Beth Kates. Photo by Marc Betsworth

Toronto based designer Beth Kates and her life and design partner Ben Chaisson have been focusing a lot on video and projection design. I met with Beth in Niagara-On-The-Lake in the summer of 2015 when she was working at The Shaw Festival.  We spoke about her early career and training and the work on the hit show Bigger Than Jesus where they started with running a show on VHS (!) and WinAmp (!!). Beth then brings us through the process of creating a video and projection design and how to approach this rapidly changing landscape.

Unionville High School

Bigger Than Jesus, by Rick Miller.  Design by Beth Kates and Ben Chaisson. In Photo: Rick Miller

Bonny Armstrong

Geometry of Miracles by Robert Lepage

Banff Centre

Ben Chaisson and Playground Studios

Music For a Contortionist by Morwyn Brebner

Eda Holmes

Bigger Than Jesus, by Rick Miller.  Design by Beth Kates and Ben Chaisson. In Photo: Rick Miller

Bigger Than Jesus by Rick Miller and Daniel Brooks

WinAmp

Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw

Peter Hinton

Eo Sharpe

The Adobe Creative Suite

Bigger Than Jesus, by Rick Miller.  Design by Beth Kates and Ben Chaisson. In Photo: Rick Miller

Light Up the Sky by Moss Hart

Marek Norman

Watchout

QLab

MIDI Show Control

The Toybox

WYSYWYG

Kim Collier