiting it in reality for AES in October. This time hopefully I won’ t need to warehouse my clothes. Jacob Coakley [email protected] Letters Headset and Backstage Etiquette A recent conversation in the Stage Management group on TheatreFace.com centered around teaching proper headset etiquette to students who were on crew. Here are some excerpts from the conversation. I'm the "chief cook and bottle washer" for the stage-tech world at a high school, and I'm asking for your recommendations for online resources regarding backstage etiquette and (especially) headset etiquette. Thanks! Robert Hi Robert, As a Production Stage Manager/Show Caller here's my take: The less experienced the crew, the more important headset etiquette and general professionalism become. In my opinion, crews shouldn't become chatty on headset at all. Crewmembers should be focused on their tracks, not conversing. Having said that, the SM or whoever is calling the show should be the final word on the matter. For young crews, the excitement of doing show with their friends can be more than they can keep to themselves. It's important to stress to them how important it is for the SM to hear what is happening onstage without the distraction of outside conversations. Turning off department-specific channels is not a solution. The SM needs to have the attention of every single crewmember at a moment's notice in case of trouble. Chatter is not generally accepted in the "professional" world. That may carry some weight with those hoping to continue in this business. If you do decide to let them converse think about the following: -KEEP YOUR MIC TURNED OFF WHEN NOT TALKING. PERIOD. Nobody wants to hear you chew gum or breathe. - The exception to this rule is the calling SM. I generally am the only one allowed to keep my mic open the whole show, especially if I'm calling a busy show with lots of cues. - I never let me crew editorialize what's happening onstage. If an actor were to stand behind a crewmember and criticize them during a cue, it would be terrible for morale. People should keep their opinions to themselves. You never know who can hear what's being said. - Headset chatter is a swell way to flirt, but it's really unprofessional. Save it for the party. - Obviously lewd/sexist/objectionable subject matter has no place on headset. - Save technical notes for after the show. Talking about what went wrong www.theatreface.com/join only distracts from what is coming up. To read more hints regarding headset commu- Keep comments nication, head over to: http://www.theatreface. com/group/stagemanagement/forum/topics/ positive. Anything headset-and-backstage. beyond that can be written down and To join TheatreFace, visit www.TheatreFace. discussed later. com/join Shawn Senavinin TheatreFace.com 4 September 2009 • www.stage-directions.com In the Greenroom Arena Stage has received a $1.1 million grant to support their ambitious new American Voices New Play Institute program. “The Institute’s programs will test promising advances around the country, with the intention of developing the infrastructure for new plays and new voices nationwide,” said Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith. “For more than two years Associate Artistic Director David Dower and I have laid the groundwork for this Institute, and now with the support from the Mellon Foundation, we are ready to build.” The Institute will be under the leadership of Smith, guided by Dower and will work in partnership with Georgetown University’s Theater Department, led by Dr. Derek Goldman. The American Voices New Play Institute will begin operation with a suite of interrelated programs: Playwrights Residencies, New Works Producing Fellowships, Audience Enrichment Seminars and the NEA New Play Development Program. The residencies will offer three playwrights—one senior, one mid-career and one local—three-year residencies with a living wage to write. The first Resident Playwright will be D.C. native Karen Zacarías. In consultation with the Foundry Theatre in NYC, the New Works Producing Fellowships will immerse three budding artistic producers in a year-long effort to learn the best practices of creating, resourcing and managing a new play’s development path from first impulse through production by producing the development processes of the Resident Playwrights and supporting the producing of the Institute’s public programs. The Theater 101 Audience Enrichment Seminar will be an extended seminar each year to 100 intergenerational audience members interested in deepening their understanding of the process of new play development. The Institute will also house the ongoing National Endowment of the Arts New Play Development Program hosted by Arena Stage. Livent Founders Drabinsky, Gottlieb Sentenced to Prison The Canadian trial of Garth Drabinsky and Myron Gottlieb, a pair who spent lavishly on massive productions such as Ragtime and Kiss of the Spider Woman that they presented as money-makers while heads of Livent, reached its conclusion in August when the two were sentenced to prison for defrauding investors. Drabinsky was hit with seven years in prison and Gottlieb was sentenced to six. Both were found guilty of two counts of fraud each and one forgery charge in March. Justice Mary Lou Benotto sentenced Drabinsky to four years on one fraud charge and seven years on the second, to be served concurrently. Gottlieb got four years on the first count of fraud, and six years on the second, also to be served concurrently. The forgery conviction for each man was stayed. Benotto found that Drabinsky and Gottlieb masterminded a scheme of fraudulent accounting that started in 1989 when Livent was still private, and used those methods to keep it afloat as a publicly traded company from 1993 to 1998. They misallocated pre-production costs to fixed assets, and hid expenses by moving them to future quarters and from one show to another, the judge ruled. Drabinsky and Gottlieb still face prosecution in New York City. 6 September 2009 • www.stage-directions.com theatre buzz Arena Stage Receives $1.1 Million Grant Nominations Open for the 2009 Stage Directions High School Theatre Honors Program Stage Directions magazine is performing an encore for its successful High School Theatre Honors program. The program honors outstanding theatre programs across the country and Canada. Theatre administrators, students and fans are encouraged to nominate spectacular high school theatre programs at www.stage-directions.com/tophighschools. Stage Directions will also survey teachers, professors and recruiters across the country to honor those who excel. The winners from each region (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Northwest, Southwest and Canada) will be will be profiled in the November issue “The Crime of the Century” number from Bishop Blanchet High School production of Ragtime. Bishop Blanchet was the 2008 HS Theatre Honors winner in the Northwest region. Skylight Opera Theatre Managing Director Eric Dillner Resigns Several weeks after igniting a local firestorm by eliminating the position of artistic director at the Skylight Opera Theatre in Milwaukee, Eric Dillner resigned as managing director. Interim Board President Terry Kurtenbach made the announcement on August 5, and also said that Skylight Alums Colin Cabot and Joan Lounsbery will return as interim managing director and artistic director, respectively. "I had to make many difficult decisions to streamline the company and it is now best for me to step aside and let someone else carry it forward,” Dillner said in a statement released by the Skylight Board of Directors. “I wish the Skylight the best in all its future endeavors and leave it in the hands of a capable staff, and fiscally responsible and caring Board of Directors.” www.stage-directions.com • September 2009 7 industry news USITT Announces Celebrity Speakers for 2010 Show USITT has announced a partial line-up of special speakers and session presenters for its 50th Annual Conference in 2010. Sally Struthers will kick off the four-day lineup of focused sessions and special exhibitions at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 31 with her Keynote presentation at the Kansas City Convention Center. Jennifer Tipton, who in 2008 was honored with a MacArthur Foundation “genius award” will speak on Friday morning to start the Conference day. With her MacArthur Genius Grant, Tipton was honored as a stage lighting designer who is “pushing the visible boundaries of her art form with painterly lighting that evokes mood and sculpts movement in dance, drama, and opera.” Heather M. Kitchen Heather M. Kitchen, now in her 14th season as executive director at American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.), will step down from her position at the end of August 2009. Kitchen will remain available to the company through the end of this year as a consultant and adviser during the transition process. Under Kitchen’s leadership, A.C.T.’s budget has grown from $11 million to last year’s high of $19.5 million, annual fundraising has tripled, the company is on track to successfully complete a $30 million endowment campaign, and 11 of the 13 seasons she managed ended with the company in a surplus financial position. The company’s growth has included the development and performance of new work and the addition of a third year to A.C.T.’s topranked Master of Fine Arts Program. Kitchen joined the company the same year that renovations to the historic American Conservatory Theater were complete; her work to retire the company’s deficit and debt from those years remains among her most significant professional accomplishments. 