CCM Lighting Design and Technology Student Competes in Las Vegas HOG Factor Competition

CCM Lighting Design and Technology student Devaka Walpola recently traveled to the Live Design International Conference in Las Vegas to compete as one of three finalists in one of the top academic lighting competitions in the world.

Devaka Walpola.

Walpola, who is in his third year at CCM, was selected as a finalist in the 2017 HOG Factor National Collegiate Lighting Show Programing Competition. As a finalist, he had the opportunity to present an original lighting design live at the international conference on November 17.

“HOG Factor is the number one academic lighting competition worldwide as we speak,” says CCM Lighting Professor Jim Gage. “To be selected as a finalist from the hundreds of submissions is quite the accomplishment.”

Now in its fourth year, the HOG Factor Competition is presented annually by High End Systems, a cutting edge company for lighting technology. The three finalists receive awards that are given to the university where the student is enrolled. In 2014, CCM students entered a similar competition and CCM was awarded a $40,000 lighting console.

Walpola first found out about the competition through CCM Lighting Design and Technology Professor Mark Williams. He then spent around 18 hours designing a light show for the song, “Don’t Let Me Down” by the Chainsmokers featuring Daya and submitted his design to High End Systems.

He progressed to the final round of the HOG Factor Competition in Las Vegas, where he had the opportunity to plan and present a lighting design for The Devil Went Down to Georgia by The Charles Daniels Band.

“For the competition, I was given a virtual lighting rig and had to program a lighting show on my computer and then translate it to a real world live event in Vegas in front of a crowd of industry leaders,” Walpola says.

Walpola is the master electrician on three CCM productions this year. His studies at CCM have taught him techniques that he’s used to set up lighting and sound for events like Lollapalooza in Chicago and the Electric Zoo in New York. This summer, he spent a few months in Milwaukee working for Clearwing, an audio and visual production company that focuses on live entertainment.

“CCM has a great professional network for getting me where I need to go to start my career in the professional world,” Walpola says. “This is the best jump-start to my career that I could ask for. I was very excited to be able to go to Vegas and program this show for people who could be my employers some day.”

About Live Design International
Since 1988, Live Design International (LDI) has been the leading tradeshow and conference for live design professionals from all around the globe. LDI hosts over 13,000 attendees working in theatre, concerts, clubs, theme parks and houses of worship, as well as a wide range of international live and broadcast venues. Attendees from more than 80 countries come to LDI to see the latest gear in action, refresh their knowledge, and replenish their creativity. More than 350 companies exhibit, providing live demos and the opportunity for face-to-face discussions about the cutting-edge gear they debut exclusively to LDI attendees.

About High End Systems
At High End Systems Inc., we innovate and create the lighting products and control systems that illuminate some of the world’s biggest artists on the largest stages, as well as film and television studios, cruise ships, corporate events, theme parks, churches, restaurants and retail spaces. Now entering our fourth decade, we’re one of the world’s largest entertainment lighting manufacturers, a pioneer in new digital lighting technology and producer of the industry-preferred lighting controller technology. We attribute our success to staying in touch with the needs of the entertainment lighting community. Product research and development at our Austin, TX headquarters is an ongoing collaboration between in-house engineers and lighting professionals in the field. This collaboration is largely to thank for our status as a major industry innovator and intellectual property holder. We’re not only keeping pace with industry developments – we’re guiding them. We’re constantly pushing the creative and technological envelope to meet customer needs and stay ahead of the curve. As members of the entertainment community, we know reliability is paramount. We maintain rigorous manufacturing standards, while providing industry-leading customer support services. Welcome to the High End Systems community. We’re your source for lighting solutions.
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Story by CCM graduate student Jonathan Dellinger.

 

Preview the Artistic Tracks and Silent Auction Items from CCM’s Moveable Feast!

Cincinnati’s favorite fundraiser returns this Friday as CCM proudly presents its annual Moveable Feast! Today, we are happy to provide you with a sneak peek of this year’s Artistic Tracks, along with a first look at the one-of-a-kind experiences you can bid on during Moveable Feast’s Silent Auction.

Artistic Tracks
Back by popular demand, the Friends of CCM have created a series of Artistic Tracks to help guide you to the programs and performances that best match your interests! Newcomers and seasoned veterans alike can enjoy these pre-planned pathways through CCM Village. Preview this year’s Artistic Tracks below!

Artistic Tracks for CCM’s 2016 Moveable Feast.

