The Playgoer: Tony Pre-Show: Designer's Ghetto?

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Saturday, June 09, 2007

Tony Pre-Show: Designer's Ghetto?

Don't forget the awards that start before the awards:

Seven Tony Awards — deemed the "Creative Arts Tony Awards" — will be presented prior to the telecast on CBS-TV.

TonyAwards.com will offer a live webcast of those seven awards beginning at 7:15 PM ET. The CBS broadcast begins at 8 PM.

Although the seven categories have not been officially announced, they will likely include Best Scenic Design of a Play, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Costume Design of a Play, Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Play, Best Lighting Design of a Musical and Best Orchestrations.

Yes, those nice little designers. How..."creative."

Just imagine what big Tony winners--like the mammoth "Coast of Utopia"--owe these folks. "Spectacle" is all that matters on Broadway any more, and this is how they thank those who provide it. Lack of time? Think about that while you're drinking your way through the American Theatre League infomercial or bad-joke repartee between the presenters.

Not even PBS will cover the pre-show anymore!

Then again, as a subscriber on a backstage tour of her local regional theatre once said, "Oh, I thought the actors' brought their own costumes."

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

As bad as the designer's ghetto is, notice there is no category for sound design.

Erica said...

All the people who provide the essential framework for a show. *sigh* Because let's face it without these people the actors would be on a empty stage, naked and in the dark singing with no music.

Not terribly interesting for the audience either.

Anonymous said...

I've been tracking the recognition of sound designers lately - just looking for mentions of them in reviews and on awards lists. It's really sad that even awards ignore them - awards given out by theatre types. Reviews are bad enough - there are a ridiculous number of reviews that march through commenting on the design (costumes were lovely, the lighting showed off the set beautifully blah blah blah obligatory comments blah blah blah) and never once mention sound.

It's really quite sad and I think it says something about the reviewers and the way they actually pay attention to a show. But goodness knows, we don't need to go on any more about reviewers... We all know those issues...

Most sound designers I know try to cling to the notion that sound design is only commented upon if it's bad or intrusive, but when they put in just as much time as every other designer and sometimes change an entire design during tech, it's rough...