8 September 2009 • www.stage-directions.com changing roles Kitchen Steps Down as Executive Director of A.C.T. Tools of the Trade Bartlett Microphones TM-125 and TM-125C Stage Floor Mic Bartlett Microphones TM-125 and TM-125C are supercardioid boundary mics designed for use on the theatre stage to pick up actors in drama or musicals. Other intended uses are capturing the footwork of dance groups. The TM-125’s miniature capsule technology prevents phase cancellations due to sound reflections off the stage floor. Other features include a small sized and rugged body able to withstand footsteps. The TM-125 has an XLR connector on its side, while the TM-125C is the exact same microphone with a 6-foot XLR cable permanently attached. Each unit is tuned and voiced to match others within +/- 1.5 dB. Each mic is 100% tested by the design engineers, who also offer tech support on the mic. www.bartlettmics.com Hosa Technoloy Da-Cappo Da12 The Hosa Technology Da-Cappo DA12 cardioid earset microphone features a European designed and built capsule with a cardioid polar pattern designed for vocal performers and others where high SPL (sound pressure level) monitoring would severely restrict gain before feedback. The capsule incorporates a sensitivity rating of -51 dB and a maxi- mum SPL rating of 130 dB and provides off-axis rejection by using a front-facing capsule engineered to be positioned at the corner of the performer’s mouth. The DA12 Cardioid is available in coffee, beige or black. A wireless adaptor is sold separately. www.hosatech.com Studer Vista Console Software v4.2 Studer has released a software update for the Vista series of consoles that includes many features specifically designed to help sound engineers and designers in the theatre. Updates include: Virtual Vista, Theatre VCA’s, Theatre Mute Groups, an Enhanced Theatre Cuelist and others. Virtual Vista allows a duplicate control surface to be run on a PC running Windows XP or Vista. It can wirelessly sync with the mixing console so that operators can walk a theatre and make changes to cues and speaker settings and have those changes reflected in the console. The Enhanced Theatre Cuelist adds new events to the cue list, allows for auto-renumbering of cues, simplifies cue and snapshot creation and updates. By adding library events, changes in settings can be made, and then applied to multiple cues—e.g., EQ changes for an actor wearing a certain costume piece can be made once, then applied to multiple cues only when actor is wearing costume piece, as opposed to having to be entered into each cue. www.harman.com/studer www.stage-directions.com • September 2009 9 Feature By Kevin M. Mitchell PortfoliosThat Wow Eight Steps to a Perfect Portfolio T Rule 1: Get a Good Camera “When I first started out, everyone just had rendering and drawings,” says Shane Ayers, associate professor of English and Theatre at Berea College, Berea, Kentucky. “Then everybody did 35 mm slides so I had to invest in a good camera.” “When I first started putting a portfolio together it was for graduate school, and I had no idea what I was doing,” confesses DeVault. “For my first show I didn’t take my own pictures, so I had to get copies from the department.” She quickly learned to get a good camera and do them herself. So take a class if necessary and don’t rely on others. Even if someone else associated with the play is taking photos, they are usually for promoting the show as a whole, as opposed to specifically showing off some aspect of the lighting, set, or costuming. Rule 2: The Medium Is the Message All three point out that technology has been a big boon to the arts and the days of expensive photo printing and lug- “We look at everything very closely.” —Shan Ayers ging around a big book is (mostly) over. A digital portfolio on CD is “the way to go,” says Grindle. “Suddenly if I see the digital portfolio great young designer or technician, I can take the CD and show others in the department. I have a 10 September 2009 • www.stage-directions.com Fred M. Duer, Asst. Professor of Scenic Design, Indiana University he artisan’s portfolio is evolving, though it’s importance is not. Whether applying to college, a gig, or for a full-time position at a theatre, your portfolio needs to not just be a haphazard collection of this and that. “Think of it as showcasing yourself—your personality should shine through as well,” says Kathleen DeVault, head of international theatre production, production manager, and resident lighting designer of Ohio Northern University in Ada. David Grindle, who created the Stage Management Program at Indiana University, Bloomington, points out that these days the majority of jobs are decided over the telephone, so having something that is easy to mail and displays your work well is critical. “I have a student going to China for a year on a phone interview— he never he met his boss. That’s the way the world is right now.” It can help to show work in various stages in your portfolio, so a working process is also documented. portable document.” Grindle believes strongly in PDF files: “PDF is the only format you should send any resume, images, or part of a portfolio,” he says. “It’s the only way to assure that everything is presented exactly the way you intend to show it.” Otherwise, if the recipient doesn’t have the font you use, or has an older version of a program, it might open as a complete mess—if it opens at all. Rule 3: Choose Wisely When Ayers looks back on his early portfolios, he thinks he erred in including everything. “I tell my students they need to showcase something specific to what they are looking for. Just be ready to show more.” If you’re going after a position as a Lighting Designer, show your work as that— just be ready to also show what you’ve done as a technical director. DeVault adds to not put a show in your portfolio that you’re not positive about. If you can’t talk about it in a way that shows you’re proud of your work, leave it out, because you can’t be lively or engaging talking about a production that was ultimately disappointing. She remembers well one exchange of interviewing someone who when asked about a particular production in his portfolio, simply said: “I have nothing to say!” She also advises to include “smaller” shows, as something done well with no budget in a black box can illustrate Feature Shan Ayers Investing in a good camera is a must for your portfolio; even if someone else takes pictures of the production they may not show off your design work. a designer’s creativity. “I did an international show in Germany where I had only 13 lights to cue,” she tells. “But I was able to talk about the tour and what I accomplished.” The not-so-subtle implication was if she could do this with 13 lights, imagine what she could do with 300 . . . Rule 4: Have More Than One Grindle has different portfolios emphasizing different skills and experience. “When I’m trying to get a stage managing job, I have a one for that; as a director, I have a differ- ent portfolio. I want them to think of me primarily for the position I most want.” Ayers adds he has three different versions of his portfolio: an academic one, a freelance one, and an acting one. Rule 5: Exploit the Technology Instead of just showing an especially impressive piece of scenery during a production, how about a split screen that also shows the machinery driving it behind the scenes? Technology allows you to do that and more, Grindle says. It also allows you to show something in more than one light—literally and figuratively. “If we’re hiring a new scenic painting, I want to see white light effect, while someone else will want to see what it looks like under the show lights,” Grindle says “The technology available gives you the opportunity to expand what you can show.” Rule 6: Clean, Poignant Cover Letters “We look at everything very closely,” Ayers says. “If the cover letter is filled with typos, no matter how brilliant their designs are, it makes you wonder about the person.” Make someone else proofread it if necessary. Also, cover letters don’t need to be long, but they need to be specific: Talk about the highlights, give a specific example about a specific success you’ve had, and cite the image that accompanies it. Rule 7: Don’t Rely on Pure Digital “If you’re going for a face to face, have a physical portfolio,” advises Grindle. “Some students have Web sites and will e-mail a link, but I’m not a fan of that.” Grindle encourages his students seeking stage manager position to provide paper from the