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Live Design is a monthly digital trade magazine, owned by Questex, [1] that covers the latest projects and gear in live entertainment, including theatre, film, concerts, opera, ballet, architainment, and more. [2] Columbia College Chicago's Theatre Department cites it for providing "comprehensive coverage for professionals in the fields of lighting, sound, staging, and projection." [3] It originated as Lighting Dimensions, which combined with Theatre Crafts and Entertainment Design (1999-2005). [4] [5] Until December 2013, it was a print magazine, but has since converted to a free app with monthly issues for Apple and Android devices. [6] Live Design is geared towards aspiring and established designers in the disciplines of lighting, audio, projection, and scenery. The magazine also manages its own website. [7] Live Design is affiliated with the LDI trade show, and hosts the Live Design Master Classes and Envision Symposium. In his undergraduate textbook on stage management, Lawrence Stern recommends subscribing to the magazine and attending LDI as way for professional stage managers to keep current on theater technology. [8] Live Design also presents awards and scholarships to younger designers, including the Pat MacKay Diversity In Design Scholarships for undergraduates [9] and the Rising Star Award to early career professional designers. [10]
In March 1967, the first issue of Theatre Crafts was published by Emmaus, PA-based Rodale Press, which was owned by J. I. Rodale. [4] Marshall Ackerman was Theatre Crafts’ first publisher. The magazine focused on news of theatre design and its technology. Theatre Crafts began with a free circulation to high school and college drama instructors. Geared towards the offstage performers, the magazine featured “how-to” articles from theatre designers of costumes, lighting, sets, and more. [4]
In 1969, C. Ray Smith became the editor for Theatre Crafts and shaped it into a more professional magazine for the theatre industry. In January 1970, Patricia MacKay joined the editors. Theatre Crafts grew from strictly theatre, to covering film, concerts, theme parks, retail shops, television, opera, and architecture. [11]
In June 1977, Theatre Crafts’ sister publication, Lighting Dimensions released its first issue. The magazine focused on lighting and design in concerts, theatre, film, and architecture. [12]
Patricia MacKay bought Theatre Crafts from Rodale Publishing in 1982. Theatre Crafts then acquired Lighting Dimensions in February 1986. [4]
MacKay organized a trade show for the entertainment industry called LDI. It made its debut in Dallas, Texas in 1988 with over a hundred exhibitors and 3,000 attendees. It has run each year ever since. [13]
On its 25th anniversary in 1992, Theatre Crafts became TCI (Theatre Crafts International) to include international coverage, and also redesigned to tablet size.
In January 1996, Intertec Publishing of Overland Park, KS, which eventually became Penton after numerous transitions, acquired TCI, Lighting Dimensions, and LDI. [4]
Eventually, TCI became Entertainment Design. Entertainment Design and Lighting Dimensions were merged into Live Design in December 2005.
Live Design closed its print publication and converted to a digital, interactive app and magazine for Apple products in December 2013, and implemented an Android version in October 2014. [6] [14]
In late 2019, Questex purchased Live Design from Informa plc. [1]
LDI is an annual trade show for live event professionals, which debuted in Dallas, Texas in 1988 with over a hundred exhibitors and 3,000 attendees. It has been to various locations from Nashville, Tennessee to Orlando and Miami, FL, to Reno, Lake Tahoe, and Las Vegas, Nevada. [13]
Since then, LDI has continued to grow, receiving over 9,700 attendees, working in theatre, concerts, houses of worship, corporate presentations, clubs, theme parks, and any other live venue, from 88 countries. Over 350 companies exhibit and provide live demos and gear showcases. [15] The trade show is concerned with lighting, sound, projection, staging and truss, and special effects.
Live Design’s master classes feature top designers from their respective disciplines. [2] The Broadway Master Classes (BMC) originated as Broadway Lighting Master Classes (BLMC), run by Sonny Sonnenfeld, who started it with nine-time Tony Award-winning lighting designer, Jules Fisher. Live Design purchased the BLMC from Sonnenfeld and expanded into Broadway Projection Master Classes (BPMC) and Broadway Sound Master Classes (BSMC). Hosted in New York, BMC is geared towards both students and professionals. Fisher and sound designer, Abe Jacob have been the creative consultants for the BLMC and BSMC, respectively, since their inception. [16] In February 2015, Live Design announced it was rebranding the Broadway Master Classes as the New York Master Classes (NYMC). [17] This training series expands the curriculum to include all aspects of lighting, projection, and sound design in not only theater, but also concerts, dance, and opera.
The Concert Master Classes (CMC) focus on lighting and projection for concerts.
