Brigadoon Mystery Conspiracy Theory

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This was my view while conducting Brigadoon at the Kirkland Performance Center in September 2007. Several people asked me for an explanation of the wired contraption you see in the middle of the photo. One child in particular spent most the show trying to figure it out and had some great guesses about it.

The item lying on top of the stage is a stage microphone used to capture overall ambience from the chorus. There are normally three of these across the stage – Left, Center, Right. The sound designers will use these to bring up ambience during large crowd scenes or chorus musical numbers.

The grey item taped in the center with the larger cord extending from it is just a camera. For many scenes in Brigadoon the choir sings from backstage and it was difficult for them to see me for timing. So the sound techs put the remote camera in place and the choir watched me backstage on a monitor. The chorus said the monitor had a little of a fisheye lense effect and made my hands look gigantic, but for keeping time it worked very well.

We had used the same concept during another run of Brigadoon, but the lighting was poor and the chorus couldn’t see me well in the monitor – and boy could I tell from the pit. Timings were not together. You can use a simple computer camera to do this – make sure to check lighting under show conditions so viewers can easily see directions from conductor.

And to the boy who was convinced it was not just a camera – well…..MAYBE it’s actually a launch button I can press to launch a spaceship.

MORE BRIGADOON PHOTOS

View from Conductor’s podium looking at audience
Kirkland Performance Center, Kirkland, WA.

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Musicians in the orchestra pit (read Dark Scary Cave of Doom) at Kirkland PAC

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French Horn and Trumpet in Kirkland Orchestra Pit.

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3 thoughts on “Brigadoon Mystery Conspiracy Theory

  1. Re: Brigadoon photos – view from conductor’s podium…

    AHA! HA! AHA? (Old age ain’t for sissies…squinting…
    could it be? Am I seeing what I think I see?)

    IS THAT A RUBBER CHICKEN (ROOSTER?) IN THAT MIDDLE WINDOW?

  2. Well, now I have been known in the past to wear chicken and penguin outfits while conducting – but didn’t do so on this show. HOWEVER, I did wear different pairs of “Bubba Teeth” while conducting and drew happy faces for the choir to look at in the monitor.

  3. Hello,
    I was wondering where you got the image for your wonderful poster???
    Thanks,
    Nancy Leavitt
    nwtg dot org

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