beginning, middle, and end—the entire run of the show. This allows him to get a sense of how he or she handles each stage. He likes to see how well someone can anticipate things, how they prepped. Rule 8: Tell the Truth “Don’t ever lie. It’s a small world and you will be found out,” says Grindle. He then tells the story of a colleague being able to refute someone’s fictionalized resume because “everyone knows everyone else.” He also encourages all to give credit where credit is due. If you’re a costumer and showing off something from one of your shows, also include the names of the LD and the Set Designer, etc. The Next Thing DVDs are coming into play. DeVault says they are becoming 12 September 2009 • www.stage-directions.com “Don’t ever lie. It’s a small world and you will be found out.” —David Grindle more prevalent but still in their figurative infancy. “People are still debating if they are good or bad,” she says. “They are good to see, especially if you’re there in person to describe what is being shown.” Ayers is seeing more DVDs. “I think it’s something we’re going to have to embrace as people become more technically savvy.” But make sure it works— which goes for anything digital. Make sure you go through every chapter or track, ideally on a more than one computer, to make sure it works. Grindle, who has built an impressive career as a stage manager, has an answer for those who fear their art is hardest to translate to a portfolio. On his campus they videotaped a rehearsal, but in the place of dialog, they recorded the headset track. In a particularly harried production of the Nutcracker Suite, the explosion from the cannon caught a piece of paper on fire as it fell to the stage. “The stage manager was absolutely brilliant on how she handled that,” he says. “I actually use that in class.” www.stage-directions.com • September 2009 13 Special Section: New York City The Many Styles of Normal Next to Normal’s creators share how they brought life and lightness to a serious subject Joan Marcus By Bryan Reesman Brian Yorkey (left) and Tom Kitt, the writer and composer of Next to Normal P art of a new wave of original musicals electrifying Broadway, the Tony Award-winning Next To Normal is not only a powerful rock musical experience but an emotionally wrenching look into bipolar disorder and how it affects a family whose mother is battling with the affliction. Tony-winner Alice Ripley plays the woman caught by the storm that rages in her mind, while her family tries to cope with the fallout and to maintain unity. Tony-winning writer Brian Yorkey and Tony-winning composer Tom Kitt tackle their subject matter with passion and gusto, utilizing “What’s most important to me about Next To Normal is that people see that we’re honoring that struggle and hoping to shed some light on it.” —Tom Kitt a wide variety of musical styles to express the roller coaster of emotions within the story. Their victory at the Tonys was a long time coming—Yorkey and Kitt spent more than 10 years working on this show, which was originally entitled Feeling Electric. Retitled Next To Normal, it went through numerous incarnations in different settings, including the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2005, where Wicked prowww.stage-directions.com/n2n ducer David Stone jumped on board. Online Bonus! Stage Directions met with Yorkey For more conversation and Kitt a few with Brian Yorkey and Tom days after their Kitt, head over to Tony win downstairs at the Booth www.stage-directions.com/n2n Theater. 14 September 2009 • www.stage-directions.com Next to Normal started small—a 10-minute thesis for the writers in the BMI workshop—and maintains that intimacy despite the Broadway-sized budget and set. Stage Directions: There is an interesting assortment of styles in Next to Normal, from traditional musical theatre numbers to more bombastic rock numbers. There’s a little a capella at one point. How conscious were you of creating this sonic mixture? Tom: For me, the story always drove the music. It wasn’t necessarily setting out to do bunch of different styles so that I could have a different palette. I think it was really just what’s appropriate. For the pharmacologist number, for example, I remember the day that we hit on the jazz waltz. I wanted to desensitize the drugs, almost make it feel like it’s in radio jingle land because I think there is a sense, especially on television when you see these ads with a good-looking guy running along the beach and you hear all of those warnings, that they do try to desensitize a little bit what they’re selling. So musically it seemed to me that that wistful, spring-in-your-step type music worked well for that, as opposed to saying, “This needs to be jazzier.” Brian: The flip side, and this is where rock music comes in, is that the show deals in extremes of emotion, especially extremes of sadness and anger and frustration, and I think that no kind of music expresses anger and frustration and being at the end of your rope the way rock music does. Even the parents in this musical are in their late 30s and early 40s, and they grew up with rock ‘n’ roll, so that would be the natural way for them to express themselves musically. They wouldn’t express themselves in a Harold Arlen song. That’s not their music. Their music is Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi. Joan Marcus What did you learn about mental illness in writing the show? Brian: I think I learned how pervasive mental illness is. Every time I’m at the show I meet someone who’s bipolar or who grew up with a bipolar parent. Literally every time I’ve met someone at the show there’s been someone there You guys have found humor within this tragic tale. Next To Normal could have been one big downer, but it’s not. There are times in life you have to laugh, even at the absurdity of a difficult situation. Tom: The people you laugh with are the people you care about. Brian: The thing about bipolar is it's sad but it's so extreme that it is kind of ridiculous. There are certain points you have to laugh at, like when she’s making sandwiches on the floor. You have to laugh because the alternative is too dour. It’s too dark. Was your intention to give the son a devilish presence? He comes off as the villain here. Brian: I think he’s definitely the antagonist. I think Ben Brantley in his review said he’s angel and devil both to his mother. That’s really true. The thing about the character of Gabe is that he has a very specific job to do. The song “I’m Alive,” which seems like a great, rousing pop song, is laying out why he’s there. He’s really there to get them to deal with this thing that they’re not fully dealing with. Michael and I always said that he haunts the house the way that grief and loss and sadness haunt this house and mental illness haunts this house. This family hasn’t totally faced up to that. They’re trying to take care of it by dampening it down and keeping a lid on it, and what ultimately happens at the end is that they have to rip themselves apart to start healing. “I think that no kind of music expresses anger and frustration and being at the end of your rope the way rock music does.” —Brian Yorkey A moment from Next to Normal, with (left to right): Aaron Tveit, Alice Ripley (who won a Tony for her performance) and J. Robert Spencer who says, “This is my story.” I could easily say that I wasn’t expecting that. In developing the show we met so many people who responded to what was onstage because it told their story that they hadn’t seen told, particularly not as a musical. Learning how pervasive it was and how many lives have been touched by mental illness was a real revelation for me. Tom: I learned to see it in its true form, which is that it’s a disease. I think there’s a tendency, and I think I was this way growing up, to say, “Why can’t that person snap out of it? Why are they acting that way?” Brian has that great line when the doctor says it’s a disease like hypertension or diabetes and it must be treated. To look at it that way, to look at it as a disease that afflicts people and that there is no rhyme or reason to it and there is no silver bullet, it’s the struggle to live with it and to take care of it. What’s most important to me about Next To Normal is that people see that we’re honoring that struggle and hoping to shed some light on it. What was the toughest scene for the both of you work on together? Brian: You would think the answer would be the whole therapy sequence, but it actually wasn’t that hard. We already had other songs, and I was able to lay the pieces out in a row, and Tom just took it and made it work. And to give credit where credit is due, Anne Marie Milazzo, our vocal arranger, and Michael Starobin, who was the Tony winning co-orchestrator, both got on board to figure out this tapestry and weave it all together in this way that was amazing. It had no right to work as well as it did. Tom: Michael was so great at coming in and saying the show needs to move quicker and we need to get to that big moment quicker as well, so Brian and I just kept honing and changing that