Digital Media
Journey into the exciting world of 3D Visualization utilizing Trimble Sketchup Software. Click here for the pre-viewing assignment (just 5 minutes) of Sketchup fly-thrus of various projects.
REGISTER NOW
Presenter: Robert Mark Morgan, is a Teaching Professor at Washington University in St. Louis. He has designed professionally in the areas of theatre, film, museum, and theme park venues. Avatar the Exhibition (museum exhibit) originally designed for Experience Music Project in Seattle toured in the U.S. and Canada for 3 years. His designs have been seen onstage nationally at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Asolo Repertory Theatre (Sarasota, FL), Indiana Repertory Theatre, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, The Old Globe, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Studio Arena (Buffalo, NY), Children's Theatre Company (Minneapolis, MN), Cleveland Play House, the MUNY – St. Louis, San Jose Repertory Theatre, Denver Center Theatre Company, Alliance Theatre (Atlanta), Barrington Stage, Marin Theatre Company, Magic Theatre, and American Conservatory Theatre (ACT) in San Francisco. Current projects include Into the Breeches at Cleveland Play House (Sept 2019) and Asolo Repertory Theatre (Feb 2020).
This session discusses the media designer’s process for presenting design ideas, designing and documenting the system, and all of the paperwork required to go from concept to design. See examples presented from working digital media designers and discuss how workflow changes between different types of projects.
REGISTER NOW
Presenters:
Alex Oliszewski's specialization is in theatrical media design and devising. His technical knowledge includes sound, lighting, stagecraft, and performance in video, musical, dance, play, and interactive forms. He has consulted Cirque du Soleil. He is an Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University with a joint appointment between the Department of Theatre and The Advanced Computing Center for Art's and Design. He teaches courses in Experiential Media Design, Media and Projections Design for Theatre, and History of Performance in Media. His MFA graduate studies in Interdisciplinary Digital Media and Theatre at Arizona State University include coursework from The Herberger School of Theatre and Film and The School of Arts, Media + Engineering. His interdisciplinary experience has included work on an NSF-funded project focused on developing online resources to boost the retention of women in STEM fields.
Katherine Freer is a multimedia designer working in theater, installation, and film. Frequent collaborations include Liz Leman, Ping Chong, Ty Defoe, Carl Cofield, Tim Bond Kamilah Forbes, Talvin Wilks, Andrew Scoville, and Tamilla Woodard. Recent designs: Ajijaak on Turtle Island (New Victory, dir. Ty Defoe and Heather Henson), By the Way, Meet Vera Stark (Signature Theater, dir. Kamilah Forbes), the Convent (ArtNY, dir. Daniel Talbott), Antigone (Richard Rogers Amphitheater, dir. Carl Cofield), Cellular Songs (BAM Harvey, by Meredith Monk), Next to Normal (Syracuse Stage, dir. Bob Hupp), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time (Syracuse Stage, dir. Risa Brainin). Katherine is a proud member of USA829 and Wingspace Theatrical Design.
Jeromy Hopgood is an Associate Professor of design and Technology at Eastern Michigan University, where he coordinates the multidisciplinary Entertainment Design & Technology program. He previously taught design at Appalachian State University in North Carolina and the University of Kentucky. He is also the author of "QLab 3 Show Control," a guidebook on Figure 53’s popular show control software as well as the forthcoming "Dance Production: Design & Technology" published by Focal Press. Recently, Jeromy joined the faculty of professional instructors at LDI, teaching QLab-based projection design at the LDI Institute at Arizona State University. In addition to teaching, he is the resident scenic designer for the Michigan Shakespeare Festival, the official Shakespeare Festival of the State of Michigan. Jeromy works professionally in scenery, lighting, projections, and sound design. He was an assistant scenic designer at the Williamstown Theatre Festival for its Tony-Award-Winning season.
An introduction to, and summary of, the draft of the new recommendations for sound system documentation for theatre. Prepared over the previous 2+ years, with the input and collaboration of Broadway designers, touring designers, educators, and more, this major expansion of the extant recommendations addresses (for the first time) all of the standard paperwork forms needed to document a contemporary sound system design.
REGISTER NOW
Presenters:
Todd Proffitt teaches Lighting Design, Sound Design and Computer Technologies for the Department of Theatre and Dance at the State University of New York at Fredonia. As well as creates lighting Designs for the Theatre of Youth Company in Buffalo NY.
