Words of Wisdom

Most of us have been fortunate in our professional lives to have had someone who took us under their wing. These people are variously known as ‘mentor,’ ‘teacher’ or ‘rabbi’ but I think of mine as a ‘friend’ in the purest sense of the word - - someone who cares about you.  They guide us, support us, encourage us, nudge us, annoy us, look out for us, tell us what we don’t want to hear and are always willing and available to help. They do this naturally, without thinking - - it is simply part of their nature.

My friend was Sonny Sonnenfeld who passed away recently, after many years in the architectural and stage lighting business. If you have attended any industry convention over the past 50 years, you have certainly seen him. Thirty-five years ago Sonny visited Brannigan Lorelli Associates where I had accepted a position after a few frustrating years of trying to support myself as a lighting designer. He brought bagels and coffee (his trademark) and immediately introduced himself.  Within a few minutes we were talking as though we had known each other for years. Then the trouble started. He would come by the office with several legal pad sheets worth of handwritten notes for me.  I should visit so-and-so . . .  I should write an article for such-and-such a magazine . . .  I should read this article . . . I should take this or that class. Sheesh! I had a full-time job and was plenty busy - - how could I find time for this (even if I wanted?)  I am now older and (hopefully) wiser and am very glad that Sonny took the time to care about me. His friendship taught me things about life and theater consulting that I could never have learned elsewhere.

At one of several retirement parties (he retired many times, but always seemed to return) I received a surprise.  Attending were stage lighting designers, architectural lighting designers, theater consultants, engineers, manufacturers, salespeople, family and friends.  This was not the surprise. The ages ranged from early twenties to middle seventies.  This was not a surprise because I already knew that Sonny knew everyone in the business. What knocked me for a loop was when people were invited to the microphone to say a few words and they all had stories like mine!  I was so jealous - - I thought the special relationship we had was unique. After my turn at the mic, I realized that this was one of Sonny’s most special talents - - to make everyone feel like his personal friend. Richard Pilbrow (lighting designer and founder of Theatre Projects Consultants) told this story at the party. He didn’t know Sonny was a salesman for several months until one of his staff told him. Richard thought Sonny was just a friend of someone at the firm - - and so he was.

Aside from paying homage to Sonny, I believe his approach to working in the theater is relevant to all of us. Everyone must learn ‘how to get along.’ This life lesson is especially important for those who work with the public and supervise diverse staff - - remind you of someone you see in the mirror each morning? Many years ago Sonny published an article in Lighting & Sound America entitled, How I Got To Be A Retiree. In it he lists some things he would like to pass on. I will repeat them here.

§  Make friends with everyone that you can. The floor sweeper of today may be the Harold Prince or Julie Taymour of tomorrow.

§  Be positive and cheerful. No one likes to be with negative people. Be fun to be with.

§  Don’t say no to legitimate requests. Respond in a positive manner. Be a “yes” person, not a “no” person.

§  Be accurate, be complete, be on time.

§  Think and plan ahead. Prevent the fire, don’t put it out.

§  Be the one who makes things happen.

§  Learn to write – reports, proposals, articles and a resume.

§  Be neat in your work and your appearance.

§  Don’t ever gossip. If you can’t say something nice about a person don’t say anything.

§  Never argue or fight with a critic.

§  Learn to take constructive (or otherwise) criticism.

§  Don’t even think of making money on your expense account.

§  Remember names.

§  Be professional in all ways.

§  Don’t lie. If you make a mistake or mess up a job or whatever, admit it and learn from it. Move on.

§  Start early and work late.

§  Don’t be timid. Don’t be afraid of failing. Take a calculated risk if you believe. It is better to try and fail than to fail to try.

§  Do smell the roses. You go around only one time, make the most of it.

§  Get a life outside the theater.

§  Find a great spouse or significant other.

Without consciously being aware (Sonny taught the most important things without you even realizing) I find that I have been following this advice. In general, I have been successful.  For instance, I am writing this on a sunny Saturday afternoon when I could be outside.  On the other hand, taking criticism (constructive or otherwise) still needs a bit of work (Grrrr!) I hope you will find Sonny’s advice as useful as I have and that you will, in turn, pass it on to those you work with.  I still think of Sonny and miss having lunch (always his treat,) talking shop, talking life and hearing a new story.

Building Better Theaters

In 2005 I began what I thought would be a series of articles about designing and building a theater. The articles were going to be about lighting, rigging, seating, etc. Those articles were never published because it very quickly became apparent that the theater equipment was only one piece of a puzzle that could be more comprehensively discussed in a book. My goal was to inform anyone crazy enough to want to build a theater about the process and to allow them to make informed decisions. The original title was Building Better Theaters: a guide to the design and construction of performing arts buildings. My publisher quickly and wisely chopped off the back end and Building Better Theaters was published by ET Press in 2006.