sequence. We wrote new songs. For example, the song Natalie sings at the piano is totally different from what we had at the Second Stage. Brian: Even though it feels fizzy and effortless, the whole “I’m Crazy/My Psycho pharmacologist and I” sequence was really hard. We worked on that a lot. www.stage-directions.com • September 2009 15 Special Section: New York City All Photography by Samuel Morgan Everything Old is New Again Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre gets a beautiful renovation as well as a technical boost The audience chamber of the Nederlander after the renovation. By Michael S. Eddy W hen Rent moved into the Nederlander Theatre in 1996, the venue was in need of renovation. The producers and designers wanted the space left as it was, however, as part of the shabby aesthetic of their show. So when Rent closed after a 12-year run, the Nederlander was in desperate need of an overhaul. Not to mention that the economics of Broadway today dictated that the theatre be able to handle larger and technically more complex shows going forward. Jim Boese, VP of the Nederlander Organization, the theatre’s owner, hired Sachs Morgan Studio: Theatre Design Specialists, to lead a comprehensive renovation. The theatre required: roof repairs; exterior renovation (doors and marquee signage); upgraded technical systems, including a complete overhaul of the rigging system; installation of a brand new grid; design and expansion of bathrooms; a redesigned seating plan; architectural lighting; a new concessions booth; replacement of flooring, as well as carpeting; and paint and plasterwork throughout the theatre and the lobby to bring back the original 1920s feel to the space. Rather a large but straightforward undertaking except for one big challenge—the timeframe. The Nederlanders had booked Guys and Dolls as the next production, so they had only five months from when Rent loaded out and Guys and Dolls came in. Sachs Morgan’s Founder and Director of Design Roger Morgan, a Tony-Award winning Broadway lighting designer before becoming a theatre consultant, had handled a number of historical renovations and knew how to pull together the right team for such a demanding project, including: EverGreene Architectural Arts, Inc. for the historical paint and plaster work; Irwin Seating; PRG Scenic Technologies was the rigging fabricator/installer and handled the front of house lighting position renovations; Nolan Engineering Services analyzed the structure; SECOA provided rigging elewww.stage-directions.com/n2n ments; Lite Makers, Inc. reconstructed the cusOnline Bonus! tom architectural lightFor more before-and-after ing fixtures; and I Weiss manufactured the drapcomparison photos head over to ery. www.stage-directions.com/ nederlander Broadway is Bigger The mandate was to adapt the Nederlander, a 1,200 seat theatre— 16 September 2009 • www.stage-directions.com now 1,232—so it could accommodate modern musicals. Prior to the renovation it really couldn’t handle today’s bigger shows, especially from a technical standpoint. Further complicating things was the fact that although the Nederlander Theatre has not been granted landmark status, the owners decided to treat it as if it had been, out of respect for the original design. Morgan explains the approach they took, “There are always limits to every theatre design, even new ones. In this space the one place we could make substantial improvement was on the grid. We decided to tear out the entire grid and replace it with one where we could do anything.” Normally the house staff heads up most technical upgrades with additional stagehands brought in as needed. Boese knew that with the tight time frame as well as the extensive grid reconstruction they would need to bring in an outside company. PRG Scenic Technologies won the contract. “It was like working with family,” says Morgan. “These guys are stagehands and they understand deadlines. PRG is terrific that way plus they have wonderful people working there. Freddie Gallo, president of PRG Scenic Technologies, is himself a terrific carpenter; he gets right in there and works with the guys. They’re all there to support the project and make it work.” PRG’s scope included the demolition of the old grid, the installation of structural steel; installation of head blocks, rigging hardware and front of house lighting positions. Morgan realized that with the new grid they could also put in the base for a counterweight system in the previously all hemp house, which each production installs each time it loads in a show on Broadway. “We decided we should put in a great grid, head blocks and beams, so any show could put in whatever they want, wherever they want.’” One of the big problems was that there was not a clear wall to put in T-track for a counterweight system. The stage right wall was full of electrical switchgear and the stage left wall had the loading door. The decision was made to make room in the basement, move the electrical gear to the basement, rebuild a fly floor on the SR wall and put in T-track from SECOA. Now any production can put in counterweights or use a winch-assist with the counterweights. The next step was the grid itself. “PRG came up with a clever solution,” says Morgan. They built a platform that was about 15 feet wide and as deep as the stage, and then rigged it off chain hoists, like a window-washing scaffold. They could go up and down stripping out the old grid; installing the new steel The orchestra seats under the balcony post-renovation. Theatre consultant Roger Morgan, Founder and Design Director of Sachs Morgan Studio (right) discusses design changes. beams; then put in the new grid floor. Easier said then done according to Gallo. “The head block beams were tricky to install because they had to be put in at a very high elevation and there was no way to lift them to that height. Typically head block beams are put in as the building is being built when they have a crane outside. The beams were like 70-80 pounds per foot and they were around 40-feet long. So we ended up drilling holes in the roof; put chain motor stands on the roof sitting on steel beams bridling across roof structure; and actually lifted the head block beams into position. We couldn’t put them in as one piece, we had to put them in by sections and then they needed to be welded together.” Gallo worked closely with Nolan Engineering Services to solve another rather tricky challenge. “The beams that were in the building are pre-1920s steel, and the actual chemical mix of steel was different then,” comments Gallo. “So that steel has less carbon in it—which for us meant the issue was it is very difficult to weld through it. So all of our connections were done with a novel approach that the structural engineer came up with, a bracket to connect all the old steel to the new grid.” Bringing Electricity The next challenge to give modern musicals flexibility in design was up in the front of the house ceiling. “We put in a bunch of front of house points that didn’t exist before,” describes Gallo, “so now there are ways to hang trusses just about anywhere they want in the front of the house.” All of the lighting positions in the front of house also had to be addressed, especially the box booms and front balcony rail. The Scenic Technologies crew worked www.stage-directions.com • September 2009 17 Special Section: New York City on installing the new rail, which is actually two parallel pipes. “I have used this method in about 20–30 theatres,” says Morgan. “I like to listen to the crew and this makes it easier for them to hang the clamp on one rail and put the cable on the other, so if they need to move a light, it saves a lot of time.” With all of the renovation of the lighting positions in the house, a new interconnect panel was installed backstage. The design team worked with Union Connector to build a patch panel that allows the show’s dimmers backstage to connect to the FOH circuits. Join Us Backstage The PREMIER social network dedicated to theatre practitioners 18 September 2009 • www.stage-directions.com Swiss-Cheese Orchestra Seating is obviously important in any theatre, and so too in this renovation. “The seats had been moved in and out so much the orchestra floor was like Swiss cheese. So we redid the floor,” explains Morgan. “Joe Ferrari, the house carpenter, who is worth his weight in gold, and the property guy, Billy Wright, laid that floor in there, they did just a super job.” They added two layers of ¾-inch fireproofed plywood for anchoring the new seats. “Irwin Seating provided the new seats. They are a company that will never let you down,” states Morgan. The carpeting was all redone with a period flair that matched the new color scheme. Morgan brought in EverGreene who is well known for their historical restoration work. “EverGreene is terrific, we’ve done a lot of work with them,” says Morgan. “They have their own plaster shop and we had major plaster damage here.” They handled both the plaster work and the painting of the new colors—muted greens, browns and the gilded gold. Along with the restoration of