The Projection Master Classes (PMC) focus on the technical and creative obstacles in programming and projection mapping. It is concerned with gear such as playback software, surfaces, projectors, and networking. [18]
The Electronic Dance Music Master Classes (EDMMC): Lighting + Projection focus on the aesthetic and technical components of designing and programming for EDM. EDMMC Sound focuses on the technical and practical considerations in designing sound for festivals and clubs. [19]
Envision Symposium was held in Monterey, California in September 2013. The conference sought to explore the idea of storytelling and how it is presented and transformed in today’s world of technology and design. It considered the future of various areas, such as, concerts, theme parks, gaming, and digital environments. The conference was geared towards an expansive creative audience, including designers, writers, artists, technicians, engineers, programmers, manufacturers, distributors, and inventors. Bran Ferren and Bob Bonniol were the creative consultants. [20]
Stagecraft is a technical aspect of theatrical, film, and video production. It includes constructing and rigging scenery; hanging and focusing of lighting; design and procurement of costumes; make-up; stage management; audio engineering; and procurement of props. Stagecraft is distinct from the wider umbrella term of scenography. Considered a technical rather than an artistic field, it is primarily the practical implementation of a scenic designer's artistic vision.
William Peter Charles Williams is an English show director, stage and lighting designer and video director for concerts, theatre and multimedia projects. He is best known for his work with the rock band U2, and is recognised as one of the leading artists in this field. William Gibson, writing in Wired magazine, said "Willie Williams combines a passionate delight in technology with an infectious low-tech joy. His innovations have become industry standards."
A stagehand is a person who works backstage or behind the scenes in theatres, film, television, or location performance. Their work include setting up the scenery, lights, sound, props, rigging, and special effects for a production.
Bran Ferren is an American technologist, artist, architectural designer, vehicle designer, engineer, lighting and sound designer, visual effects artist, scientist, lecturer, photographer, entrepreneur, and inventor. Ferren is the former President of Research and Development of Walt Disney Imagineering as well as founder of Associates & Ferren, a multidisciplinary engineering and design firm acquired in 1993 by Disney. He is Chief Creative Officer of Applied Minds, which he co-founded in 2000 with Danny Hillis. Apple's "pinch-to-zoom" patent, which features prominently in its legal battle with Samsung, was invalidated by the US Patent and Trademark Office in 2013 based on a 2005 patent by Ferren and Hillis for multi-touch gestures.
Christopher Akerlind is an American lighting designer for theatre, opera, and dance. He won the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design for Indecent. He also won the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design for Light in the Piazza and an Obie Award for sustained excellence for his work Off-Broadway.
Zachary Borovay is an American media designer, educator, creative director and team leader specializing in Broadway, Off Broadway, Concerts, Opera, Theme Parks, Corporate Events and Museum Installations. His work has been seen all over the world.
Richard Pilbrow was a British stage lighting designer, author, theatre design consultant, and theatrical producer, film producer and television producer. He was the first British lighting designer to light a Broadway musical on the Broadway stage with the musical Zorba.
Rick Fisher is an American lighting designer, known for his work with Stephen Daldry on Billy Elliot the Musical and An Inspector Calls. He is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attended Dickinson College, but has been based in the UK for the last 30 years.
Video design or projection design is a creative field of stagecraft. It is concerned with the creation and integration of film, motion graphics and live camera feed into the fields of theatre, opera, dance, fashion shows, concerts and other live events. Video design has only recently gained recognition as a separate creative field. For instance, United Scenic Artists' Local 829, the union representing designers and scenic artists in the US entertainment industry, only added the Global Projection Designer membership category in 2007. Prior to this, the responsibilities of video design would often be taken on by a scenic designer or lighting designer. A person who practices the art of video design is often known as a Video Designer. However, naming conventions vary worldwide, so practitioners may also be credited as Projection Designer, "Media Designer", Cinematographer or Video Director. As a relatively new field of stagecraft, practitioners create their own definitions, rules and techniques.
Clifton Taylor is a theatrical Designer who is based in New York.
Gareth Owen is a twelve-time Tony & Olivier award-winning / nominated Broadway and West End sound designer, described as one of "the only behind-the-scenes creatives whose star wattage spells success on [theatrical] productions".
Lee Rose is an American lighting designer that works in the mediums of film, television, stage, and concerts.
Tim Routledge is a British lighting designer, creative designer, and lighting director who works in television, music concerts, outdoor events, award shows, and variety shows.
Jonathan Richard Driscoll is an English Olivier Award-winning and Tony-nominated theatre projection designer and lighting designer working in the West End and on Broadway. He is a Technical Associate of the National Theatre in London.
Elaine J. McCarthy is an American projection and video designer for theater and opera.
Wendall Keehn Harrington is an American theatrical projection designer and head of projection design at Yale School of Drama, sometimes referred to as 'The Queen of Projections’. She has been considered the nation's leading projection designer for more than three decades.
Lindsay Draper Jones is an American composer and sound designer for theater, television and film. He has also taught and lectured at numerous universities and schools across the country.
Daniel Flannery is an American artist, creative producer, theatre director, scenographer, film/television director, director of photography and lighting designer.
Neil Austin is an English lighting designer. He has won two Olivier Awards and three Tony Awards and is the lighting designer for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, for which he has won an Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Helpmann, Outer Critics Circle and WhatsOnStage Award.
Abe John Jacob is an American sound designer and audio engineer. Called the "Godfather of Sound", Jacob greatly influenced the design of sound reinforcement in modern musical theatre, and was one of the first persons credited in the role of sound designer on Broadway, with a sound designer credit in Playbill in 1971.