DeMara Tamsel Cabrera is the Costume Designer and Instructor for the Theatre Arts Department at Oregon State University. She received her BA in Drama from Stanford University in 2004 and her MFA from Boston University in 2013. DeMara worked as an Assistant Professor at Central Connecticut State University for two years. She has also worked as an Instructor, Designer, and Costume Shop Manager at Linfield College (2007). Favorite credits include: Shakespeare in Love (OSU), Romeo and Juliet (Bard in the Quad), The Dialogues of the Carmelites (Huntington Theatre and Boston University Opera Institute), Angels in America and Hair (Playhouse on Park in West Hartford, CT), A Servant of Two Masters (CCSU), Women in Congress (Linfield College).
Demara Tamsel website, Demara Tamsel Facebook portfolio
Annmarie Duggan is a Professor and Chair of the Theatre Arts Department at the University of Pittsburgh. She holds an MFA from University of Arizona in Lighting Design. Annmarie is a freelance Lighting Designer and Production Manager. Her 12 years of New York based lighting design includes the Off Broadway shows: Jolson & Co. (Century Center) Syria America (Greenwich Street Theatre), Clue The Musical (Players Theatre). Regional Theatre includes: American Girl Place Theatre in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, Orlando Repertory Theatre, Capital Repertory Theatre, Foothills Theatre, Maine State Music Theatre, Seaside Music Theatre, Cumberland County Playhouse, Utah Musical Theatre, Pittsburgh Playhouse, Florida Rep, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Skylight Opera, Stoneham Theatre Company, Coconut Grove Playhouse, Alabama Shakespeare, and St. Michaels Playhouse. www.amddesignonline.com. Other credits include Production Manager for American Girl Place in both New York and Los Angeles.
Come learn about how Kent State University partnered with Opera di Santa Croce to create a 3D-printed replica of Pio Fedi’s "Liberty of Poetry," believed to be the inspiration of the Statue of Liberty. Pio Fedi’s “Libertá” was 3D scanned on-site over the course of three days in Florence, Italy. The scans were used to create a nearly full-scale 3D-printed reproduction which was then scenic-painted. By breaking silos of science, art, and industry, nearly 40 individuals worked on the exhibit. The 9-foot-tall replica is currently a special exhibit at the Ellis Island National Immigration Museum through September 2020.
REGISTER NOW
Presenters:
Tammy Honesty is an Assistant Professor of Scenic Design who teaches scenic design, scenic painting, and props at Kent State University. She earned her MFA in Scenic Design from West Virginia University and BA in Theatre from Wilmington College. In 2018, Tammy co-authored The Fake Food Cookbook: Props You Can’t Eat for Theatre, Film, and TV. Recent projects include Gloria: A Life and designing the set for the world premieres of Family Ties and Banned from Baseball for the Human Race Theatre Company. She has designed ten shows for Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s Touring Company. Her New York credits include Ghosts (Oberon Theatre Ensemble, Off-Off Broadway). Regionally, Tammy has designed repeatedly at the Human Race Theatre Company in Dayton, OH. Her regional design work has earned a Cincinnati Acclaim Award, USITT OVS Board’s Choice Award, Peggy Ezekiel Awards of Outstanding Achievement, and was showcased in the World Stage Design 2013 and the USA-USITT PQ 2019 galleries.
Joshua Talbott is a Northeast Ohio native, family man, and serial technical innovator. Josh began his career as a tradesman in electronics and through the opportunities provided at various employers in the fields of digital media, manufacturing engineering, and information technology, he has transformed himself into a technical solutions provider and inventor. He is currently employed at Kent State University where he obtained his Masters of Technology and currently leads the academic information technology team at the largest college within the university. Josh also teaches technical college courses from time to time. His interests and experiences are broad. Mr. Talbott specializes at being a “generalist” and believes that varied experiences are where new ideas are born. Applying the Pareto principle, Josh digs in and dives deep into technical and complex nuance when the needs demand it.
Dr. Robert Clements is a neuroscientist who teaches and performs research at Kent State University. He develops and uses different three-dimensional (3D) imaging techniques to understand diseases of the brain, for virtual and physical reconstruction as well as education. Dr. Clements’ research aims to visualize our brains’ three-dimensional structure for better disease diagnosis and therapies as well as improve how we learn, experience, and perceive 3D environments and objects.
In part 1 of this series, Jenn Schwartz and Jason Wells are joined by Jared Mezzocchi to discuss how each production used Zoom differently, used add on technologies, and overcame the various abilities of the computers each cast member had access to. These choices drive many of the decisions you make in planning online productions.