the house boxes, coupled with new drapes and the wonderful faux paint treatments, the theatre has been restored its original scale and beauty. To ensure audiences could enjoy that beauty Sachs Morgan brought in Lite Makers, a custom architectural lighting manufacturer based in Long Island City, NY. “They did gorgeous work throughout the space,” comments Morgan. They recreated many of the sconces, constructed newly designed chandeliers, and duplicated the ornate exit signs. “It was great working on this project with the Nederlanders and Jim Boese, who is in charge of their real estate,” sums up Morgan. “He is a true theatre guy and he really, really cares. In fact he is now the president of the League of Historic American Theatres. This being done right was important to him and to me. It is one of the most rewarding projects I have ever worked on.” By Lisa Mulcahy Sound Policy | Feature A glimpse at the working lives of two of NYC's most innovative audio service firms T he very best theatFitzgerald says. “We rical sound design provide first-rate audio combines two cruand visual equipment cial elements: cuttingfor any performance; we edge, creative technoare able to fill technical, logical thinking, and very large and complisolid experience. Two cated multi-computerTony-winning examples ized needs.” of companies embodyAlthough Sound ing these standards on Associates' output has Broadway and beyond been a major presence are Sound Associates, on the Great White Inc., and Masque Sound. Way since the compaBoth companies have ny's inception in 1979, pioneered the develFitzgerald leaves room opment of top-notch for other projects. audio equipment, plus “Our work force hanoffer full manufacturing dles many expensive design and installation projects, but that's not services. Here's an inside Sound Associates crew at the Metropolitan Opera’s outdoor festival mix position. From left to right: Wally Flores, to say that we don't take P.J. Volpe (head of sound for the Metropolitan Opera) and Domonic Sack. peek at how each firm's on localized work or leaders accomplish it all—and some sage advice to help not-for-profits,” Fitzgerald says. “I am extremely proud any theatre achieve their ultimate sound goals in every of our association with Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall production. Gang Camp theatre benefits; in 2009, we did their wonderful Lincoln Center performance, which featured Julia Doing It All Roberts, among others. It's very important for us to be It's bright and early in Yonkers, NY and Sound Associates able to serve the community through our services.” CEO Richard Fitzgerald has lots on his plate. He’s talkTrouble-shooting tough sound design problems is a ing to clients about his company's Assistive Listening Sound Associates specialty. Systems and D-Scriptive product line, which offers per“A very memorable project for me was the original sonal close captioning and description for both deaf and Broadway production of Disney’s Beauty & the Beast,” hard-of-hearing and sight-impaired theatrical patrons, Fitzgerald recalls. “In building Disney's first show, we then discussing the successful mixes of hits like Hair faced a very demanding challenge—taking a mega-miland Jersey Boys with their lion dollar show on, and sound designers and using and building new Sound Associate tech equipment to help crewizards. Plus, there are ate a great performance many ongoing projects experience beyond any moving in and out of theme park mentality.” the company's bustling Fitzgerald stresses production facility to that no matter what supervise—not to menthe size or scope of a tion overseeing the comshow may be, however, pany's busy Manhattan a theatre company must office. bring both organiza“Our staff is very smart, tion and self-awareness very dedicated, and to the table. “We work we're a union shop—our with theatre organizagifted workers are able tions all over the counto multi-task well, as we try, very diverse compaoften have three or four nies, and I find that the shows running on our Sound Associates CEO Richard Fitzgerald with an I-Caption unit at the Gershwin most wonderful clients floor at the same time,” Theatre in front of the set for Wicked to work with, first of all, www.stage-directions.com • September 2009 19 “Most of my siblings and I started working in the business during the summers as kids; you coil cable and learn from the ground up.” —Geoff Shearing are extremely realistic about their budgets,” he notes. “You need to know exactly how much you are willing to spend before giving your sound designer a list of your show's desired FX, before you expect us to try to build anything. You also have to be clear about your space, so we can give you the right new equipment or pack and send available gear—what we offer is all built to work together, so you should understand your stage capacity, and be ready to load in when our shipping crates arrive.” Innovating a Legacy Meanwhile, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, one of the Manhattan theatre world's biggest secret weapons is also firing up for the day. Geoff Shearing, vice president of Masque Sound, kicks off the morning with a 10-minute management meeting, talking over upcoming shows. Then Shearing walks the company's 70, 000 square foot complex, cheerleading, checking on the audio install preps in progress, and answering questions. For the rest of the day, Shearing monitors cash flow and purchasing, plus handles phone calls and e-mails from both customers and Masque's professional wireless office in Orlando, Fla., since, as he explains, “My job is to pre-empt problems before they happen, by facilitating conversations.” Shearing's M.O. is to seamlessly meld the best new sound reinforcement and equipment breakthroughs with a rich tradition. “The company was founded in 1936 by three partners, one of whom was my grandfather,” he explains. “All of the partners were theatre people; my grandfather's strength was running the crews and the day-to-day business, while his other partners were, respectively, a technical visionary and a business expert. All three really complemented each other, and were able to identify trends in theatrical audio, things like microphones, which were really cutting-edge at the time.” Among Masque's earliest FX triumphs was introducing wireless mics on Broadway in the 1950s. Shearing himself decided to join 20 September 2009 • www.stage-directions.com Joan Marcus Feature Geoff Shearing, VP of Masque Sound the company based on his love of the people he'd be working with. “Most of my siblings and I started working in the business during the summers as kids; you coil cable and learn from the ground up. What kept me in the business, though, was the friendships I made—meeting people who knew my grandfather. I was really mentored by these people.” Shearing is equally proud of the work staff he has nurtured and mentored. “We're very blessed to have a staff of genuises,” he raves. “Everyone is really good at what they do. We were very lucky to win the first Tony for sound design, for South Pacific, and we're very proud of that. There were several different kinds of mixing boards on that show, and we figured out how to integrate a lot of elements, doing a lot of work on delay times, scene by scene and within scenes, where the sound really seems as though it is coming from the actor. Our staff did this through delay times and multiple settings. It's our job not only to figure this kind of thing out, but figure it out so the sound FX are stable, so they work every show, so that there are backup systems.” When it comes to making any theatre company's sound needs happen, Shearing advocates communicating your creative goals to an audio firm as clearly as possible. “Our job is to help theatrical productions realize their artistic vision, and in order to do that, we Masque Sound won the first Tony Award for Sound Design for their work on the South Pacific revival. provide the technology they need,” says Shearing. “In the late '90s, there was a lot of pricing pressure out there, due to many competitors, and we really made a conscious decision to focus on quality and customer service.” Ultimately, Shearing feels that Masque Sound's continuing success all boils down to client satisfaction— yesterday, today, and tomorrow. www.stage-directions.com • September 2009 21 Audio Manufacturers & Distributors 360 Systems 31355 Agoura Rd. Westlake Village, CA 91361 P: 818-991-0360 W: www.360systems. com Adamson Systems Engineering 1401 Scugog Line 6 Port Perry, ON L9L 1B2 P: 905-982-0520 W: www.adamson proaudio.com A-Line Acoustics 510 E. Washington St. Corry, PA 16407 P: 814-663-0600 W: www.a-lineacous tics.com ADK Microphones 800 Ne Tenny Rd., #110-215 Beaverton, OR 970058999 P: 503-296-9400 W: www.adkmic.com AFAB Enterprises, Inc. 135 Industry Ave., Unit #3 Frankfort, IL 60423 P: 877-229-3601 W: www.avcable.com AKG Acoustics 8500 Balboa Blvd. Northridge, CA 91329 P: 818-920-3212 W: www.akg-acoustics. com W: www.allen-heath. com/us Alesis 200 Scenic View Dr. Ste. 201 Cumberland, RI 02864 P: 401-658-5760 W: www.alesis.com