• Classical: From opera arias to the Ariel Quartet, sample the best in classical music.
• Newbie: Is this your first Feast? Don’t miss these audience favorites.
• Theatre: Do you have a flair for the dramatic? Interested in show tunes? Step this way.
• Party People: Looking for high energy, interactive arts? Don’t miss this party.
• Best Kept Secret: Go a bit off the beaten path to check out some over-looked gems.
• Parents Sampler: A behind-the-scenes look at CCM’s prep programs and facilities.
• Create Your Own: Mix and match from the full list of performances to create a Feast of your own!

Silent Auction
Interested in a private tour of UC’s Corbett Center for the Performing Arts with CCM Dean Peter Landgren? Want CCM students to perform at your house party or compose a piece of music just for you? Browse and bid on a variety of unique experiences with CCM students and faculty members, along with invitations to exclusive events with Dean Landgren, during Moveable Feast’s Silent Auction!

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Moveable Feast’s silent auction will be open from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 22. You do not have to be present at Moveable Feast in order to participate.

Bidding from your phone? Download the Handbid app before arriving at Moveable Feast! The app is free and no credit card information is needed. Search “Handbid” in the app store.

Bidding from your computer? Register and start bidding by visiting www.handbid.com/auctions/moveable-feast-2016.

Proceeds will provide support for student scholarship, travel opportunities and special collaborative projects at CCM.

Event Time
6:15 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 22

Location
CCM Village, University of Cincinnati

Purchasing Tickets
Tickets to “Moveable Feast” are moving fast, so don’t delay – get yours before they’re gone and experience an unforgettable evening of artistic and culinary delights! Tickets can be purchased online at ccm.weshareonline.org/ws/opportunities/MoveableFeast2016 or over the telephone at 513-556-2100.

• Host Tickets: $125 (ticket price includes valet parking)
• Friends of CCM Member Tickets: $50
• General Public Tickets: $75 (ticket price includes a Friends of CCM Membership)
• Young Professional (40 and under) Tickets: $35
• CCM Alumni Tickets: $35

Seating is limited. Event proceeds raised by the Friends of CCM, a group of 600 volunteers and an active board, support student scholarships for CCM’s “stars of tomorrow.”

Parking and Directions
Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the campus of the University of Cincinnati. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the new U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.

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A preeminent institution for the performing and media arts, CCM is the largest single source of performing arts presentations in the state of Ohio.

All event dates and programs are subject to change. For a complete calendar of events, please visit us online at ccm.uc.edu.

CCM Announces 2015-16 Mainstage Series of Opera, Musical Theatre, Drama and Dance

CCM is pleased to announce details for its 2015-16 Mainstage Series of opera, musical theatre, drama and dance productions. Between Sept. 30, 2015, and April 24, 2016, CCM’s stars-of-tomorrow will present seven masterworks for the stage under the guidance of its internationally acclaimed faculty artists.

These works include David Edgar’s epic drama Pentecost, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic musical Carousel, Franz Lehár’s comedic operetta The Merry Widow, Eugene O’Neill’s acclaimed coming-of-age story Ah, Wilderness!, Green Day’s iconic punk rock musical American Idiot, Janácek’s farcical opera The Cunning Little Vixen and Tchaikovsky’s beloved romantic ballet Swan Lake.

Production details are listed below. Details on subscription packages and single ticket sales will be announced this summer.

Visit ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/subscribe to register for CCM’s mailing list, and the Box Office will provide you with additional information on this year’s subscription options.

Additional Information
Titles and dates are subject to change—rights pending. For a complete calendar of events, please visit us online at ccm.uc.edu.
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CCM 2015-16 MAINSTAGE SERIES
Opera, Musical Theatre, Drama, Dance

Pentecost
Written by David Edgar
Richard E. Hess, director

A play of politics and ideas, Pentecost details the discovery of a painting stunningly similar to Giotto di Bondone’s The Lamentation in an abandoned church in Eastern Europe. If proven to pre-date the master’s work, the fresco will revolutionize Western Art. A dramatic power struggle ensues, as representatives from the worlds of art history, religion and politics stake their claims for the ultimate prize. The unexpected arrival of 12 refugees sets events spiraling toward an explosive climax. Described by the Daily Telegraph as “funny, frightening and deeply moving,” this powerful play by the Tony Award-winning adapter of Nicholas Nickleby and author of numerous plays won the Evening Standard Award for Best Play of 1995.