REGISTER NOW
Presenters:
Jenn Schwartz is the Production Manager and Instructor of Stage Management for the School for Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park. Prior to joining TDPS, Jenn was the General & Production Manager for Imagination Stage in Bethesda, MD, where she was provided the opportunity to spearhead many unique projects. Those projects include the successful planning and execution of an expansion into DC that began with a partnership with The National Theater in 2014, as well as producing and stage managing a tour of Inside Out as part of the 25th ASSITEJ International Summer Festival in South Korea in 2017. Imagination Stage was the first American company to present at the festival, and Jenn was thrilled to be able to represent American Theatre for the Very Young. Previously, Jenn filled the role of production manager at Round House Theatre, also in Bethesda, MD. She started her career as a stage manager, having worked on over 50 productions, and is a proud AEA member.
Jason Wells became the Director of Production of the Fisher Center at Bard in January 2020. Prior to that, he was the Director of Production of American Dance Institute/LUMBERYARD. At ADI/LYD he was instrumental in developing an ambitious technical residency program for contemporary performing artists. During his seven years there, he worked directly with some of the most respected American contemporary choreographers, directors, designers and performers as they created new works for the stage including Yvonne Rainer, David Gordon, Raja Feather Kelly, Sō Percussion, Elevator Repair Service, The Team, Bill T Jones, Urban Bush Women, Susan Marshall, Suzanne Bocanegra, David Neumann and Jodi Melnick. Jason was Head Electrician at the Yale School of Drama/Yale Repertory Theater from 2005-2012 and Master Electrician for the Sarah Lawrence College Theater Department, Barrington Stage, Westport Country Playhouse and Weston Playhouse. A 2001 graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, Jason is also a playwright, performer, and lighting designer. He lives in Catskill, NY with his wife Jacy Barber and their three cats.
In part 2 of this series, hear Jenn Schwartz and Jason Wells discuss how each of their companies adapted and morphed traditional roles to the unique challenges and requirements of online production, when Designer, Stage Manager, and Technician all mean different things when you take your show online.
REGISTER NOW
Presenters:
Jenn Schwartz is the Production Manager and Instructor of Stage Management for the School for Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park. Prior to joining TDPS, Jenn was the General & Production Manager for Imagination Stage in Bethesda, MD, where she was provided the opportunity to spearhead many unique projects. Those projects include the successful planning and execution of an expansion into DC that began with a partnership with The National Theater in 2014, as well as producing and stage managing a tour of Inside Out as part of the 25th ASSITEJ International Summer Festival in South Korea in 2017. Imagination Stage was the first American company to present at the festival, and Jenn was thrilled to be able to represent American Theatre for the Very Young. Previously, Jenn filled the role of production manager at Round House Theatre, also in Bethesda, MD. She started her career as a stage manager, having worked on over 50 productions, and is a proud AEA member.
Jason Wells became the Director of Production of the Fisher Center at Bard in January 2020. Prior to that, he was the Director of Production of American Dance Institute/LUMBERYARD. At ADI/LYD he was instrumental in developing an ambitious technical residency program for contemporary performing artists. During his seven years there, he worked directly with some of the most respected American contemporary choreographers, directors, designers and performers as they created new works for the stage including Yvonne Rainer, David Gordon, Raja Feather Kelly, Sō Percussion, Elevator Repair Service, The Team, Bill T Jones, Urban Bush Women, Susan Marshall, Suzanne Bocanegra, David Neumann and Jodi Melnick. Jason was Head Electrician at the Yale School of Drama/Yale Repertory Theater from 2005-2012 and Master Electrician for the Sarah Lawrence College Theater Department, Barrington Stage, Westport Country Playhouse and Weston Playhouse. A 2001 graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, Jason is also a playwright, performer, and lighting designer. He lives in Catskill, NY with his wife Jacy Barber and their three cats.
