Casting Light Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Jeff Croiter is back on the show! This time, we discussed the musical Bandstand – Jeff explained what he did, why and how he did it, and how his design supported the show’s messages and concepts. He also went into great detail on his design for Freestyle Love Supreme, including the show’s structure, how the programming and playback worked, and how he cued a show that could go seemingly anywhere on any day.

Jeff also spoke about some of his other projects, as well as his thoughts on things he hopes for in the business going forward, including what we need for effective color control on moving lights, LED units, and other color changing fixtures.

Visit Jeff’s site for more photos and more info. Thanks for downloading and listening!

Jeff also spoke about some of his other projects, as well as his thoughts on things he hopes for in the business going forward, including what we need for effective color control on moving lights, LED units, and other color changing fixtures.

Jeff Croiter has had quite a career thus far. While best known for his Broadway lighting designs, his work on theater, dance, and opera has been seen from coast to coast in the United States as well as internationally and on broadcast television. He has been recognized with Tony, Hewes Design, and Suzi Bass awards and nominations for Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Lortel, Ovation, Irne, and Audelco awards. This past Spring, Jeff joined us for an in-depth discussion of some of his best-known projects.

In this episode, we spoke at length about his work on the beloved Peter And The Starcatcher, incuding the process he used, how the relationships he’d previously formed helped him, and how the show came together. Jeff outlined how he delivered a stunning design for Starz’s Flesh and Bone miniseries, where he lit a dance performance to be captured on film as well as handling lighting for scenes around the theater. We also discussed his work with Penn And Teller, and how he manages the Las Vegas show from New York.

Jeff will be back to discuss more of his work on the next episode. In the meantime, visit his website to see photos of his work on these and other shows. Thanks for downloading and listening!

Many lighting designers have been tasked with lighting a corporate campus, but it’s rare for that campus to include rides, attractions, and theatrical performances that range from brand-new technological marvels to beloved, decades-old experiences. After 25 years of work in theme parks, Jason Badger has become a master of this craft – as well as a Principal Show Lighting Designer for WED Imagineering.

He told us about his work on Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge and Tron Lightcycle Power Run as well as a few other key attractions. He also provided detailed information on how the preproduction and tech process for attractions works, as well as the kinds of control systems and networks they require.

It hasn’t all been mouse ears for Jason, though; while he focuses on theme parks and corporate theater now, he’s worked in almost every part of the business as a programmer or lighting designer, from theater to opera to television to special events to single and multicamera shoots. We’ll discuss more of the work he’s done in those areas, as well as his work with environments and fountains, on the next episode.

Thanks for downloading and listening!

Nashville is the place to go when you want to become a country music star, but when Susan Rose got there, she found her life’s work waiting for her. She knows how to take advantage of an opportunity – not only did she become a professional musician, she had the opportunity to learn to program the original Wholehog. That experience quickly led her to programming on tours, becoming a designer in her own right, and expanding into corporate events, cruise ships, and amusement park spectaculars.

Susan’s expertise on Wholehog and Wholehog II resulted in her becoming a trainer and creating the well-loved Whole Hog II Quick Reference guide, and led her to a long-time position working with the great Jeff Ravitz as the touring lighting director for Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band. We had a chance to discuss that show, her design for the evening lighting of the Wildwood Tree in Wildwood Grove at Dollywood, as well as Country Tonight, a revue she recently designed in her home base of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Visit Susan’s website Susan Rose Music, and come back for Part 2 of our interview with Susan on the next episode!

Mike Grabowski is on the show by listener request! He’s a Senior Lighting Designer at LDG, a member of Local USA 829, and has lit innumerable projects for broadcast over the course of his 15 year career. We discussed several of those projects, including the intricacies of his work on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.

Mike was MTV’s Broadcast Lighting Consultant when they did a major overhaul of their Times Square studio, and we discussed that project in detail. We also discussed some of the unusual techniques he used on History’s Forged in Fire and AMC’s Comic Book Men. In addition, Mike revealed how exposure to street performance and busking in his home of Philadelphia connected him with the world of theater and production, and how working as a draftsperson introduced him to parts of the business beyond theater.

Visit his website MTG Designs for more information.As always, thanks for downloading and listening!

Is six circuit multicable code compliant? Why do LED fixtures put load on neutral? What did old-time producers dislike even more than organized labor? Eddie Kramer knows the answers. He’s a member of the electrics crew at Radio City Music Hall, a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, an ETCP Certified Entertainment Electrician, and your host’s Local One brother.

