Looking for Remarks

I have enjoyed connecting the UB alumni to the current students on this trip.  I want to thank the alumni for offering career advice, looking at portfolios and resumes, and for sharing stories. Thanks to Becky Wolf, Jon Shimon, Ryan Knapp, and Rachelle Beckerman for skyping with us yesterday as we went live to air from the conference to campus.

I have spent my day reviewing and regarding design work of students and professionals.  This includes the work of costume designer, Izumi Inaaba, a third year MFA at Northwestern University and a UB alum.  For those of you who knew Izumi when she was a student, you will be pleased to know that the brown sketchbooks were still on the table. 

This day has left me thinking about the state of contemporary stage design.  Where do you fall on these issues?

Is American theatre defined by a series of images that express a theme or by stories?  Do the lighting designers of today sacrifice illumination for the sake of “image?”  Does this deemphasize the playwright/the word/the body?  Has image usurped storytelling? 

A few other things…

I hoped to see something I had never seen before, and I have.  The egg-crate top hat (City Theatricals) is a simple, effective, product that shields the source and not the effect.  It can enhance the aesthetic of our work in a number of ways from masking the orchestra stand lights to shielding the source of dance side lighting. 

Having been a studio assistant that built models for the Cincinnati Playhouse, I was pleased to be able to see a production there this evening. 

Katie G. and Andy walked me through the best of the LED fixtures on the trade floor. I truly believe that a “green house” is possible, especially in contained spaces. 

We met Jules Fisher.