Performance Dates: Sept. 30 (preview), Oct. 1–4, 2015
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
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Carousel
Music by Richard Rodgers
Book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Based on the play Liliom by Ferenc Molnar
As Adapted by Benjamin F. Glazer
Original Dances by Agnes de Mille
Diane Lala, director

Set in a Maine coastal village toward the end of the 19th century, Carousel is the story of carefree carnival barker Billy Bigelow and his reckless adventures with women, gambling and the wrong side of the law. Billy loses his job just as he learns that his wife is pregnant and, desperate to provide a decent life for his family, is coerced into being an accomplice to a robbery. Caught in the act and facing the certainty of prison, he takes his own life and is sent “up there.” 15 years later, Billy is allowed to return to earth for one day and encounters the daughter he never knew. How Billy instills in both the child and her mother a sense of hope and dignity is a dramatic testimony to the power of love. Declared “Best Musical of the Century” by Time Magazine in 1999, it’s easy to understand why Carousel became Rodgers and Hammerstein’s personal favorite.

Performance Dates: Oct. 29–Nov. 1, 2015
Location: Corbett Auditorium
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The Merry Widow (Die lustige Witwe)
Music by Franz Lehár
Libretto by Viktor Léon and Leo Stein
Emma Griffin, director

A 20th century opera molded in the tradition of the great opera seria of the 1700s, The Merry Widow tells a dizzying tale of star-crossed lovers and political intrigue in Paris. Baron Zeta of Pontevedro must prevent the wealthy widow Hanna Glawari from marrying a foreigner; if she does, all of her wealth will leave Pontevedro, thus bankrupting the country. Zeta urges Hanna’s former fiancée Count Danilovich (who pretends to not care for her anymore) to marry her, but Zeta’s wife pushes the flirtatious Camille de Rosillon to go after Hanna instead. Farcical confusion, romance and jealousy abound in this light-hearted romp. Sung in English.

Performance Dates: Nov. 19–22, 2015
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
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Ah, Wilderness!
Written by Eugene O’Neill
R. Terrell Finney, director

Set in an idyllic Connecticut town during the Fourth of July weekend of 1906, Eugene O’Neill’s Ah, Wilderness! offers a tender portrait of small town family values, teenage growing pains and young love. Described as “a breath of fresh air” and “vividly alive” by the New York Post and nominated for a Tony Award for Best Revival in both 1989 and 1998, this charming comedy is directed by CCM Professor Emeritus R. Terrell Finney.

Performance Dates: Feb. 10 (preview), Feb. 11–14, 2016
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
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American Idiot
Book and lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong
Book by Michael Mayer
Music and lyrics by Green Day
Aubrey Berg, director

The two-time Tony Award-winning hit musical American Idiot, based on Green Day’s Grammy Award-winning multi-platinum album of the same name, boldly takes the American musical where it’s never gone before. Johnny, Tunny and Will struggle to find meaning in a post-9/11 world. When the three disgruntled men flee the constraints of their hometown for the thrills of city life, their paths diverge when Tunny enters the armed forces, Michael is called back home to attend familial responsibilities, and Johnny’s attention becomes divided by a seductive love interest and a hazardous new friendship. An energy-fueled rock opera, American Idiot features minimal dialogue and instead relies on the lyrics from Green Day’s groundbreaking album to execute the story line.

Performance Dates: March 3–13, 2016
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
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The Cunning Little Vixen (Príhody lišky Bystroušky)
Composed by Leoš Janácek
Libretto by Leoš Janácek (after Rudolf Tesnohlídek)
Vince DeGeorge, director

Based on a famous 1920s Czech comic strip, Janácek’s opera The Cunning Little Vixen humorously explores the universal longing for youth. The three main characters – all older men – attempt to connect to their younger days through various means: one longs for a village girl, one obsesses over a childhood indiscretion and one chases a young vixen through the countryside. Will they continue to cling to their delusions? Or will their experiences help them come to terms with the inevitability of time? Sung in English.

Performance Dates: April 8–10, 2016
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
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Swan Lake
Composed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Jiang Qi, director

Tchaikovsky’s timeless ballet about love and magic returns to CCM in a fully-staged spectacle! The young Prince Siegfried, disinterested in the potential wives that his mother has picked for him, heads into the woods to hunt one night and comes across a beautiful swan…who then turns into the maiden Odette! She tells him of the curse she and others have been placed under by the evil knight Rothbart, forcing them to become swans by day and human by night. Siegfried instantly falls in love, but will he and Odette be able to overcome the curse, or will Rothbart succeed in keeping his enchantment intact?