Eddie is from the Lower East Side, and got his start in high school. He worked at The Theatre at the Riverside Church, Club Xenon, and the tiny underground theater that would one day become The Roundabout before finding his home at Radio City. Along the way, he became a member of the ESTA Technical Standards Program, where as a part of several working groups, he’s had input into many of the technical standards that affect our business. Visit the ESTA TSP portal to learn more.

Thanks for downloading and listening!

It’s the 50th episode of Casting Light, and we’re doing something different this time. With our business in flux and many people looking for some guidance, we’ve put together an incredible panel to answer the question, “OK, now what?” Reinvention, keeping abreast of industry changes, knowing how to nurture relationships, continuing education, and financial planning all play a part regardless of the state of the business, and our guests discuss all these topics and more on this episode.

We’ve got Laura Frank, a top-flight lighting programmer who became a screens producer when she saw how digital lighting was going to affect the industry, ultimately building her own framework and systems to manage all aspects of media; Brad Schiller, who was one of the people who defined what the job of programmer was before moving on to develop consoles, manage products, and represent the biggest names in lighting manufacturing; David Leonard, who had a full career as a theater educator before moving on to assist the great design team of Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, and then becoming a high-end real estate agent; and Marty Postma, who worked as a lighting designer and lighting director for music venues and on national and international concert tours for decades before becoming a sales manager for Robe Lighting.

Be sure to check out Brad’s newly released book, “Living the Lighting Life: A Guide to a Career in Entertainment Lighting” in which he delves even deeper into many of the topics we discuss on the show.

Multitalented and multi-genre, Hillary Knox has found himself involved in fascinating projects throughout his career. Growing up in Nashville, he thought he would be a musician – but he soon discovered that the lighting department was where he fit. He cut his teeth working at Opryland before attending Carnegie Mellon University. During his last semester, he interned with the great design team of Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, and he’s been on the move ever since.

Hillary was an early adopter and user of the Wholehog II, and that formed the base he built his career on. After a stint at The Obie Company, he made his Broadway debut programming lighting for LD Nigel Levings on Baz Lurhman’s 2002 revival of La Boheme. He was then tapped to program media and projections on Wicked for projection designer Elaine J. McCarthy, an ambitious project in every way.

Today, you’ll find him programming lighting on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, part of a team that includes lighting designer/lighting director Michael Scricca and programmer Constantine Leonardos. Hillary told us how the show worked and what typical daily operations before mid-March, as well as how studio operations have had to adjust to our current situation, from COVID-19 testing twice week to fully socially distanced positions in the studio.

Thanks for listening!

Tony Bonilla is back on the podcast! We had so much to discuss during our interview, we had to separate it into two parts. This time, we’re talking about a massive project that Tony and his company BNW Rigging worked on at The Shed in Hudson Yards, how lighting and rigging can work together wore effectively, and what lighting practitioners should know about rigging.

We discussed what elements designers might want to leave up to the production rigger to specify, the expansion of OSHA certification, and why ETCP certification is such a good idea for rigging and lighting practitioners. Tony gave us a list of rigging training providers he feels are worth the time and money for those who want to learn more, including Tomcat U, a program both he and your host have attended. He also had a lot of thoughts on the industry shutdown, including his thoughts on the resilience of both the people and the demand for what they provide.

Check out BNW on Instagram and on Facebook, and listen to the first part of our interview if you haven’t yet. Thanks for downloading and listening!

Fifteen years ago, Tony Bonilla was already an experienced rigger, having toured with theatrical productions and rigged special events. Seeing some gaps in what was being provided in the business, he decided to create his own company: BNW Rigging. At the time, it was intended to be a D/B/A for his own work and an organization through which he could conduct training. Now, BNW is a multimillion-dollar company, one which has distinguished itself with the design, installation, and operation of massive and unique rigs, as well as the administration of rigging at some of the largest and most unusual event venues in the New York area.

Without people like Tony, and companies like BNW, we could never get our lighting systems off the ground. There is both an art and craft to the kind of rigging that Tony specializes in, and in part one of our interview with him, we were able to discuss his artistic roots in sculpture, how he transitioned into theater, and how and why he created BNW. We also dug into one of his most impressive installations to date: a wedding chapel built out of truss on Aspen Mountain, inspired by the Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs.

Join us for Part 2 of the discussion next time. We’ll have more lighting-specific information, information for other entrepreneurs, and an in-depth discussion about another massive project.