2013 Tonys

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So, nominations are up for the 2013 Tonys: The Tony Award Nominees - TonyAwards.com - The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards® - Official Website by IBM

We won't talk about the movie adaptations that are all the rage these days... but in our world:

The fact that there are a few people who are working on Broadway and they do everything is very apparent....

And they honored Ming Cho Lee with a lifetime achievement award.

....and now back to your regularly scheduled ignoring of the Tony's.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

Yup, I read about this yesterday

 

[StNic54]

You left out the best part!

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kenneth Posner, Kinky Boots
Kenneth Posner, Pippin
Kenneth Posner, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
Hugh Vanstone, Matilda The Musical

Good Luck Hugh? Apparently there aren't many musicals, or lighting designers for musicals in the Tony-worthy realm.

It reminds me of Randy Newman's Oscar acceptance speech: "I can't say I'm surprised, having been nominated 18 times."

 

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You left out the best part!

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kenneth Posner, Kinky Boots
Kenneth Posner, Pippin
Kenneth Posner, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
Hugh Vanstone, Matilda The Musical

Good Luck Hugh? Apparently there aren't many musicals, or lighting designers for musicals in the Tony-worthy realm.

It reminds me of Randy Newman's Oscar acceptance speech: "I can't say I'm surprised, having been nominated 18 times."

That was the point of the same people doing most of the work. Kind of the rich just get richer type thing.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

That was the point of the same people doing most of the work. Kind of the rich just get richer type thing.

Or in other words, "Kid, you'll never design on the Great White Way" (in olde tyme accent).

 

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Or in other words, "Kid, you'll never design on the Great White Way" (in olde tyme accent).

Dude. Jennifer Tipton got a nomination. Her first design on Broadway was in '69. She is still doing it... and doing it well. There are not enough shows to go around. I would also like to see how many days Ken actually spent in each venue and how many assistants he had. Not saying you can't do it, but I think you have a better chance getting a job as an actor then as a designer these days. At least the actors have to stay with the show after opening. With Ken's massive tripple dip and David's double dip... it makes the going tough.

 

[StNic54]

Ken Billington said in an interview that the chances of working on Broadway as a lighting designer are very slim mostly because there are a handful of people that the producers actually know and trust with Broadway budgets and that the best you can do early on is be an assistant. The assistants do a lot of work under the big named designers, and their networks expand as a result. I'm just glad we've got outlets like the BLMC to hear what the big designers go through - and their fun stories.

In another realm, John Williams will be doing the score for the next Star Wars movie, but the reality is his work is almost completely done by others and he simply approves it and attaches his name. I imagine there are many composers chomping at the bit to get their name on a big franchise like that. I guess it's the perks of coming up at the right time, doing your job well, and maintaining friendships over the years.

Our generation has a new set of challenges, for sure, and there are so many designers and techs out there that we'll all be working hard to get ahead, for sure.

 

[SteveB]

Dude. Jennifer Tipton got a nomination. Her first design on Broadway was in '69. She is still doing it... and doing it well. There are not enough shows to go around. I would also like to see how many days Ken actually spent in each venue and how many assistants he had. Not saying you can't do it, but I think you have a better chance getting a job as an actor then as a designer these days. At least the actors have to stay with the show after opening. With Ken's massive tripple dip and David's double dip... it makes the going tough.

I was thinking along these lines as well. There are about 15 or so well known "names" who have a Broadway show running. There are approx 28 shows running currently, dependent on which is a review, a one off (The Rascals), etc... Some info from Internet Broadway Data Base.

18 Musicals:
- Ken Posner - Cinderella, Pippin, Kinky Boots, Wicked
- Ken Billington - Chicago
- Natasha Katz - Motown, Once
- Don Holder -Lion King, Annie, Spiderman
- Hugh Vanstone - I'll Eat You Last, Matilda
- Jeff Croiter -Jekyll and Hyde, Newsies
- Jason Lyons - Rock of Ages
- Peter Kaczorowski - Nice Work
- Brian MacDevitt - Mormon
- Andrew Bridge -Phantom

10 Plays:
- Matthew Richards - Ann
- Natasha Chivers - Macbeth
- Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhaeur - Lucky Guy
- Pat Collins - Orphans
- Peter Kaczorowski -The Assembled Parties
- James Ingalls -The Big Knife
- Japhy Weiderman - The Nance
- Jennifer Tipton -The Testament of Mary
- Rui Rita - Trip to Bountiful
- Justin Townsend -Vanya and Sonya (Former assistant to Chris Akerlind)

Not as many musicals running as might be typical, musicals being the money makers, though also more expensive to mount and keep running (orchestra, larger crews).

So a core group of 20 LD's or so, adding Chris Akerlind, Beverly Emmons, Paul Gallo, David Hersey, Robert Wierzel among others.

 

[rochem]

This thread seems to be getting dangerously close to discounting the talent and effort that these designers have put into getting where they are. I know Matt Richards personally, and he's been doing the regional circuit for many years, leaving his family for months at a time in order to bounce around the country designing. This is his first Broadway design, and I can't think of anyone who deserves it more. I've also worked with Japhy, and I think this is only his second or third Broadway design.

Finally, I have friends who worked with Ken on all three of his nominations this season, and from what they say, Ken barely took a single day off from early January to late April. Apparently it was not at all uncommon for him to work in two different theatres on a single day, and part of the assistant job on Cinderella and Kinky was tracking where Ken was and letting the other show know when he was coming over. Yes, Ken's associates definitely do a lot of the leg work, even up to making minor changes to the show, but that's not to say that Ken didn't work his ass off for those nominations.