Jared Mezzocchi Jared Mezzocchi is a multimedia director and designer for theater and received his Masters of Fine Arts through Brooklyn College's Performance and Interactive Media Arts. He was awarded a Princess Grace Award in 2013 as the first projections designer to receive the honor. He has designed productions in New York City with 3-Legged Dog (Downtown Loop, SpyGarbo), Baryshnikov Arts Center (Robert Wilson’s On The Beach), HereArts (You Are Dead. You Are Here.), Builders Association (Jet Lag 2011), Rob Roth (Screen Test), and has toured nationally and internationally with Big Art Group (SOS, The Sleep, The People). Regionally, he has designed for Center Stage (Stones in his Pockets), Cleveland Playhouse (Breath and Imagination), Milwaukee Rep (History of Invulnerability, The Mountaintop), and CompanyONE (Astroboy and The God Of Comics). Locally in DC, he's designed for Woolly Mammoth (Totalitarians, Elaborate Entrance of Chad Diety), Synetic Theater (A Trip to the Moon), Theater J (Race, Yellowface), and Studio (Astroboy and The God Of Comics). As a director, he has spent the last 6 summers directing original work at Andy's Summer Playhouse, located in Wilton NH (Donkey Xote, Dick Tracy, The Lost World, The BFG, The Little Prince, The Block). In 2011, he won Best Original Play at the New Hampshire Theater Awards for his writing and direction in The Lost World. Outside of theater, Jared co-designed with Guilio Cappellini for Design Week in Milan Italy, for Connect4Climate and Alcantara. and this year will design the entrance and immersive experience for a Surf Museum in Montauk, NY. Jared has also taught multimedia design courses at NYU's Playwrights Horizons and Brooklyn College's MFA program in Performance and Interactive Media Arts.
Jenn Schwartz and Jason Wells wrap up the series with a discussion of the impact the move online had on the rehearsal and performance process. From zoom etiquette to helping the performer get some sense of audience engagement, each production learned lessons and adapted in different ways. This session will offer some help as you begin to think about how things work in the online production world.
REGISTER NOW
Presenters:
Jenn Schwartz is the Production Manager and Instructor of Stage Management for the School for Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park. Prior to joining TDPS, Jenn was the General & Production Manager for Imagination Stage in Bethesda, MD, where she was provided the opportunity to spearhead many unique projects. Those projects include the successful planning and execution of an expansion into DC that began with a partnership with The National Theater in 2014, as well as producing and stage managing a tour of Inside Out as part of the 25th ASSITEJ International Summer Festival in South Korea in 2017. Imagination Stage was the first American company to present at the festival, and Jenn was thrilled to be able to represent American Theatre for the Very Young. Previously, Jenn filled the role of production manager at Round House Theatre, also in Bethesda, MD. She started her career as a stage manager, having worked on over 50 productions, and is a proud AEA member.Jason Wells became the Director of Production of the Fisher Center at Bard in January 2020. Prior to that, he was the Director of Production of American Dance Institute/LUMBERYARD. At ADI/LYD he was instrumental in developing an ambitious technical residency program for contemporary performing artists. During his seven years there, he worked directly with some of the most respected American contemporary choreographers, directors, designers and performers as they created new works for the stage including Yvonne Rainer, David Gordon, Raja Feather Kelly, Sō Percussion, Elevator Repair Service, The Team, Bill T Jones, Urban Bush Women, Susan Marshall, Suzanne Bocanegra, David Neumann and Jodi Melnick. Jason was Head Electrician at the Yale School of Drama/Yale Repertory Theater from 2005-2012 and Master Electrician for the Sarah Lawrence College Theater Department, Barrington Stage, Westport Country Playhouse and Weston Playhouse. A 2001 graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, Jason is also a playwright, performer, and lighting designer. He lives in Catskill, NY with his wife Jacy Barber and their three cats.
Jared Mezzocchi Jared Mezzocchi is a multimedia director and designer for theater and received his Masters of Fine Arts through Brooklyn College's Performance and Interactive Media Arts. He was awarded a Princess Grace Award in 2013 as the first projections designer to receive the honor. He has designed productions in New York City with 3-Legged Dog (Downtown Loop, SpyGarbo), Baryshnikov Arts Center (Robert Wilson’s On The Beach), HereArts (You Are Dead. You Are Here.), Builders Association (Jet Lag 2011), Rob Roth (Screen Test), and has toured nationally and internationally with Big Art Group (SOS, The Sleep, The People). Regionally, he has designed for Center Stage (Stones in his Pockets), Cleveland Playhouse (Breath and Imagination), Milwaukee Rep (History of Invulnerability, The Mountaintop), and CompanyONE (Astroboy and The God Of Comics). Locally in DC, he's designed for Woolly Mammoth (Totalitarians, Elaborate Entrance of Chad Diety), Synetic Theater (A Trip to the Moon), Theater J (Race, Yellowface), and Studio (Astroboy and The God Of Comics). As a director, he has spent the last 6 summers directing original work at Andy's Summer Playhouse, located in Wilton NH (Donkey Xote, Dick Tracy, The Lost World, The BFG, The Little Prince, The Block). In 2011, he won Best Original Play at the New Hampshire Theater Awards for his writing and direction in The Lost World. Outside of theater, Jared co-designed with Guilio Cappellini for Design Week in Milan Italy, for Connect4Climate and Alcantara. and this year will design the entrance and immersive experience for a Surf Museum in Montauk, NY. Jared has also taught multimedia design courses at NYU's Playwrights Horizons and Brooklyn College's MFA program in Performance and Interactive Media Arts.