Alpha Sound & Lighting Co. 24846 Ave. Rockefeller Ste. 100 Santa Clarita, CA 91355 P: 800-523-8195 W: www.alphasound andlighting.com Allen & Heath USA 5304 Derry Ave., Ste. C Agoura Hills, CA 91301 P: 866-474-7711 Altec Lansing 535 Route 6 & 209 Milford, PA 18337 P: 866-570-5702 W: www.alteclansing. com Amx Autopatch Group 2416 Cheney-spokane Rd. Cheney, WA 99004 P: 509-235-2636 W: www.autopatch. com Anchor Audio 2565 W. 237th St. Torrance, CA 90505 P: 800-262-4671 W: www.anchoraudio. com APB-Dynasonics 20 W. End Rd. Totowa, NJ 07512 P: 973-785-1101 W: www.apb-dyna sonics.com Aphex Systems Ltd. 11068 Randall St. Sun Valley, CA 91352 P: 818-767-2929 W: www.aphex.com API 8301 Patuxent Range Rd. Ste. A1 Jessup, MD 20794 P: 301-776-7879 W: www.apiaudio.com Apogee Sound International 50 Spring St. Ramsey, NJ 07446 P: 800-443-3979 W: www.apogeesound.com Ashly Audio, Inc. 847 Holt Rd. Webster, NY 14580 P: 800-828-6308 W: www.ashly.com ATI-Audio Technologies Inc. 154 Cooper Rd. Bldg. 902 West Berlin, NJ 08091 P: 856-719-9900 W: www.atiaudio.com Audex 710 Standard St. Longview, TX 75604 P: 800-237-0716 W: www.audex.com Audio-technica U.S., Inc. 1221 Commerce Dr. Stow, OH 44224 P: 330-686-2600 W: www.audio-techni ca.com Audiocontrol Industrial 22410 70th Ave. West Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043 P: 425-775-8461 W: www.audiocontrol. com Audiovend Wireless Systems, Inc 923 Knotty Elmwood Trail Houston, TX 77062 P: 281-218-8330 W: www.audiovend wireless.com Audix Corporation 9400 Sw Barber St. P.o. Box 4010 Wilsonville, OR 97070 P: 503-682-6933 W: www.audixusa.com Aviom 1157 Phoenixville Pike Ste. 201 Westchester, PA 19380 P: 610-738-9005 W: www.aviom.com Avlex Corporation 6655 Troost Ave. Kansas City, MO 64131 P: 816-581-9103 W: www.avlex.com Azden Corporation P.o. Box 10 Franklin Square, NY 11010 P: 516-328-7500 W: www.azdencorp. com Backstage, Llc 310 W. Broad St. Richmond, VA 23220 P: 888-644-1433 W: www.backstageva. com Bag End Loudspeaker Systems 22n272 Pepper Rd., Unit D Lake Barrington, IL 60010 P: 847-382-4550 W: www.bagend.com Bartlett Microphones 415 Aspin Dr. Elkhart, IN 46514 P: 574-293-0366 W: www.bartlettmics. com Behringer USA, Inc. 18912 North Creek Pkwy., Ste. 200 Bothell, WA 98011 P: 425-672-0816 W: www.behringer.com Beyerdynamic North America 56 Central Ave. Farmingdale, NY 11735 P: 631-293-3200 W: www.beyerdynamic. com BMI Supply, NY 571 Queensbury Ave. Queensbury, NY 12804 P: 800-836-0524 W: www.bmisupply. com BMI Supply, SC 209-b Depot St. Greer, SC 29651 P: 800-670-4264 W: www.bmisupply. com Bosch 12000 Portland Ave. S. Burnsville, MN 55337 P: 800-392-3497 W: www.boschcommu nications.us Cad Professional Microphones 5970 Heisley Rd., Ste. 110 Mentor, OH 44060 P: 440-354-3300 W: www.cadmics.com Cadac Electronics Plc One New St. Luton, Bedfordshire London LU1 5DX P: 441582404202 F: 441582412799 W: www.cadac-sound. com Menlo Park, CA 94025 P: 800-669-1422 W: www.countryman. com San Francisco, CA 94103 P: 415-645-5113 W: www.dolby.com Crest Audio 5022 Hwy. 493 North Meridian, MS 39305 P: 601-486-2000 W: www.crestaudio. com DPA Microphones 2432 Main St. Ste. 200 Longmont, CO 80501 P: 303-485-1025 W: www.dpamicro phones.com Crown International 1718 W. Mishawaka Rd. Elkhart, IN 46517 P: 574-294-8000 W: www.crownaudio. com d&b Audiotechnik US 185 Warren Creek Rd. Candler, NC 28715 P: 828-670-1763 W: www.dbaudio.com Da-Cappo Micro Microphones 6650 Caballero Blvd. Buena Park, CA 90620 P: 714-736-9270 W: www.hosatech.com Danley Sound Labs 2196 Hilton Dr. Sw Ste. G Gainsville, GA 30501 P: 770-535-0204 W: www.dbaudioand video.com DAS Audio Of America 6816 Nw 77th Ct. Miami, FL 33166 P: 888-327-4872 W: www.dasaudio.com Carvin Corporation 12340 World Trade Dr. San Diego, CA 92128 P: 858-487-8700 W: www.carvin.com dbx Professional 8760 S. Sandy Pkwy. Sandy, UT 84070 P: 801-568-7660 W: www.dbxpro.com CBI 6152 County Seat Rd. Oriskany, NY 13424 P: 800-346-3462 W: www.cbicables.com Denon Electronics (USA), Llc 100 Corporate Dr. Mahwah, NJ 07430 P: 973-396-0810 W: www.denon.com Cerwin-Vega 9340 De Soto Ave. Chatsworth, CA 91311 P: 818-534-1500 W: www.cerwinvega. com Clear-Com Communication Systems 850 Marina Village Pkwy. Alameda, CA 94501 P: 510-337-6600 W: www.clearcom.com Community Professional Loudspeakers 333 E. 5th St. Chester, PA 19013 P: 610-876-3400 W: www.loudspeak ers.net Countryman Associates 195 Constitution Dr. DiGiCo UK Limited The School House 4 Dorking Rd., Epsom Surrey, United Kingdom KT18 7LX P: +44 1372845600 W: www.digiconsoles. com DiGiCo/Group One Ltd. 70 Sea Lane Farmingdale, NY 11735 P: 516-249-1399 W: www.g1limited.com Drawmer USA 7320 Smoke Ranch Rd. Ste. G Las Vegas, NV 89128 P: 702-365-5155 W: www.drawmerusa. com Dreamhire Llc 36-36 33rd St. Long Island City, NY 11106 P: 212-691-5544 W: www.dreamhire. com Eartec Co. 145 Dean Knauss Dr. Narragansett, RI 02882 P: 800-399-5994 W: www.eartec.com EAW 16220 Wood-Red Rd. Ne Woodinville, WA 98072 P: 425-892-6500 W: www.eaw.com Selma, OR 97538 P: 541-597-4448 W: www.equitech.com Eventide One Alsan Way Little Ferry, NJ 07643 P: 201-641-1200 W: www.eventide.com Face Audio 9 Trendland Cove Sandy, UT 84092 P: 801-233-0740 W: www.faceaudio.com Focusrite 5304 Derry Ave. Ste. C Agoura Hills, CA 91301 P: 866-362-8774 W: www.Focusrite.com Furman Sound Inc. 1997 S. Mcdowell Blvd. Petaluma, CA 94954 P: 707-763-1010 W: www.furmansound. com Future Sonics Inc. 416 Green Lane, Ste. 2 Bristol, PA 19007 P: 215-826-8826 W: www.futuresonics. com Gepco 1770 Birchwood Ave. Des Plaines, IL 60018 P: 847-795-9555 W: www.gepco.com W: www.transaudio group.com/heil.shtml Green Dot Audio Electronics P.o. Box 290609 Nashville, TN 37229 P: 615-366-5964 W: www.greendotau dio.com Hilton Audio Products, Inc 1033-e Shary Cir Concord, CA 94518 P: 925-682-8390 W: www.hiltonaudio. com Harman Pro North America, Inc. 8500 Balboa Blvd. Northridge, CA 91329 P: 818-920-3212 W: www.soundcraft. com HM Electronics 14110 Stowe Dr. San Diego, CA 92064 P: 866-567-8453 W: www.hme.com Harrison Audio Consoles 1024 Firestone Pkwy. La Vergne, TN 37086 P: 615-641-7200 W: www.harrisoncon soles.com Hear Technologies 991 Discovery Dr. Huntsville, AL 35806 P: 256-9222 W: www.heartechnolo gies.com Heil Sound 7320 Smoke Ranch Rd. Ste. G Las Vegas, NV 89128 P: 702-365-5155 Hosa Technology, Inc 6650 Caballero Blvd. Buena Park, CA 90620 P: 714-736-9270 W: www.hosatech.com Innovason - USA Inc 750 Cowan St. Nashville, TN 37207 P: 615-401-7275 W: www.innovason.com ISP Technologies Inc. 5499 Perry Dr., Ste. Q Waterford, MI 48329 P: 248-673-7790 W: www.isptechnolo gies.com Electro-Voice 12000 Portland Ave. S. Burnsville, MN 55337 P: 800-392-3497 W: www.electrovoice. com Eminence Speaker Llc 838 Mulberry Pike P.o. Box 360 Eminence, KY 40019 P: 502-845-5622 W: www.eminence. com Emtech Electronics, Inc. 1126 N. 1200 West Orem, UT 84057 P: 800-371-2102 W: www.emtechelec tronics.com Entertainment 1/ E-1 21061 Superior St. Chatsworth, CA 91311 P: 818-407-1357 W: www.e1llc.com Digidesign 2001 Junipero Serra Blvd. Daly City, CA 94014 P: 650-731-6300 Entertainment Systems Corporation 160 Technology Park Dr. Kilmarnock, VA 22482 P: 800-582-2421 W: www.entsyscorp. com Dolby/Lake Technology Limited 100 Potrero Ave. Equi=tech Corp. P.o. Box 249 18258 Redwood Hwy. www.stage-directions.com • September 2009 23 Audio Manufacturers & Distributors JBL Professional 8400 Balboa Blvd. Northridge, CA 91329 P: 818-984-8850 W: www.jblpro.com Klark Teknik 5304 Derry Ave. Ste. C Agoura Hills, CA 91301 P: 800-431-2609 W: www.klarkteknik. com KS Audio USA Corp. 1062 Cephas Dr. Clearwater, FL 33765 P: 727-447-9656 W: www.ksaudiousa. com L-ACOUSTICS U.S. 2201 Celsius Ave., Unit E Oxnard, CA 93030 P: 805-6042 W: www.l-acoustics-us. com Lab.gruppen 5706 Corsa Ave., Ste. 107 Westlake Village, CA 91362 P: 818-665-4900 W: www.labgruppen. com MC2 70 Sea Lane Farmingdale, NY 11735 P: 516-249-1399 W: www.mc2-audio. co.uk Phonic Ear 2080 Lakeville Hwy. Petaluma, CA 94954 P: 800-227-0735 W: www.phonicear. com RTS 12000 Portland Ave. S. Burnsville, MN 55337 P: 800-392-3497 W: www.rtsintercoms. com Switchcraft Inc. 5555 N. Elston Ave. Chicago, IL 60630 P: 773-792-2700 W: www.switchcraft. com McCauley Sound Inc. 16607 Meridian Ave. E. Puyallup, WA 98375 P: 253-848-0363 W: www.mccauley sound.com Porta Phone Co. 145 Dean Knauss Dr. Narragansett, RI 02882 P: 800-399-5994 W: www.eartec.com Sabine Inc. 13301 N.w. Us Hwy. 441 Alachua, FL 32615 P: 386-418-2000 W: www.sabine.com Symetrix 6804 216th St. Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043 P: 425-778-7728 Metric Halo 5 Donovan Dr. Hopewell Junction, NY 12533 P: 845-223-6112 W: www.mhlabs.com Meyer Sound Labs, Inc. 2832 San Pablo Ave. Berkeley, CA 94702 P: 510-486-1166 W: www.meyersound. com Midas 5304 Derry Ave. Ste. C Agoura Hills, CA 91301 P: 800-431-2609 W: www.midascon soles.com Lectrosonics, Inc. 581 Laser Rd. Ne Rio Rancho, NM 87124 P: 505-892-4501 W: www.lectrosonics. com Millennia Media, Inc. 4200-b Day Spring Ct. Placerville, CA 95667 P: 530-647-0750 W: www.mil-media. com Light Viper By Fiberplex Inc. 10840-412 Guilford Rd. Baltimore, MD 20701 P: 914-489-1427 W: www.fiberplex.com Monster Cable Products, Inc 455 Valley Dr. Brisbane, CA 94005 P: 415-840-2000 W: www.monstercable. com Link USA 1020 Bunnel Rd. Altamonte Springs, FL 32714 P: 407-774-0088 W: www.linkusa-inc. com Listen Technologies Corp. 14912 Heritagecrest Salt Lake City, UT 84065 P: 800-330-0891 W: www.listentech.com Loud Technologies 16220 Wood-Red Rd. Ne Woodinville, WA 98072 P: 425-892-6529 W: www.loudtechinc. com Nady Systems, Inc. 6701 Shellmound St. Emeryville, CA 94608 P: 510-6522 W: www.nady.com Neumann/USA One Enterprise Dr. Old Lyme, CT 06371 P: 860-4352 W: www.neumannusa. com Neutrik USA, Inc. 195 Lehigh Ave. Lakewood, NJ 08701 P: 732-901-9488 W: www.neutrikusa. com Mackie Designs Inc. 16220 Wood-Red Rd. Ne Woodinville, WA 98072 P: 800-258-6883 W: www.mackie.com NTI Americas Inc. P.o. Box 231027 Tigard, OR 97281 P: 503-684-7050 W: www.minstru ments.com Martin Audio Ltd. P.o. Box 33009 Waterloo, ON N2T 2M9 P: 519-747-5853 W: www.martin-audio. com/main.html Peavey Electronics 5022 Hartley Peavey Dr. Meridian, MS 39305 P: 601-483-5365 W: www.peavey.com 24 September 2009 • www.stage-directions.com Presonus Audio Electronics, Inc 7257 Florida Blvd. Baton Rouge, LA 70806 P: 800-750-0323 W: www.presonus.com PRG-Production Resource Group, Llc 9111 Sunland Blvd. Sun Valley, CA 91352 P: 818-252-2600 W: www.prg.com Production Intercom P.O. Box 3247 Barrington, IL 60010 P: 847-381-5350 W: www.beltpack.com Professional Wireless Systems 9468 American Eagle Way, Ste. 100 Orlando, FL 32837 P: 407-240-2880 W: www.professional wireless.com Prosound And Stage Lighting 11070 Valley View St. Cypress, CA 90630 P: 800-268-5520 W: www.pssl.com Selenium Loudspeakers 1720 S. Military Hwy. Chesapeake, VA 23320 P: 757-424-7516 W: www.selenium-usa. com Sennheiser 1 Enterprise Dr. Old Lyme, CT 06371 P: 860-4352 W: www.sennheise rusa.com Sensaphonics Hearing Conservation, Inc 660 N. Milwaukee Ave. Chicago, IL 60622 P: 877-848-1714 W: www.sensaphon ics.com Sescom, Llc 626 Pine St. Wellsville, KS 66092 P: 785-883-3009 W: www.sescom.com Shure Incorporated 5800 W.touhy Ave. Niles, IL 60714 P: 847-600-2000 W: www.shure.com QSC Audio Products Inc. 1675 Macarthur Blvd. Costa Mesa, CA 92626 P: 800-854-4079 W: www.qscaudio.com Sound Associates, Inc 560-f Amsterdam Ave. Atlanta, GA 30306 P: 404-724-9050 W: www.soundassoci ates.com Rane Corporation 10802 47th Ave. W. Mukilteo, WA 98275 P: 425-355-6000 W: www.rane.com Soundcraft 8500 Balboa Blvd. Northridge, CA 91329 P: 603-964-2953 W: www.soundcraft. com Rapco Cable 3581 Larch Lane Jackson, MO 63755 P: 800-325-0266 W: www.rapco.com Renkus-Heinz 19201 Cook St. Foothill Ranch, CA 92610 P: 949-588-9997 W: www.renkus-heinz. com Roland Systems Group U.s. 425 Sequoia Dr. Ste. 114 Bellingham, WA 98226 P: 360-594-4282 W: www.rolandsys temsgroup.com Stage Sound 2240 Shenandoah Roanoke, VA 24017 P: 540-342-2040 W: www.stagesound. com Stagegear, Inc 411 Leroy Dr. Corona, CA 92879 P: 714-632-7170 W: www.stagegear. com Supreme Audio P.O. Box 550 Marlborough, NH 03455 P: 800-445-7398 W: www.supremeau dio.com Systems Wireless 555 Herndon Pkwy. Ste. 135 Herndon, VA 20170 P: 800-225-6185 W: www.swl.com Tannoy/TGI North America, Inc. 335 Gage Ave., Ste. 1 Kitchener, ON N2M 5E1 P: 519-745-1158 W: www.tannoy.com TC Electronic 5706 Corsa Ave., Ste. 107 Westlake Village, CA 91362 P: 818-665-4900 W: www.tcelectronic. com Theatrical Associates, Inc 1013 Kennedy Blvd. Manville, NJ 08835 P: 888-685-4448 W: www.theatricalas sociates.com TMB, Los Angeles 10643 Glenoaks Blvd. Pacoima, CA 91331 P: 818-899-8818 W: www.tmb.com Transaudio Group 7320 Smoke Ranch Rd. Ste. G Las Vegas, NV 89128 P: 702-365-5155 W: www.transaudio group.com Turbosound 5304 Derry Ave. Ste. C Agoura Hills, CA 91301 P: 800-431-2609 W: www.turbosound. com Ultimate Ears, Inc. 5 Jenner St., Ste. 100 Irvine, CA 92618 P: 866-837-7734 W: www.ultimateears. com Vestax 304 Derry Ave. Ste. C Agoura Hills, CA 91301 P: 800-994-4984 W: www.vestax.com Waves Audio Ltd. Azrieli Cneter 3 The Triangle Tower, 32nd Fl. Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv 67023 P: 97236084113 F: 9725466644825 W: www.waves.com Williams Sound Corp. 10321 W. 70th St. Eden Prairie, MN 55344 P: 800-328-6190 W: www.wil liamssound.com Windtech Microphone Windscreens & Accessories 7845 E. Evans Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85260 P: 480-998-7140 W: www.olsenaudio. com Wireworks Corp. 380 Hillside Ave. Hillside, NJ 07205 P: 800-642-9473 W: www.wireworks. com Worx audio Technologies 620 S. Elm St., Ste. 315 Greensboro, NC 27406 P: 336-275-7474 W: www.worxaudio. com XTA/group One Ltd. 70 Sea Lane Farmingdale, NY 11735 P: 516-249-1399 W: www.xta.co.uk Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems, Inc. 6600 Orangethorpe Ave. Buena Park, CA 90620 P: 714-522-9011 W: www.yamahaca. com By Tim Cusack | Show Biz Competing For Every Dollar O Times are tight—it’s time to tighten up your grant app. too. ver the five years of running my company I have, much to my surprise, learned to actually enjoy the process of grant-writing—to the point where even if some day Theatre Askew is fortunate enough to have a full-time development staff, I can’t imagine myself not intimately involved in the conceptualizing, writing and editing of every proposal that we put out. Which, I would argue, is how theatre management should approach this vital component to ensuring the ongoing financial health of its organization. As a grant-writer I’ve successfully secured funding from all domains of the foundational sphere: corporate, private, and governmental—something that I never thought I could accomplish when I was first starting out. I’ve also served as a panelist for two years on the Nancy Quinn Fund, administered by the Alliance of Resident Theatres New York. All of this has taught me a few basic principles that have made grant writing, if not a delirious joy, at least a bearable necessity. And while I’ll always prefer doing the work to writing about it, these tips have helped me gather the material resources that enable the work to happen. HONESTLY ASSESS YOUR POSITION. It’s a waste of precious energy to chase after grants that you’re not suited for or are too big for where your organization is at in its growth cycle. This may seem obvious, but the temptation to go after the big dough, while neglecting smaller grants that are more attainable, can be hard to resist. Just remember: Funding panels and private foundations will ALWAYS look at your organization’s financials, usually for the previous three years. And the majority have restrictions in place that prevent them from funding above a certain percentage of your average annual income (including box office). Besides, it’s always easier to write a grant that fits your company’s immediate needs. In addition, big grants often come with big reporting requirements—which in itself can be a full-time job. KEEP A FILE Once you’ve started to apply for grants, you’ll soon discover that most funders ask for the same pieces of information. It will make your efforts much less stressful if you instantly know where you can access hard copies of your bylaws and IRS determination letter. And always keep handy electronic files of your board of directors, lists of recent grants received and productions presented (including staged readings, benefit performances, and special events), and current and projected budgets, all for quick updating, as this information often changes. And while you don’t need to completely reinvent the wheel each time, it also pays to… UPDATE YOUR BOILERPLATE If it sounds stale to you, chances are very good that it will sound stale to whoever’s reading your proposal. Use every grant as an opportunity to reassess and clarify how you talk about your work. This is where you have an advantage over the “pros” because no one can be as passionate talking about the work as you are and that enthusiasm will be palpable for panelists. However, stay away from exaggeration, boasting, or overselling your work. And be frank about the organization’s current challenges. The people reviewing your proposal are usually peers from the field. They can almost always sense when someone isn’t being entirely honest. ONE PERSON TO DRAFT, TWO TO EDIT I’ve found that writing by committee never works. Rather, one person should be tasked with setting down a first draft, no matter how rough. Then at least one other person should read it over and offer comments. Every proposal we’ve ever submitted has gone through at least two major revisions. So start early, and whatever you do, proofread your work several times. Many funders will deduct points for grammatically sloppy, typo-ridden language. I’d love to hear your tips and best practices for grant-writing. You can share them with me at TheatreFace.com, Stage Directions' networking site. www.stage-directions.com • September 2009 25 | Classics—Ancient and Modern The Play's the Thing By Stephen Peithman Plays and playwrights that still speak to us—and the human condition G reek playwrights Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides each wrote three