Stage Directions

Ralph Pine, founder of Drama Book Publishers and Quite Specific Media Group, has died at the age of 79. Pine studied at Rutgers University and Boston University before earning a Bachelor of Science degree from Emerson College in 1961. He earned a Master of Arts degree from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1963. Pine was also a writer, director, theatrical agent before becoming president and editor-in-chief of Drama Book Publishers in 1967. He was also President of Razzmatazz Rags Ltd. and a general partner of Props and Practicals in New York City. Pine lectured on theatre at various universities. He held membership at the Players Club, New York City, American Theatre Association, United States Institute theatre Technology. He is survived by his wife, publisher and consultant, Patricia MacKay. Requiescat in Pace, Ralph Pine.

Renowned audio engineer Robert Schulein, beloved son of the late Arthur and Jeanette Schulein, peacefully died in his home on New Years’ Day 2019 after a valiant, seven-year battle with cancer. The Fellow and Past-President of the International Audio Engineering Society and prolific inventor, with a wealth of patents to his credit in the fields of acoustics and electroacoustics, was 76.

Point Source Audio would like to take you on a tour of the features of the company’s microphones as well as share some tips on how to best care for them—especially for rugged theater applications, as well as ways to extend the life of your microphones. Let’s start by pointing out that not all miniature microphones are built alike, and PSA has many great features and benefits with their line of earmount, lavalier, earworn, and headset mics.

Green Hippo notes that the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) has honored Fantastic Journey – the extraordinary theatrical show exclusively created for Princess Cruises – with a Thea Awards of Outstanding Achievement (Thea Awards recipients were officially announced in November 2018). The 3D-mapped show pushed the technical boundaries, delivering 270-degree, 3D-mapped imagery and Green Hippo technology was at the helm, tracking the entire show. Here’s a video of the show from Princess Cruises: {youtube}v=0SW-qdkSSLo{/youtube}

The Board of Directors of the Wally Russell Foundation announces the winner of the 2018/2019 Lifetime Achievement Award is distinguished innovator, entrepreneur, and industry pioneer, Steve Terry. The award will be presented at the annual USITT Conference and Exhibition in Louisville, KY at a breakfast celebration. (Time and location TBD).

As the worlds of humans and machines collide and the relationships between nature, technology, and artificial intelligence become daily more inextricably intertwined, urban dance impresario Fredrik ‘Benke’ Rydman made this mutually dependent alliance the subject of his amazing Varoffer performance, which ran at Stockholm Kulturhuset Stadsteater in Sweden. Here is a behind the scenes video of integrating the robot into Varoffer: {youtube}v=m9oPe9CsUpI{/youtube}

The Lesher Center for the Arts forms a cultural cornerstone for the bustling downtown of Walnut Creek, California, near-neighbor to the east of Oakland and San Francisco. Since its original construction and opening as the Nuthouse in 1967 and its subsequent reinvestment and expansion as the Lesher Center for the Arts in 1990, the center has attracted top theatrical talent and is considered the preeminent performance venue in Contra Costa County. Recently, local AV integration firm Premier Media Integration designed and installed a new sound system using Danley Sound Labs loudspeakers and subwoofers in the Margaret Lesher Theater, which greatly improved intelligibility, impact, and gain-before-feedback.

Applications for the 36th annual Hemsley Internship Program will be accepted from January 1, 2019 through January 15, 2019. Interviews for finalists will be held in New York on March 29, 2019.

Top sound designer Jonathan Deans (Waitress, The Beatles LOVE) chooses plugins from Waves Audio, a leading provider of digital signal processing solutions, for the hit rock musical Jagged Little Pill, which debuted earlier this year at the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, with music and lyrics by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard and a book by Diablo Cody.

Shure recently introduced the ADX1M Micro Bodypack Transmitter which is compatible with its Axient Digital Wireless Systems. Real proof that big things can come in small packages, the ADX1M offers theatrical designers more flexibility in placement and concealment of the bodypack transmitter. Everything about the design of Shure’s new Micro Bodypack Transmitter is well thought out and shows an understanding of the challenges and needs of the theater application.