The Week in Review

R.I.P. Jack Mann: It is with great sadness that LSA has learned of the death of Jack Mann at 89. He lived in Port Republic, New Jersey. One of the true pioneers of theatre sound design, Mann was from Michigan. He began his theatre career there, as an electrician. He served in World War II and moved to New York in 1959, where he became involved in theatre sound, gaining a reputation for his creative design and innovative techniques. He became the first person to receive a Broadway credit for sound design, on the Carol Channing revue Show Girl, in 1961. Other key credits include the Jerry Herman musical Milk and Honey (1961); the ground breaking musicals, Company (1970), Follies (1971), A Little Night Music (1973), Pacific Overtures (1976), and Sweeney Todd (1979), all with songs by Stephen Sondheim and staging by Harold Prince; Peter Shaffer's Amadeus; the Elizabeth Taylor revival of Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes (1981); Maury Yeston's Nine (1983). There will be a private gathering for Mann's family and close friends in New Jersey, and a memorial service will be held in honor of both Mann and his late wife Jean this summer at the family's summer home in New Hampshire.

R.I.P. Domingo Rodriguez: LSA has also learned of the death of Domingo Rodriguez, a costume designer and former business agent and president of United Scenic Artists. A member of the union since 1958, he worked as an assistant to Florence Klotz and Patricia Zipprodt. He was 85. We will report more details as they become available.

IATSE Settles in Philadelphia: IATSE has ended its two-week-old strike against Philadelphia Theatre Company, ratifying its first contract with the theatre. IATSE Local 8 members had tried to get PTC to agree to a first contract with the newly organized group of workers that reflects already existing conditions of work and includes a minimal wage increase consistent with existing industry standards. This is the first contract Local 8 has obtained with a theatre of this size. According to the union, it "protects the jobs, maintains and improves conditions that now include overtime after eight hours a day, and holidays and double-time for overnight work. The contract also contains health and retirement contributions for every worker and increases the wagers of the workers each year of the agreement." During the strike, the union's famous (or infamous) inflatable rat was on display outside the theatre. Michael Barnes, president of Local 8, said, "With this settlement, there will be no strike this weekend at the PTC. The rat will be somewhere watching the Super Bowl with the rest of the stagehands. But come Monday, we will start building on this agreement by taking our message to the other regional theatre workers and unrepresented stagehands in the city."

Say Hello to MainStage: There's a new company on the block, sort of. Actually, Mainstage Theatrical Supply, Inc., Production Advantage, Inc., and Vincent Lighting Systems, Inc. have merged to form MainStage, LLC. In an official statement, the company said, "This new joint venture will allow each of the forming companies to capitalize on the strengths of each other to deliver a full and comprehensive range of goods and services. Existing customers can maintain the relationships they've come to trust and will gain access to many new offerings. New customers will discover an unparalleled customer experience." The statement continued: "We are well on our way to full integration across company platforms. In the meantime, all of the forming companies are open for business as usual while infrastructure and training is completed. Customers and suppliers will be notified prior to any change in ordering, billing, or purchasing procedures." Ownership and management includes: Paul Vincent, president; Craig Sternke, vice president of operations; Dean Sternke, vice president of sales; Penny Camm, marketer emeritus; and David Schraffenberger, vice president of marketing. All three companies are highly respected; the result of the merger should make for a major new industry presence.

New York City Opera Sells Off: Sad news, and a sign of the times: On January 30, an auction was held of the production assets of New York City Opera. According to Tiger Asset Intelligent, the appraisal and auction house in charge of the event, the inventory for sale included "over 80 productions, 5,000+ costumes, 1,000s of props, staging, lighting, backdrops, 55 trailers, forklifts, and more." In other words -- almost everything that made City Opera City Opera. In any case, the radically downsized company is going forward with its new season. This month sees new productions of Thomas Ades' Powder Her Face and Benjamin Britten's The Turn of the Screw, at BAM; in April, there will be productions of Rossini's Moses in Egypt and Offenbach's La Perichole, both at City Center. This is, of course, a homecoming of sorts -- a rather humbling one -- as the company started out there decades ago, before moving on to Lincoln Center, before entering into its current reduced circumstances.

The Rebecca Saga Continues: If you thought the story of Rebecca, the perpetually postponed musical based on Daphne du Maurier's novel, couldn't get any stranger, well, it did. Ben Sprecher, the beleaguered producer who put his faith in investors who didn't exist, has now added to the list of people he is suing, accusing the well-respected press agent Marc Thibodeau of scaring off potential investors with pseudonymous emails. You can expect a countersuit. As the legal woes drag on, the possibility of people putting real money into the show becomes dimmer and dimmer. The ugly details are here: http://plasa.me/10qjh.

Helen Hayes Nominations Announced: The nominations are out for the Helen Hayes Award, honoring achievement in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. In the lighting design category, the nominees are Colin K. Bills, Brother Russia, Signature Theatre, and also for The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity,Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company; Chuan-Chi Chan, The Servant of Two Masters, Shakespeare Theatre Company; Mary Louise Geiger, Invisible Man, The Studio Theatre; Keith Parham, Red, Arena Stage; Justin Townsend, One Night with Janis Joplin, Arena Stage; and Thom Weaver, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare Theatre Company.

Sound design nominees are Christopher Baine, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity; Cliff Eberhardt, original music; and Christopher Baine, sound design, The Taming of the Shrew, Folger Theatre; Matthew Nielson, The Illusion, Forum Theatre; David Remedios, Invisible Man; and Brendon Vierra, Hum, Theater Alliance.

The nominees for set design are Riccardo Hernandez, Pullman Porter Blues, Arena Stage; Troy Hourie, Invisible Man; Misha Kachman, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity; Todd Rosenthal, Red; and Lee Savage, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare Theatre Company. Nominated for costume design are Judith Bowden, My Fair Lady, Arena Stage; Murell Horton, The Government Inspector, Shakespeare Theatre Company; Frank Labovitz, Dreamgirls, Signature Theatre; Jennifer Moeller, A Midsummer Night's Dream; Lawrence B. Munsey, The Color Purple, Toby's Dinner Theatre.

West End on the Rise: According to Variety, business is booming in London's West End: "Both attendance and box office revenue for West End theater rose in 2012, according to official annual figures released by Society of London Theater (SOLT), which reps 52 theaters in Central London. The figures come as something of a surprise given the lowered expectations fostered by the presence of the Olympic and Paralympic Games during the West End's peak tourist season. Nonetheless, gross sales of £529,787,692 ($831 million) were up 0.27% on 2011 and mark the ninth consecutive revenue rise. Attendance increased 0.56% year-on-year to 13,992,773." More details here: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118065294/.

London 2012 Suppliers Get Olympic Boost: In a piece of excellent news for the industry, Lighting&Sound International reports, "Suppliers to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be able to champion their involvement in last summer's sporting spectacular, after a landmark deal has been reached by the Government, British Olympic Association (BOA), and International Olympic Committee (IOC). The deal will give companies the recognition that they deserve for the part they played in the success of the London Games." In covering the games, we came across many companies that were frustrated in their efforts to highlight their contributions to the highest-profile event of the year; now they will have some freedom. See this for more: http://plasa.me/t37zt