Performance Dates: April 22–24, 2016
Location: Corbett Auditorium
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Mainstage Series Subscriptions
The 2015-16 CCM Mainstage Series of opera, musical theatre and drama productions includes subscription packages for six-show, four-show and three-show combinations. Subscribers also have the ability to add the Mainstage Series production of Swan Lake to any subscription package “a la carte.”

Full details on subscription packages and single ticket sales will be announced this summer. CCM’s customizable subscription packages range in price from $84 – $180. Current subscribers will get priority access to next season’s subscription packages.

Visit ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/subscribe to register for CCM’s mailing list, and the Box Office will provide you with additional information on this year’s subscription options.
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CCM Season Presenting Sponsor and Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s

Community Partner: ArtsWave
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A preeminent institution for the performing and media arts, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is the largest single source of performing arts presentations in the state of Ohio.

Titles and dates are subject to change—rights pending. For a complete calendar of events, please visit us online at ccm.uc.edu.

CCM’s Department of Drama and Division of Electronic Media Present 48-Hour Film Festival This February

This semester, CCM’s Department of Drama and Division of Electronic Media are providing a unique opportunity for aspiring filmmakers, performers and storytellers in the form of a 48-Hour Film Festival, which will run from Feb. 20 – 22.

Based on the innovative 48 Hour Film Project festival and competition, which launched in 2001, CCM’s 48-Hour Film Festival will challenge teams comprised of students from throughout the university to bring their short films from conception to completion within a brisk 48-hour window.

Within a single weekend, student teams will create and then screen their own short films.

As described by the original 48 Hour Film Project, this promises to be, “a wild and sleepless weekend in which you and your team have a blast making a movie. All writing, shooting, editing and scoring must be completed in just 48 hours. On Friday night you are assigned a prop, a line of dialogue and a theme that must be included in your movie. 48 hours later, you must submit your film. Next? Your masterpiece will be shared with the participants of the festival.”

All University of Cincinnati students are invited to apply to be assigned to a team for the inaugural CCM 48-Film Festival. Applicants will need to be available for the entire 48 hours from 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20, through 7 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 22. Visit ccm.uc.edu/theatre/drama/48HourFilmFestival for application information. Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 16, 2015.

Applicants will be randomly assigned to teams and these assignments will be announced at a 7 p.m. meeting on Friday, Feb. 20. Teams will then be assigned a common prop, a common line of dialogue and a common theme, all of which must be included in each film. Film genres will not be assigned.

Teams will then have 48 hours to brainstorm, research, write, story-board, cast, film, score and edit a roughly five minute-long film, which will be screened in the MainStreet Cinema of UC’s Tangeman University Center on the night of Sunday, Feb. 22.

Teams will create job assignments, find costumes, scout locations, find props, create underscoring, rehearse, film and edit a final piece.

Learn more by visiting ccm.uc.edu/theatre/drama/48HourFilmFestival.

The inaugural CCM 48-Hour Film Festival is made possible thanks to the generous support from the Friends of CCM.

Thanks to YOU For Making This Year’s MOVEABLE FEAST So Successful!

CCM’s Moveable Feast benefit event returns on Friday, Jan. 23, 2015.

To the sponsors, partners, Friends of CCM Members, volunteers, faculty members, student artists, staff, event attendees and everyone else responsible for making this year’s Moveable Feast such an overwhelming success: THANK YOU!

• Check out Cincinnati Refined‘s coverage of the evening here.
• Check out the Cincinnati Enquirer‘s coverage of the evening here.
• Check out the News Record‘s coverage of the evening here.

It was a night to remember – thank you for sharing it with us!

CCM Lighting Design Majors Show Off Their Skills With Help From Vincent Lighting Systems

The stars-of-tomorrow in CCM’s Lighting Design and Technology program will have the chance to shine brighter than ever this week thanks to the generosity of Vincent Lighting Systems.

Each year, students in CCM’s course on “Moving Light Programming” get an opportunity to show off their mastery of the art and science of lighting design in a dazzling class presentation entitled “BAMM!”

Students spend weeks planning for this capstone event and are then given only a few days to execute their plans, programming complex lighting on a rig of various fixtures – each with different attributes and abilities – in CCM’s versatile Cohen Family Studio Theater.

This year, long-time CCM supporter Vincent Lighting Systems has donated equipment to the event, allowing students to install and work with some of the most advanced gear available in the lighting industry.

