Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2005 - 46

Evolution of the Big Doors: Computer model of the
Stonehenge version, a suggestion by an administrator.
IMAGE BY STEVE ZAPYTOWSKI

Evolution of the
Big Doors:
Computer model of
the final version.
IMAGE BY
STEVE ZAPYTOWSKI

The Guide Costume, as scanned and combined with the artifact
and digitally re-rendered-used for visualization purposes.
IMAGE BY STEVE ZAPYTOWSKI

"JUNE 22, 2001"
Student Wellness and Recreation Center, Kent State University
June 2001
Event concept, written, and produced by Steve Zapytowski
Director - Golde
Lighting Design - Cynthia Stillings and Erika Kissam
Costume Design - S. Q. Campbell
Sound Design and Original Music - Ronald A. Jarvis
Scene Design - Steve Zapytowski

View of studio 3
showing Guide Dana
Perry and a
background
generated from a
digital image.
PHOTO BY WILLIAM GENTILE

(captured frame from
digital video)

ork on the June 22, 2001 event led directly to the
development of Combined Media Theory. The event
covered over 30,000 square feet of Kent State's Student
Wellness and Recreation Center (SWRC)-the major portion
being spread across four contiguous basketball courts. About
3,000 square feet were devoted to support areas for lighting,
sound, and video control as well as three temporary television
studios. The purpose was to launch The Campaign for Kent
State, the university's first comprehensive fund raising campaign, which had a goal of raising $100,000,000. The concept
was to create a type of "theme park" experience for the donors,
where they were transported to the year 2078. There they looked
back at Kent State in the year 2001. Guides and other supporting
characters from the future delivered the campaign's central message. They also informed the guests that the "future" experienced during the event was only one of several possible
futures for Kent State. It was actually up to them to decide what
future the university might have during the coming century as
they were the ones who could "make the difference."
Computer visualizations were important throughout the
planning process. They were used to illustrate ideas, both good
and bad, to the university's upper administration. Most importantly, the use of computer visualization left no questions in
anyone's mind as to what the finished products would look like. It
was a tool that instilled confidence in the production process
for those not used to dealing with issues of live performance.
The production combined live actors with both live and
prerecorded video characters. Three temporary television studios were erected in the SWRC to support the performance.
The live remote actors had full duplex audio and video communication with each specific area of the event they supported. Live video characters even interacted with each other
across some of the event areas.
Eight 32-inch video monitors were used. Seven rear projection screens ranged in size from 4 x 6 feet to 15 x 20 feet.
Over two miles of video cables were run in the SWRC. Only
four days were given to load-in and rehearsal time in the
space. There were fifty people on the load-in crew and fifty on
the running crew. In addition to four "guides," who were the
primary performers in the event, there were fifty supporting
actors and fifty incidental performers.
Protocols used included MIDI, AMX (for video), DMX 512.
Software included Premiere and Photoshop (Adobe products),
AutoCAD and 3D Studio Max (Audodesk), PowerPoint (Microsoft),
and Sound Forge and Vegas (Sonic Foundry).
TD & T

W I N T E R

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2005