The podcast has been seriously lacking in feminine charm and this week we’re rectifying that with sound designer and actual female Jill Du Boff! Jill chats about going on the road with Radiolab, how a baby that wouldn’t stop crying led to an awesome sound effect and how she is preparing the next generation of artists to think about sound design in a whole new way. Expect guest appearances from both her cat and her husband…it’s an episode for the whole family!
This week’s guest is projection designer Jeff Sugg. Cory and Jeff discuss how he accidentally became a commercial designer after years of working in experimental theater. Hear inside stories from ‘Bring It On’, ’33 Variations’, ‘Macbeth’, ‘The Last Five Years’ and other shows as Jeff chats about often being the last designer hired, why bad projections are so easy to find and his far reaching influences from 19th century optical magic to Polish theatre. AND did you know Jeff grew up on a compound in Saudi Arabia…hit play now to hear THAT story!
Prepare to turn the nerd dial to 11 on this episode. Our guest is LD/big time Broadway associate Craig Stelzenmuller. Cory and Craig compare processes for making light plots, documenting focuses, dealing with crews, and a whole host of other topics. Learn what Craig calls ‘political capital’ and how he uses it when working with big time designers like Paul Gallo, Natasha Katz, Hugh Vanstone and others.
Today’s guest is set designer Paul Tate dePoo III. He tells us how a hurricane may have prevented him from being the next David Copperfield, why he wants to design the Olympic opening ceremonies, and what is was like working for famed Broadway set designer Derek McClane. AND finally learn what it’s like going through life with a last name that begins with a lower case letter! Insanity!
Our guest today is Dane Laffrey. Dane is one of the hottest young designers working today and he spent a wintery Saturday morning with Cory talking about his life. He tells us how his training in Sydney has impacted his career and what it’s like having an impromptu interview with Woody Harrelson. Dane also catches us up to speed on his newest project, Chance Magazine, a magazine dedicated to photographic documentation of theatrical designs.
Today’s guest is lighting/projection designer Ben Pearcy. Ben and Cory discuss his design for ‘Big Fish’ and mourn it’s closing, his experience working with renown artist James Turrell, how it feels to hit the GO button at the Opening Ceremonies, and how Ben owes much of his career to the legendary (and possible mid-show surprise guest,) Ken Billington!
The hardest (and nicest!) working man in showbiz sits down to chat about his life as a sound designer. It’s Lindsay Jones! He talks about making his Broadway debut with ‘A Time to Kill’ and why he waits until the last possible moment to write music for a show. He’s got a resume as long as the 20 years he’s been designing and he was the first person to record an episode. Enjoy!
Happy New Year! Kicking off the podcast is lighting designer Jason Lyons! Jason and Cory cover a wide range of topics from ‘Bring it On’, to Jason’s biggest hit ‘Rock of Ages’, the origins of his extensive use of LED technology, the awesomeness of Brian MacDevitt and why Jason hates the phrase “flash and trash.” Enjoy!