20 • February 2015 • Lighting&Sound America

INDUSTRY NEWS

One of the nation’s premier culturalinstitutions, Los Angeles Music Centercelebrated its 50th anniversary inDecember. The event brought togetherfor the first time all four of the center’sresident companies—Center TheatreGroup, Los Angeles Philharmonic, LosAngeles Opera, and Los AngelesMaster Chorale—along with the danceseries Glorya Kaufman PresentsDance at the Music Center.

The performance paid tribute toDorothy Buffum Chandler, a drivingforce behind the development of thecenter, and the namesake for DorothyChandler Pavilion, home of the LAPhilharmonic and LA Opera (and, formany years, the Academy Awards). Aseries of celebrity hosts guided audi-

ences through multiple segmentssaluting the many performers whohave appeared at the DorothyChandler Pavilion, Mark Taper Forum,Ahmanson Theatre, and Walt DisneyConcert Hall.

The evening included a new, spe-cially commissioned, dance piece byJustin Peck, performed by the LADance Project; the first-ever simulcast,from Disney Concert Hall to theChandler, of the LA Philharmonic, con-ducted by Gustavo Dudamel, playing“Helix,” composed by Esa-PekkaSalonen; the LA Opera and LA MasterChorale in the banquet scene fromJohn Adams’ opera Nixon in China;Susan Graham performing three arias;monologues or scenes from David

Dorothy’s Vision:Celebrating Los Angeles Music Center at 50

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Henry Hwang’s Yellow Face, Tony Kushner’s Angels inAmerica, and Mark Medoff’s Children of a Lesser God;Davis Gaines and Dale Kristien singing numbers fromPhantom of the Opera; Edward James Olmos recreating hisrole in Zoot Suit; and a duet from Matthew Bourne’s balletSwan Lake. Also featured was a tribute to the DorothyChandler Pavilion’s 25 years as home to the Oscars. Thefinale was a musical number performed by more than 200artists who have appeared live throughout its history.

Dallas-based Corporate Magic collaborated with LosAngeles Music Center on the creation of the event. StephenDahlem, senior creative director with Corporate Magic, saysthe production’s design, which also featured scenery byGreg Crane, made use of multiple projection surfaces,showing content that chronicled the Music Center’s historyand also supported the individual performances.

“Corporate Magic wanted to use the architecture of thebuilding in the show’s design, including the Mondrian-likewindows, chandeliers, and the reflective surfaces in theChandler lobby,” says Crane. These translated into differentscenic elements. For example, four flown pieces, each con-taining a stringed instrument player, were seen in the stun-ning opening sequence. “We had to extend them toaccommodate the performers, but they are very muchbased on the building’s chandeliers,” says Crane. Anotherelement, consisting of arrays of rectangular boxes that flewin, was based on the front windows of the Music Center.“They were especially tricky to design because we wantedto project video on them,” Crane notes. “Basically, they

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INDUSTRY NEWS

consisted of gold frames with reflec-tive surfaces filling them out. We want-ed each surface to reflect a little differ-ently, so some were filled with lamé,some with beaded fabric, and somewith a reflective fabric with strings ofcrystals and beads.” The set was builtby Las Vegas-based DynamicScenery, with automation supplied bySGPS. A star drop placed fartherupstage was supplied by San Diego-based Ray’s Rentals.

The final flying piece of scenery wasa sunburst that mimicked the LosAngeles Music Center logo. “It wasglittering and spectacular,” Crane says,adding that because of its iconic sta-tus, “it needed to stand out, for sure.”Also, Crane designed the on-stageorchestra platforms on various levelsthat were “painted with different levelsof metallic golds to match the rest ofthe design.” These levels had lightingunits built into their bottom coves.

The scenic design allowed for threelayers of projection, Crane says,“Downstage was a full stage drop,then the Mondrian panels, broken in tomultiple sections that raised and low-ered, and the upstage projectionscreen.”

Dahlem notes that the rear-projec-tion screen was 30' x 60' in size. “Atmid-stage,” he adds, “we had an LEDscreen that flew in and out; it wasapproximately 40' wide by 15' tall andconsisted of PIXLED F11, an 11mmscreen that was provided by XL Video.Front projection was handled by thetheatre’s house projectors, which wereBarco FLM HD18s. Rear projection washandled by two stacks of Barco HDX-W18 projectors. Dataton’s WATCHOUTwas the media server.”

Steve Dumbacher, the production’stechnical director, says, “Much of thecontent was drawn from the MusicCenter’s archives, and those of theresident companies. It was quite atask to coordinate with the differentcurators. In the end, we found someamazing stuff.”

He continues, “We started in Aprilwith the Music Center’s archivist, mak-ing sure we hit each of the organiza-tions’ high points. It was quite a task

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24 • February 2015 • Lighting&Sound America

INDUSTRY NEWS

and we had to make some really hardchoices. The show could have lastedanother three hours! We also wantedto make it not about the history of thecenter but what the future holds. Thatwas the point of the opening number,with the chandeliers.”

It was an ambitious project by anymeans, but, Dahlem says, “One of thebiggest challenges there was an operathere three nights before. We had tostrike it, load in our show, perform, getout, and reload the opera.”Dumbacher adds, “We were mashed

up in there, trying to create the showaround the opera’s line usage andlighting plot. Lighting had a huge chal-lenge because they had to make useof the opera’s rep plot, with some sup-plements. The lighting designer, MattFord, did a great job with that.”

Ford says, “They had a hang thataccommodated four operas. The edictwas we couldn’t touch that, whichmade it very challenging. Also, the sethad to fit in around the pieces alreadyon the fly rails. We are so used towalking into a space that’s completely

empty and putting things exactlywhere we want them, that this becamea difficult task.”

The opera rig was a combination ofPhilips Vari*Lite VL3500 Wash unitsand Martin Professional MACs, but,says Ford, “We didn’t use that muchof the existing moving light rig. Webrought in quite a few VL3500 Spots,some VL1000 Arcs, and VL5Bs.” PRGsupplied the lighting gear.

He notes, “One reason we used theVL3500 was that it was important tohave a unit with shutters, to clip off

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www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • February 2015 • 25

pieces of scenery, for example. Exceptfor that, I could have used a lessexpensive unit, but it was very impor-tant in terms of lighting control.”

The designer notes that, given thepreponderance of projected imagery,Ford made use of many side and high-side positions. This was not a compro-mise, he says, because such positionswere useful for opera and dance per-formances. “We used the automatedgear to accommodate whoever elsehappened to be up there. It was prettymuch sidelighting and backlighting

with some moving lights buried in thebox booms to light the portals thatflew in and out.” He also made gooduse of the house’s four Lycian fol-lowspots.

Lighting was controlled on a PRGV676 console, programmed byHarrison Lipman. “He does theGrammys,” says Ford, “and heprocesses notes very quickly.Nowadays, it’s all about managingtime and making sure everything flowstogether smoothly from act to act.That’s so much of what makes a show

look elegant and seamless. Harrisonmanaged the existing rig and kept instep with everything in terms of thetime we were given.”

Amazingly, Dumbacher notes, giventhe time pressure, “There was never afull, beginning-to-end rehearsal.Everyone at Corporate Magic knowseach other so well, it was a verysmooth operation.” And, one imag-ines, a night Los Angeles will longremember.

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