Building Better Theaters: in the course of my practice I have pursued this philosophy innately and without much conscious thought, but what is a “better” theater? Is that idea a meaningful one? Thinking about it now the obvious becomes apparent: there is no one kind or type of theater that is “better” than another. What is “better” is what is most appropriate and suitable for a given theater, for a given organization, for a given community. Over time, theaters have been built by many agencies and for many reasons (of which the presentation of a theatrical event has often been the least!) The size, cost and sheer magnitude of the undertaking have limited the building of theaters to individuals and groups with a great deal of money and political power. In the historic past this group was small and included only monarchs and municipalities (i.e. various European city-states). Today, in the United States, the group includes: federal, state and municipal governments, colleges and universities, corporations and philanthropists, well-established performing arts groups . . . well, you get the picture. These groups build theaters with a capital “T”. The intent is to create large scale venues seating large numbers of people.

The past 80 years or so have seen theaters created in many different kinds of spaces, by individuals and small groups with limited budgets. They can be found in church basements, shopping malls, office buildings, parking garages, barns, tents and other outdoor spaces. These theaters, with a lower-case “t” are less interested in where their performances take place or how large the audience might be. This is not to say that one is better or more desirable than the other. Both small and large theaters have their virtues and drawbacks and I would not pass judgement. I will say, however, that there can be as many kinds of theater buildings as there are people who wish to use them and that this is a good thing.

What Do You Know About Stage Lighting?

In the beginning there was the sun, the moon and the stars. These lighting sources were

uncontrollable. They were there when they were there and not when they were not. The ability to make fire is most often hailed as one of man’s premier achievements, but it may also be viewed as the first system to control light for performance. Flash forward a millennium or so and this system has advanced greatly. The invention of candles allows for smaller sources and the ability to control where the light is. The Renaissance saw development of mechanisms to color the light and also to dim it.

The practical distribution of electricity in the early 20th century began a period of rapid development in stage lighting technology. The incandescent lamp allowed the creation of a variety of different stage lighting fixtures each providing different qualities of light. Halogen lamps that improved lamp life and color temperature appeared in the late 1970s. Color media (i.e. gels) were originally made from gelatin, which had a short life-span. In the 1950s plastics became the media for color media resulting in a significantly greater life-span, a greater variety of colors and did not dissolve when wet.

Remote control from a central location became possible (though some may argue about resistance dimmer boards as such.) Piano boards (because they looked a bit like upright pianos) were dominant for decades. Running on DC current, each 6kW or 3kW “plate” introduced resistance into the circuit to dim the lights. A Broadway musical might use six piano boards: 82 dimmers controlling a total of 282kW of light and five 14/3 kW boards. Typically one stagehand operated two piano boards. Autotransformers operated on AC, which improved safety, but still required many hands to operate.

The early 1950s saw the first “electronic” dimming systems: magnetic amplifiers and thyratron tubes. These allowed truly remote dimming, but were very expensive. Patch panels (similar to old-fashion telephone switchboards) allowed selected lighting circuits to be assigned to a given dimmer. Theaters built in the 1950s and 60s might have 200-300 circuits but only (10) 6kW and (100) 2.4kW dimmers.

This explosion of dimmable circuits required development of systems and machinery to control them. Stanley McCandless and Century Stage Lighting (now after many transformations a part of Philips) developed multiple preset boards; allowing complex cues to be set in advance and executed with the push/pull of a fader handle.

The first “computer” light board was used for Tharon Musser’s lighting design for the original 1975 production of A Chorus Line. The board was an EDI LS-8 used to control the shows 96 dimmers, which in turn controlled 311 fixtures. Primitive by today’s standards, Musser’s lighting, so critical to the “look” and flow of the performance, could not have been achieved without the LS-8.

The rapid development and advancement in the field of computers and electronics since the mid-1970s is also evident in the history of stage lighting. Today’s light boards can control literally thousands of dimmers and channels via DMX (Digital Multiplex) a signal protocol adopted by the industry. As lighting control became more sophisticated, it became possible to control projections, lasers, moving lights and other special effects, equipment and systems. As with any computer system, stage lighting control systems are now “networks” that permit sophisticated control and operation. Lighting may be controlled by the theater’s light board, but also from your desktop computer, your laptop, your iPad and iPhone. As with so many things in today’s world, there’s an app for that.

LEDs (light emitting diodes) suitable for use in stage lighting fixtures are the most current development in the ongoing history of stage lighting. LEDs have had and continue to have a transformational impact. They can change color, so gels are no longer necessary. They dim via a DMX or 0-10v control signal and receive electricity from any branch circuit panel: so no dimmers are necessary. LEDs are an efficient source providing equivalent illumination to an  incandescent source with 50% or less energy. They generate up to 80% less heat and significantly reduce the amount of cooling required for a theater or TV studio. Each LED fixture has a unique digital address allowing up to 32 fixtures to be controlled by a single control circuit.

The writings and designs of Adolph Appia, Gordon Craig and Robert Edmond Jones in the 19th and 20th centuries created a foundation of stage design that has been taught and used ever since. Today’s technologies allow their visions to become reality via sophisticated control systems, light sources, fixtures and integration of lighting, scenery and costumes that they could only imagine.

So what’s next? My crystal ball is pretty murky, but ongoing development of new light sources and optics are a certainty. Performers interacting with 3D projections can be seen onstage. Immersive and interactive theaters exist that allow the audience and performers to coexist in the world of a performance and virtual reality is certain to wander into the theater.