ETC is excited to introduce On Headset, a new audio series that allows listeners to program a major theatrical production in real time while listening to the audio cues of a lighting designer.

“Our goal with this project is to fill the gap between the traditional classroom or ‘e-training’ methods of console learning and actually sitting behind an Eos desk in a theater,” explains ETC Senior Field Service Engineer Victor Seastone, “Maybe you know where the buttons are and what they do but want to know more about how they are used in context. Or maybe you just want to work on your muscle memory. This is a console flight simulator to help with both. If you wish, you can type along with Ken’s instruction, or, if you’d prefer a more passive experience, simply eavesdrop (you may want to begin listening to episode 12 when it gets really lively!).”

The series features esteemed Broadway lighting designer Ken Billington and a lightly curated recording of the headset conversations during technical rehearsals of the New York City Center Encores’ Me and My Girl in May of 2018. The recordings are broken into 13 episodes, which start as Billington begins putting cues into the console and end after the dress rehearsal—which for Encores, is about 90 percent of the lighting time allowed.

“New York City Center generously allowed us to witness the perfect case study for lighting in theatre—a frenzied week-long blitz to put on a full musical,” explains Seastone. “The first 11 episodes are dry tech and tech rehearsals. We’ve provided a show file for each episode, if you’re starting at the beginning you only need the first, you’ll build from there. If you want to begin further along, use the file to match your starting point. The last two episodes are recordings of the dress rehearsal (somewhat combined with tech). If you’re typing along, this gets a bit more intense. It’s also where we realized that the recordings are pretty entertaining in their own right—Nancy Pittelman and her stage management team and Ken and his lighting team are true masters in their kitchens!”

“We are so lucky to have these strong relationships with lighting professionals so we can create and share content like this for our users,” says ETC Senior Controls Product Manager Anne Valentino. “Thanks to the designers and crew who helped make this possible!”

Seastone concludes, “While the process is always fast-paced, Encores is especially condensed (as Ken mentions in his introduction to the series). It is the musical theatre equivalent of a competition cooking show… here are your ingredients, you have 8 hours…GO! We hope you find the series both entertaining and educational—and that you come back for more installments in the future! Many thanks to Ken Billington, the whole crew, and Encores! for letting us in on the magic.”

Users can find the audio series on their preferred podcast streaming service or by clicking here.

About Ken Billington:

Billington has and works in all forms of theatrical lighting, having designed 100 Broadway productions, opera, dance, Las Vegas spectaculars, the Radio City Christmas show, spectaculars for SeaWorld Orlando, San Diego, and San Antonio Busch Gardens, and Fantasmic at Disneyland. Other projects include musical numbers for the TV series Smash and for 15 years the all-star ice show Stars on Ice. His many worldwide architectural designs include such landmarks as New York’s iconic Tavern on the Green and Feinstein’s 54 Below. Billington has received many theater awards including the Tony, NY Drama Desk, Los Angeles Drama Critics, and Boston Drama Critics, as well as the Ace Award for Television Lighting and the Lumen Award for Architectural Lighting. In 2015, Billington was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame.