Archiving Technical Theater History

Thank you to Stage Manager Kate Porter for her time  and conversation. At the time of this recording,  Kate was on tour in Edmonton, Alberta Canada 

Ms. Porter is a Graduate of Yale '02 and a former Stage Management Intern of the Steppenwolf Theater, Chicago, IL. 

She is currently a professional Stage Manager dividing her time between Theater and Opera.  She is also a member of the Canadian Actor'sEquity.

Katie begins calling Puccini's "La Boheme" for the Vancouver Opera in a few short weeks and will be teaching at the opera stage management program at Banff.

She is originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia.

GISELLE E. LANGTON 

Director, Stage Manager, Producer

Ms. Langton has produced Rick Abbot’s Play On! (1993), Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart (1993), Charles Busch’s The Lady In Question (1994). Athol Fugard’s “MASTER HAROLD” …and the boys (in association with J. Austin Forsyth and the Little Carib Theatre (1995), Dan Coggin’s Nunsense (1996), Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues (2002) and the award-winning production of Earl Warner’s MANTALK in association with MSJ Productions (2004). In a thirty-two year career, she has stage-managed countless presentations for drama, choral, steelband and dance companies in Trinidad. She has also worked on numerous film and television productions, including Asha Lovelace’s Joebelle and America. Ms. Langton has been Production Manager for The Callaloo Company, notably for the Carnival presentations of Picoplat and The Sacred Heart.

In 2007 she stage managed two back to back performances at Madison Square Garden for Machel Montano’s Rezzerek, designed and directed by Peter Minshall. She is the holder of six (6) Cacique Awards. In 2003, Ms. Langton made her directorial debut with Charles Busch’s Shanghai Moon. In 2009, she was the Production Stage Manager for Machel Montano’s first children’s alternative concert “Boy Boy and the Magic Drum” directed by Mervyn de Goeas.

She has served as an Executive member of the National Drama Association and, has been the Coordinator of the Cacique Awards Evaluators. Her television career began with Television Enterprises (TVE). For the television series Westwood Park, she has worked as Script/Continuity and 1st A.D.

Ms. Langton was also the Producer for the creative concept company, CedarHouse Company Limited. In 2011, she was the Stage Manager for Heather Headley’s concert “Home”, at the National Academy for the Performing Arts.

Ms. Langton directed David Lindsay-Abaire’s “Rabbit Hole” in November 2011, at the Trinidad Theatre Workshop for Proscenium Theatre.

She was Operations Manager, for the National Theatre Arts Company, from 2015 to 2016.

Ms. Langton, has been the Unit Coordinator, for the Stage Department at the Lord Kitchener (Aldwyn Roberts) Auditorium – NAPA, from 2012 to present.

Albert Laveau is the Artistic and Managing Director of the Trinidad Theatre Workshop. He joined the then young theatre company in 1962 where, over the years, he became one of the best-known actors in Trinidad, along-side performers such as Errol Jones, Stanley Marshall, Eunice Alleyne, Claude Reid and dozens of others who graced the Trinidad Theatre Workshop stage over the years. Among his acting credits are included leading roles in productions of “The First Born”, “Dark of the Moon”, “Moon for the Misbegotten” and “Tartuffe”. He is perhaps best-known on stage for his role as The Devil in Walcott’s “Ti-Jean and His Brothers”. Mr. Laveau also played principal roles in Walcott productions including “The Joker of Seville”, “Dream on Monkey Mountain”, “Henri Christophe”, and “The Sea at Dauphin” among others.

A top-notch director as well as actor, Mr. Laveau spent part of the 1970s acting and directing professionally in the United States, where he worked with Joe Papp at the Public Theatre, was a guest director at New York University’s MFA Programme, became a resident director with the Negro Ensemble and also played in their touring production of “The River Niger” by Richard Walker for a year. Despite his success abroad, Mr. Laveau saw his work as first and foremost the development of theatre here in his home of Trinidad and Tobago. He moved back home, and in 1989 was appointed to the position of Managing and Artistic Director of his home theatre company, where he was able to put into place two programmes which he feels passionately about and are still active today: the Theatre in Education Programme which brings staged productions of plays on CXC syllabi to school children to enhance their understanding of the texts and also expose them to theatre, and the School for the Arts, which has taught hundreds of students over the past quarter century, from as young as six to the elderly, in acting, directing, design, dance and more.

In his later career Mr. Laveau made appearances in several local feature films, including the 2001 “Mystic Masseur” and 2013 “God Loves the Fighter”.

To this day Mr. Laveau is active in the Trinidad Theatre Workshop, pushing forward and leading his team to continue ensuring that his vision continues to live on.

http://www.culture.gov.tt/our-mentors/albert-laveau/ - Biography

https://www.trinidadtheatreworkshop.com/ - Trinidad Theater Workshop

Born in South-Africa, raised in Israel, Maureen has lived in England, Australia and is now based in Brooklyn, NY. She studied Design for Performance at the Wimbledon College of Art in London. A finalist in the Linbury Prize for Stage Design, she gained practical experience in England and returned to Israel where she continued to work in diverse areas of performance including devised performance, movement and object theatre. Maureen was recognized for her design contribution to the production of "The House by the Lake" at the Acco Festival for Alternative Theatre - and which has since toured Europe and Canada - and received a Fringe First Golden Hedgehog Award for her work on a physical theatre piece "The Boat is Sinking".

She then accepted a scholarship from the University of Connecticut Design Tech program, and since moving to the US Maureen has collaborated on productions for theatre, opera, new writing and musicals crafting characters and storylines through the design of costumes and space. Work of hers has been presented in CT, MA, LV and in NYC at BAM, and Off Broadwy at 59e59 theatres, The Actor’s Temple and the Rattlestick Theatre. And in July this year Maureen was a fellowship to the NYFA Immigrant Artist Program.

Maureen has exhibited at the United States Institute for Technology (USITT), and twice at the Kennedy Center's American College Festival - both locally and in Washington D.C. - garnering the National Partners-American Theatre award and Stage Craft Institute Las Vegas award for excellence in Design technology.

Productions Maureen has designed for have been reviewed in several notable papers including The New York Times, Theatre World Publication and USITT Sightlines. And her dramaturgical process behind the scenic design of "Intimate Apparel" for the Connecticut Rep. has been reviewed and published in "A Companion to Lynn Nottage" (Routledge).

Working not only in scenic design, but costume design as well, Maureen was awarded the Zelma H. Weisfeld award for Costume Design and Technology, and was invited to join the US exhibitors of "Costume at the Turn of the Century" at the Bakhrushin Museum in Moscow. This exhibition has since toured the US, the World Stage Design Festival in Taiwan, China and Poland.

Welcome to this latest episode of the podcast. 

The guest this week is Mr. Jim Streeter 

James E. Streeter currently serves as the Production Manager for the Frist Campus Center Film and Performance Theatre at Princeton University. He was previously the Resident Lighting Designer/ Master Electrician for Princeton University's Program in Theater and Dance, where has designed the lighting for multiple productions including:

A Little Night Music,  Cabaret, Yankee Dawg You Die, The Vagina Monologues, The Crucible, The Duchess of Malfi, HAMLETMACHINE, Twelfth Night, The Maids, A Delicate Balance, Happy Days, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Seagull 

As well as  the premieres of student works such as A Test of Love, Chamber Music, Mixed Drinks, Invitation to the Blues, Utopia Parkway, Shadowman, The Tire Iron ( Beer, Pool and Darts), Joyce Carol Oates' Mother's Day Weekend, Of Beauty Born and T.S. Eliot's The Wasteland.

Jim has also designed lighting and visual effects for A Sacred Place, choreographed by Jacques D'amboise, Negotiations, choreographed by Ze’eva Cohen and Aleta Hayes, Chamber Pieces, with choreography by Ze’eva Cohen, Aleta Hayes and Jill Sigman. 

Other works include Resident Lighting Designer for the Body Hype Dance Company at Princeton University, Konvergence and Rosemary with Ginger for the Acting Studio, Inc. in New York City, The Sound of Music and Phantom for The Media Center for the Performing Arts, The Glass Menagerie (Set & Lighting Designer) and A Lifetime on the Streets for Trenton State College Theater, The Rothchilds for Bristol Riverside Theatre, Jungle Coup, Moby Dick and the American Premiere of The Graduate for Stageworks/Summit and the East Coast Premiere of Cynthia Lee Smith's The Night Spirit for the Aphre Behn Theatre Co. 

Jim is a graduate of the Center for Media Arts and studied lighting design at The Studio and Forum of Stage Design in New York City.

He is also a member of the USITT Board of Directors and a strong proponent of USITT’s Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Committee. This committee is responsible for supporting and promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion within USITT’s programs and projects and the Institute as a whole. 

This was a fantastic conversation on topics ranging from lighting practices and how they need to evolve both in teaching and perception, the recent 2018 Telegraph article written by reporter Patrick Sawer titled "Traditional theatre lighting and stage design discriminates against black and asian actors warns Shakespeare's Globe" and finally the merits of hiring someone based on their talent.

This is a must listen conversation for students of all backgrounds.  This is one you shouldn't miss.  

Without further ado, Mr. Jim Streeter.

Ms. Lea Nataf is a Metteur en scène (Director) / Comédienne (actress) at La Compagnie des Atsaras as well as Technicienne Lumière (light Technician) at Théâtre Garonne. She has also been a Marionnettiste  (Puppeteer) at Cie Artémisia .

Studied Théâtre - Mise en scène at Université Bordeaux-Montaigne and Formation Technicienne Lumiere  ( Lighting Technician) at CSCV in Toulouse, France

Originally from Bordeaux and currently living in Southern France, Lea has had many amazing journeys. We met in Prague 2015 while volunteering for the PQ event. While we were to stand in front of the DAMU café giving directions, answering questions and guiding people around the event, we did spend a great deal of time entertaining one another and bonding in many funny ways.    

I am so glad to have gotten to meet Lea and finally after so much time be able to see and speak with her again. I have missed hearing and seeing her laugh. 

The audio for this episode is a bit tricky at times. I have done what I can to clear most of it up however there will be points where the levels are a bit off and you will have to adjust your volume. This shouldn’t take away from your enjoyment. Thank you to Lea for her time and energy. I look forward to a return trip to France to see her and experience the amazing work she is up to now.  

Without further ado Ms. Lea Nataf

Umberto Di Nino is an Italian professional born to offer the best advice in the field of scenography, construction of image and communication for television, cinema, theater, advertising, fashion shows and events.

His strategy is to Increase the value of the product through a scenography of great impact.  Umberto has a skilled core European team that he works with as well as a large number of qualified freelancers, specially selected for each project.  He is flexible, reliable and precise.

"We are image builders.  Our know - how can be useful for you" 

Fiona trained with the Motley Theatre Design Course, London.

She is a freelance scenographer who enjoys exploring the relationship between existing architecture and the performance space, unlocking the hidden dynamics within traditional and non-traditional theatre spaces to find the strongest points of exchange between performer and audience.

In June 2011 she was one of six international artists commissioned to lead 'Six Acts', a site-specific interaction with the city of Prague for Scenofest at the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space and in 2013 she co-curated the design-led performance programme for World Stage Design in Cardiff. In June 2015 she returned to the Quadrennial as curator for 'The View From Here', a new collaborative project between the Association of Courses in Theatre Design (ACTD) and the Society of British Theatre Designers (SBTD).

Fiona is Honorary Secretary of the Society of British Theatre Designers and UK Performance Design Commissioner for OISTAT (International Association of Scenographers Theatre Architects and Technicians).

She is currently involved in planning for the UK’s submission to the next Quadrennial which will take place in June 2019.

Be sure to check out:

http://www.theatredesign.org.uk/ - Society of British Theater Designers

http://www.fionawatt.com/ - Fiona Watt Professional Site

http://www.stagingplaces.co.uk/ - Staging Places

Chris Van Goethem started in 1983 as a technician in a rental company, like most technicians in that period. Before that he was active in school and youth theater. He became stage manager through training on the floor and self-study and toured with many companies throughout Europe.

He has worked for Théâtre de la Place Liège, De Warande Turnhout, Young Persons Theater (UK), Open Cloth, various festivals in Morocco, Squonk Opera Pitsburg (US), Theater aan Zee, Champs d'action, Cultuurmarkt Antwerp, Theater Stap , Preserve the Desire, Villanella, Kommil Foo and Raamtheater. Van Goethem expanded his field of activity with teaching and consultancy in the field of stage techniques. He advised among others the theater technique for the Augustine Church Antwerp, De Warande Turnhout, Flaget Brussels, De Zwarte Komedie, the abbey of Herkenrode and the cultural center Merelbeke. He also advised on the preparation of the professional profiles and standards of Podiumtechniek (SERV), the professional qualifications (AHOVOKS), safety policy, training policy (SFP) and the start-up of various TSO schools and VDAB programs. 

Van Goethem wrote "lighting technology for stage technicians" and regularly publishes in professional journals such as Proscenium, STEPP magazine, Die Vierte Wand, Zichtlijnen and Proscen.

[email protected]