This unique experience puts these students on the forefront of lighting education, reinforcing CCM’s reputation as the finest training program for lighting professionals in the country.

CCM’s faculty, staff and students would like to thank UC alumni Paul Vincent and Adam Hayward, along with the rest of the Vincent Lighting Team, for making this experience possible.

CCM Lighting Design and Technology presents BAMM! at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 16. This is an open class presentation, however seating is limited.

Learn more about CCM’s Lighting Design and Technology program by visiting ccm.uc.edu/theatre/tdp/lighting.

Learn more about Vincent Lighting Systems by visiting http://www.vls.com.

League of Cincinnati Theatres Announces 2014 Awards Finalists

The League of Cincinnati Theatres (LCT) has announced the finalists for this year’s LCT Awards Celebration and we are delighted to report that CCM productions have received a staggering 23 nominations (CCM Professor Kelly Yurko and CCM student Brianna Barnes also received nods for work on non-CCM productions this year, bringing our unofficial tally up to 25 nominations)!

The annual LCT Award Celebration is designed to honor the best of Cincinnati professional theatre each season.

CCM’s 2013-14 productions of Carrie, Singin’ in the Rain, Metamorphoses, Les Misérables, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Living Dead in Denmark all received nominations in at least one category.

CCM faculty members Aubrey Berg, Vince DeGeorge, Steve Goers, Mark Halpin, Patti James, k. Jenny Jones, Diane Lala, Reba Senske and Kelly Yurko each received nominations in at least one category.

CCM students singled out in this year’s nominations included Brianna Barnes, Sara Bishop, Hannah Freeman, Dana Hall, Jenny Hickman, Matt Hill, Colin Kessler, Blaine Krauss, Wes Richter and Ryan Sigurdson.

Finalists were chosen from the nominations made by trusted panelists who saw the shows during the year. One winner from each category will be announced at the Awards Party on Monday, June 16, at Arnold’s Bar and Grill in Cincinnati.

CCM Alumnus Travis Hagenbuch Nominated For Fourth Primetime Emmy

CCM Alumnus Travis Hagenbuch with the first two Emmys he won.

CCM alumnus Travis Hagenbuch (BFA, 2007) was nominated for his fourth primetime Emmy award this year (ceremonies were held on Sept. 22).

Nominated in the category of “Lighting Design,” Hagenbuch has designed lighting for such live televised events as the Olympics, President Obama’s inaugural celebration, a Super Bowl halftime show with Tom Petty, the Academy Awards, the Grammy Awards, the Tony Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards, BET Awards, as well as TV specials for Lionel Richie, Betty White’s 90th birthday and Celine Dion.

The three Emmys has won to date are for the Vancouver Olympics’ opening ceremony in 2010 and for two Grammy ceremonies in 2011 and 2012.

You can learn more about Travis Hagenbuch courtesy of UC Magazine.

CCM MFA Student Alan Hanson Wins iSquint and Stage Directions’ 2013 Lighting Design Competition

“Chess” runs Oct. 25 – 28 in UC’s Corbett Auditorium. Photography by Mark Lyons.
Tickets on sale now! Visit ccm.uc.edu for more information. Photography by Mark Lyons.

We are thrilled to announce that CCM class of 2013 MFA Lighting Design student Alan Hanson has won the 2013 Student Lighting Design Competition organized by online entertainment lighting industry publication iSquint and theatre art and technology journal Stage Directions!

Hanson’s lighting design for CCM’s Fall 2012 Mainstage Series production of Chess took the title in this third annual competition, which offers a valuable prize package of lighting software and literature.

View a slideshow of Hanson’s award winning work on Chess here.

The Student Lighting Design Competition is sponsored by lighting technology companies City Theatrical, Nemetschek Vectorworks and Field Template Soft Symbols, and is judged by leading experts in the lighting design field and developers of the software entrants must use to create their design entries. Visit iSquint.net to learn more about this competition.

Congratulations to Alan on this exciting award!

CCM Theatre Design & Production Students Win State-Of-The-Art ETC Consoles

We are proud to announce that a team of CCM Theatre Design & Production (TD&P) Lighting Design and Technology students won second place in Electronic Theatre Controls‘ recent “Show Us Your ETC!” student-video challenge.

The students involved in this effort included producers Nik Robalino, David Seitz and Ethan Peterson with assistance from Natalie Estes, Alan Hanson, Alan Kleesattel and Tim Schmall. Their project involved combining their technical and graphic skills to pixel-map Fred Foster’s face.