plays about the blood-drenched Atreus family, but only Aeschylus's full set has survived. Now, poet/translator Anne Carson combines an Atreus work by each author—Aeschylus’ Agamemnon, Sophocles’ Elektra, and Euripides’ Orestes—to provide a coherent but very different account of the classic trilogy of vengeance. In An Oresteia, Carson combines elements of contemporary speech with the traditional structures and rhetoric of Greek tragedy, as a way of opening up the plays to a modern audience. Her language is clear and comfortable for the most part, although the modern turns of phrase are sometimes jarring (Helen of Troy, for example, is referred to as a “weapon of mass destruction”). Those looking for a new slant on an old story may find here an intriguing possibility for production. [$27, Faber & Faber] Violence also plays a pivotal role in Susan Glaspell’s oneact play, Trifles, written in 1916. Farmer John Wright is found dead in his home, strangled in his bed. The sheriff immediately suspects Wright’s wife, but wonders how such a meek-acting woman could commit such a horrendous crime? While the men bluster and tramp around the farmhouse searching for clues, the women discover bits of evidence in the ‘‘trifles’’ of a farmer’s wife—her baking, cleaning and sewing. Because the men ignore the women’s world, they remain blind to the truth literally lying in plain sight. Based on a true story that Glaspell covered for a Des Moines newspaper, Trifles still has the power to hold an audience. The new published edition includes an informative introduction by Patricia Robinson Jordan. [D’Arts Publishing, dramaclassics.com] James Purdy, who died at age 94 earlier this year, is best known for his remarkably off-kilter novels, but was also author of nine full-length and 20 short plays. Tennessee Williams called him a “uniquely gifted man of the theatre,” and readers can decide for themselves with the newly released James Purdy: Selected Plays. The collection’s four works (Brice, The Paradise Circus, Where Quentin Goes, and Ruthanna Elder) explore a wide range of emotional and familial tangles: fathers betray their sons and squander their inheritance; siblings vie for parental affection; husbands and wives work to salvage meaning from their broken marriages. [$18.95, Ivan R. Dee] Paul A. Firestone’s The Pulitzer Prize Plays: The First Fifty Years, 1917-1967 provides a series of readable, straightforward essays, organizing them into major themes: family life, social protest, political heroes, the spiritual condition of humankind, and morality in a materialistic society. We often tend to view plays in isolation, but Firestone makes a strong case for seeing them as reflecting America's changing (or 26 September 2009 • www.stage-directions.com steadfast) cultural values and mores. [Limelight Editions, $19.95] Romulus Linney: Maverick of the Theater, by John Fleming, provides the first book-length examination of the life and career of the American playwright. Making use of extensive interviews with Linney, and access to his personal files, Fleming provides critical insight into the history plays (Sorrows of Frederick, Childe Byron and 2), the Appalachian plays (Holy Ghosts, Heathen Valley and Sand Mountain), plays that explore American views and values (Love Suicide at Schofield Barracks, Democracy, A Lesson Before Dying), one-act plays (F.M., April Snow, Tennessee, Akhmatova) and Linney’s adaptations (Gint, True Crimes, Unchanging Love, Going After Cacciato). The book also includes an annotated chronology of the playwright’s career, and many photos. Fleming's interviews and analysis will help directors and actors better understand the forces that motivate the playwright’s often complex characters. [$19.95, Smith & Kraus] Spalding Gray (1941-2004) was an American actor, playwright, screenwriter, performance artist, and monologist primarily known for what one critic called his "trenchant, personal narratives delivered on sparse, unadorned sets with a dry, WASP, quiet mania." Author William W. Demastes provides the first full study of Gray’s life and work in Spalding Gray's America, tracing his life and work from his days with the Performance and Wooster Groups to his career as creator of the groundbreaking monologues Swimming to Cambodia, Gray's Anatomy and Monster in a Box. Gray’s onstage stories make up a quirky, fullcolor portrait of America—poignant, touching and often troubling, but also vividly insightful and invariably funny. Demastes deftly captures Gray's essence, revealing the deep but conflicted passion behind his work. [$19.95, Limelight Editions] As a man of the theatre, Thornton Wilder (1897–1975) is not usually considered an experimentalist, yet Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth are works of high modernism that have had great influence on American theatre. The Selected Letters of Thornton Wilder vividly documents the range of his friendships, showing him roller-skating with Walt Disney, attending an inaugural reception for FDR at the White House, describing his life as a soldier in two World Wars, mentoring younger writers, and dining out with Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor. More important are his conversations with Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein. Noël Coward, Max Reinhardt, Alexander Woollcott, Laurence Olivier, Ruth Gordon, Garson Kanin, Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein and Edward Albee, among others. Wilder was a born storyteller and dramatist—a talent that emerges in scenes and incidental dialogue found in these letters. [$19.99, Harper] Classified Advertising Employment For more information about the companies advertising in Stage Directions® and serving the theatre profession, go to the links listed below. If you think classifieds don’t work... why are you reading this? Call 702.932.5585 for more info Advertiser Angstrom Lighting Arena Drapery Rentals Atlanta Rigging AudioVend Wireless Systems Barbizon Bartlett Microphones Ben Nye Bulbtronics Charles H. Stewart & Co. 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T he Theatre at Boston Court produced the world premier of Laura Schellhardt’s Courting Vampires in May. Set Designer Kurt Boetcher stopped by TheatreFace.com for a chat interview to talk process and how they solved the problem of burying a body onstage. Jacob Coakley: For your last show at Boston Court, Courting Vampires, the set floor was filing cabinets. Which, as near as I can tell, isn't specified in the script. So how'd you come to that choice? Kurt Boetcher: The description of the set in the script is literally something like "The courtroom of Rill's mind" and the time is "before, during, after.” It's difficult to boil down, but director Jessica Kubzansky (who is amazing) and I sat down for three hours and just broke down the script and tossed around ideas. We had to figure out what the “Courtroom” of this rigid character's mind would look like, feel like, etc. So we came up with filing cabinets that could also feasibly double as a “graveyard”—so they also represent morgue drawers. The script moves REALLY fluidly from courtroom (files, paperwork) to graveyard (graves) and the scenic elements couldn't slow down the movement of the text at all, or something is lost. The lighting designer, Tim Swiss and the projection designer Jonathon Stearns also contributed enormously to the look of it all. Kristen Sabo-Foures: Would you say there is more technical skill or artistry involved in scenic design? Kurt Boetcher: Well I think different designers bring different strengths to the table. I think I work more in the “artistry” department; and I 28 September 2009 • www.stage-directions.com A moment from Courting Vampires love to have a really wonderful technical director on board to help me solve any complicated technical elements. Jacob Coakley: What was the most complicated bit in Vampires? Kurt Boetcher: The floor that was made up of filing cabinet faces was also full of traps, so there were drawers that pulled up to reveal props (because everything in the world had to come from this character’s mind). And we also had to shoot and bury an actual person/vampire into the floor. So Pete Sauber, the tech director at Boston Court, built a slide that, when revealed, led down to a crash pad in the trap room. Two of the files pulled up to reveal a grave full of dirt that one of the actors got “buried” in. Jacob Coakley: Was that a box of dirt, and then the whole box slid down? Kurt Boetcher: No. Pete found a place in the LA area that makes faux mulch and dirt out of recycled tires. It comes in www.theatreface.com/join various colors, so we To read the transcript of the whole converhad that layered on sation, head over to www.theatreface.com/ top of thick black boetcher. spandex that had a To take part in the next online chat interview, slot in it that the actor go to www.theatreface.com and watch for could squeeze through announcements! without letting light Not a member yet? Get on the band wagon! out. And it's not messy www.theatreface.com/join so that's great for the actor. TheatreFace.com
