Off-Broadway:
Emojiland
Laser Effects and Programming
Photo by Xavier Boyer
Everything is possible
And with this team everything and anything was possible. The Emojiland team sought to rethink the standard practices of a musical. The zany surface world melts away as the weight of the characters comes to the forefront of the show. The emojis present the two dimensionality we often express ourselves with. As the world takes shape it becomes three dimensional; much more than the coding it’s made up of. Not only is “Laser Programmer” the coolest title ever, but paving the way for the common practice of laser use as a storytelling tool might be cooler. They were able to bring dimensionality in a way that hasn’t been done in theatre before. Spending almost every day with this brilliant team for six weeks is one of my fondest memories.
Full Credits:
Book and Lyrics: Keith Harrison & Laura Schein
Director: Thomas Caruso
Music Direction: Lena Gabrielle
Associate Director: Ethan Nienaber
Scenic Design: David Goldstein
Lighting Design: Jamie Roderick
Projection Design: Lisa Renkel & POSSIBLE
Costume & Make-Up Design: Vanessa Leuck
Hair & Wig Design: Bobbie Zlotnik
Sound Design: Ken Goodwin
Choreographer: Kenny Ingram
Associate Choreographer: Dana Marie Ingraham
PSM: Marjorie Ann Wood
Photos by Xavier Boyer
Regional:
Beauty and the Beast
Laser and Special Effects Design
Photo by Alan Wager
Tale as old as time
Beauty and the Beast started it all. I literally fell into laser work. A few weeks before going into production I was working as an electrician when the scaffolding I was on fell apart. I cracked a rib and fractured my leg. Unable to do physical work on Beauty and the Beast I was given the responsibility of handling the special effects. The production manager acquired lasers. With no knowledge of the software, I spent the entire week watching YouTube tutorials. With a little bit of trial and error and countless hours spent on the phone with Pangolin and ETC, we were able to not only integrate the lasers, but to create custom effects.
Full Credits:
Director: Alan Wager
Music Director: Patrick Hoagland
Choreographer: Cheryl Swift
Lighting Design: Jamie Roderick
Sound Design: Jeremy Oleksa
Scenic Design: Christopher and Justin Swador
Costume Design: Keith Schneider
Wig Design: Paula Schaffer
PSM: Stacy Blackburn
Photos by Alan Wager
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Laser and Special Effects Design
Photo by Alan Wager
Full Credits:
Director and Choreographer: Russel Garrett
Music Direction: Jacob Carll
Lighting Design: Jamie Roderick
Scenic Design: Tom Swetz
Sound Design: Graham Stone
Costume Design: David Jordan Baxter
Wig Design: Paula Schaffer
PSM: Ann Barkin
Go go go Joseph!
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Joseph), was a freight train of energy. Excited about doing the megamix version, the room was electric. Following Beauty and the Beast, we had the laser systems down and decided to try something new. Previously we had only worked with aerial effects, whereas for this show they were used for rear projection. This not only furthered my knowledge of the Pangolin software, but my relationship as a laser programmer with lighting designer, Jamie Roderick.
Photos by Alan Wager