This
was one truly amazing experience. People in theatre talk a lot about
collaboration but I have never experienced it like this before. The
choreographer and I worked together closely from the beginning. We developed an
excellent working rapport that soon became intuitive. Dance rehearsals
started before I had composed the piece in its entirety. This created the opportunity to attend
several formative dance rehearsals while still in the process of writing the music. I
was able to talk to the dancers and watch how they moved. I saw my music come to
life in such a way that inspired me to begin to write both for
and because of the dancers.
The digital media projections were a result of finally getting to do a truly
creative project with my friend, fellow graduate assistant, and lighting
designer Erika Kissam. We sat for hours at two side by side networked computers
searching for, editing, and compositing video and still images.
Costumes and set design happened at a similar pace to the creating of the music.
Both designers received musical updates as they occurred. The result was a
coming together of creative energies that was an educational and expressive
experience for student and teacher alike.
My role was that of project conception, musical composition, digital audio
production and editing, digital video media conception and editing, SFX show control
set up and programming, and project coordination. SFX was used to playback
recorded video, live video switching, audio playback, and triggering light cues.
All tech elements except flying scenery and the fog machine were coordinated
through SFX with MIDI time code. (with a more
sophisticated fly system and DMX on the fog machine, I could have done those,
too.)
You can read more about Andy's Hat in Professor Stephen M. Zapytowski's
article entitled Combined Media Theory starting on page 48 of the Winter
2005 edition of Theatre Design and Technology.
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