Freelance designers and individual artists have unique proximity to the heartbeat of the theatre field. They work at numerous venues each season, in many cases over multiple years and multiple visits, thus experiencing a variety of institutional cultures first hand. However, unlike Actors Equity, there are no industry-wide standards for engaging freelance artists. How can institutions incorporate the learning and experience of the freelance artists they hire more deeply into their organization’s fabric, acknowledging the invaluable nature of their vantage point? Especially during this time when the entire field is on a forced pause. In this session, we explore how guest artists are welcomed and valued by the institutions that invite them through their doors. We will discuss implementing industry-wide standards, creating sustainable feedback loops, recommended best practices sourced from the community at large, and how we can move forward as a community.
REGISTER NOW
Presenters:
Porsche McGovern is a lighting designer. She designed Skeleton Crew and We Are Proud to Present... (Playmakers Repertory Company), A Single Shard (People's Light and Theatre Company), The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Oregon Shakespeare Festival). In New York, she designed Mothers (Playwrights Realm), Bureau of Missing Persons (Neighborhood Productions), Ghetto Babylon (Dramatic Question Theatre), many shows with Spookfish Theatre Company, among others. She has an MFA from California Institute for the Arts and a BA from St. Lawrence University. She is also a researcher, concentrating on designers in regional theatres.Deb Sivigny: As a costume and scenic designer, Deb Sivigny has worked on over thirty world premieres with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Theater J, Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences, Imagination Stage, The Source Festival, Young Playwrights Theatre, The Hub, Studio Theatre 2nd Stage, and Rorschach Theatre where she has been a company member since 2006. She has also designed for Round House Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Everyman Theatre, Signature Theatre, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Rep Stage, Adventure Theatre, Shakespeare Theater’s Academy for Classical Acting, 1stStage, Keegan Theatre, Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, Opera Vivente, WSC Avant Bard, Flying V, DC and Seattle Fringe Festivals, Peridance, Dance Elixir and Tia Nina, among others. She is a member of the second generation of The Welders, where she served as Lead Producing Playwright for her work Hello, My Name Is… Set in a house, she designed and created environments that channeled the lives of Korean adoptees.
David Bengali is a projection and lighting designer based in New York. He has designed theater, opera, and dance Off-Broadway, Regionally, and internationally, and has worked as an associate designer on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Regionally. Recent design credits include: The Great Leap (Atlantic Theater Company); Van Gogh’s Ear (Ensemble for the Romantic Century - Drama Desk Nomination); Frankenstein (Dallas Theater Center); Rockin' Road To Dublin (National Tour); Assembled Identity (HERE); Uncommon Sense (Tectonic Theater Project); The Temple Bombing (Alliance Theatre); Conference of the Birds (Boston Center for the Arts); SPILL (Ensemble Studio Theatre); Anna Akhmatova (ERC/BAM), Jules Verne From The Earth To The Moon (ERC/BAM); Ring of Fire (Endstation Theatre); The Tempest (Classic Stage Company/The Young Company); Kill Me Like You Mean It (Stolen Chair); Two Point Oh (59E59); I Forgive You Ronald Reagan, The Sensational Josephine Baker (Theatre Row); The Orion Experience (XL).
Katherine Freer is a multimedia designer working in theater, installation, and film. Frequent collaborations include Liz Leman, Ping Chong, Ty Defoe, Carl Cofield, Tim Bond Kamilah Forbes, Talvin Wilks, Andrew Scoville, and Tamilla Woodard. Recent designs: Ajijaak on Turtle Island (New Victory, dir. Ty Defoe and Heather Henson), By the Way, Meet Vera Stark (Signature Theater, dir. Kamilah Forbes), the Convent (ArtNY, dir. Daniel Talbott), Antigone (Richard Rogers Amphitheater, dir. Carl Cofield), Cellular Songs (BAM Harvey, by Meredith Monk), Next to Normal (Syracuse Stage, dir. Bob Hupp), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time (Syracuse Stage, dir. Risa Brainin). Katherine is a proud member of USA829 and Wingspace Theatrical Design.