QolorTOPIX Light Conversation with Clifford Spulock, Co-Lighting Designer for The Grand Slam of Entertainment at Woodloch Resort, Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania

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About our Guest:

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT:

00:00:00 Jackie Morreale (JM): Hello and welcome to QolorTOPIX, City Theatrical’s light conversations podcast series. My name is Jackie Morreale and I am representing the City Theatrical marketing team. I am joined today by Clifford Spulock, who is a lighting designer based out of Delray Beach, FL, and has designed the lighting for shows in South Florida to Laguna Beach, CA, to New York City and beyond.

Recently, Clifford was a designer behind this year's theme show at Woodlock Pines Resort in Hawley, PA, in the Pocono Mountains area. It is called The Grand Slam of Entertainment, which is a themed musical from EGOT winners. So, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award-winning shows and songs.

To start the conversation, Clifford, can you please tell us a bit more about yourself, including how many years you've been designing, and your favorite tech table snack?

00:00:55 Clifford Spulock (CS): Hello. My name is Cliff Spulock. I’m from Delray Beach. I’m originally from New Jersey, I've been designing for a while now. I'm 32, but I was very fortunate to start young in an equity theatre up in New Jersey. I started out with acting, but did move to the tech side. I've probably been designing since about 2010, so a little while.

00:01:16 JM: So, 15 years.

00:01:18 CS: Yeah, I was very fortunate to be where I got my start.

My favorite tech table snack is cucumbers and ranch.

00:01:25 JM: So healthy.

00:01:26 CS: I try to be during tech!

00:01:28 JM: Well, we know about New Jersey at City Theatrical. That's exciting that you're also from New Jersey!

Let's talk more about the show you worked on at the Woodlock Pines Resort in the Pocono Mountains. What is The Grand Slam of Entertainment show about?

00:01:45 CS: Let me give a little back story on the show. Woodlock Pines Resort is a resort in the middle of the Pocono Mountains. Every year they do a new show with a full theme. Last year's show theme was The Route to American Music, and this year's is The Grand Slam of Entertainment, which is EGOT. It’s songs from Emmy award-winning shows, Grammy artists, Oscars, different movies and Tony award-winning shows Broadway shows. It's showcasing songs from these different areas and these different award-winning shows and performers. It's really just a fun night of famous songs and famous shows. It’s just a big party on stage that people get to come see while they're staying at the resort.

00:02:24 JM: It sounds like a blast! How was it to work on the show?

00:02:29 CS: It was a pretty cool experience. You would never think that being in the middle of the mountains, you'd be able to put on the production that we get to put on. Being so local to New York, we get to bring in Broadway caliber electricians and scenic artists and costumers and designers. It's a really unique experience.

What Woodloch gets to bring to their guests and put on these types of shows that you see on cruise ships, and you see in resorts in major cities. We get to do this at this resort in the middle of the mountains. It’s a pretty cool experience, in what we do.

The whole show was time coded. It's getting to do a lot of fun programming in a very fun and high energy type show. When we open the show at the end December 2024, just before New Year's, the people that are there every year to see these shows for opening, are the same people that have been coming here for generations. Everybody knows everybody. It's a big family reunion every year.

00:03:23 JM: Well, it sounds like expectations are going to be high for this show because people have been coming for generations, and they come every year to experience the theme show that happens at Woodloch Pines Resort. What made this particular production unique, compared to other musicals that you've worked on?

00:03:41 CS: The audience comes expecting a high caliber show, and it's definitely different from traditional theatre where you know you have scenes. You have your music, and you have a bunch of different variables that go in it. This one is just go, go, go, go, go.

It'll be one song with this set of costumes and then they'll go off and do a quick change, while this group comes on does another thing. I have about 1200 cues in an hour and 10 minutes show. It's a very high pace, very flashy show. I get to bring concert lighting and mix it with theatrical lighting for these productions, which is something I feel like I really excel at.

It's a really cool experience getting to mix these two different areas.

00:04:21 JM: It sounds like you are bringing your A game in terms of mixing the concert style lighting with the musical theater performance and feel for the audience. What was your vision for the lighting design for this show?

00:04:37 CS: I have a really great co-lighting designer for this production. His name is Aaron Spivey. He's been doing this show for a few years before I was even brought on. He was designing set electrics, the plot, and designing the show.

We now work as a pair where he'll design the set electrics. He'll design the plot. Then I come in and I take what he's created there, and I get to create the cues, create the looks, and be that part of the creative team. It really is a joint project on this. Getting to make this creation on stage.

00:05:07 JM: Sounds like a really great collaboration. What was the most memorable part of designing this show?

00:05:14 CS: Something that I don't get to do a lot is time code. Yes, there are some time coded moments in musicals, and especially Broadway shows, but a lot of regional theatres, you don't really have the time to be able to timecode things.

Being that this show is fully time coded. You get to do some really cool programming sequences that you might not always get to do in theatre. Some I really liked about this production, was being able to gained some new techniques in my designs.

00:05:41 JM: Let’s talk time code and take it to technology, because that's what we do at City Theatrical. Which City Theatrical products from the show that you used, and I know there were many, were your favorite?

00:05:52 CS: I always have and always will be a huge fan of SHoW Babies, being how easy they are to set up and how small they are. We had seven Multiverse® SHoW Babies on this production that were inside set pieces running LED tape, running pixels… anything and everything you can think of. They were built in tighter sets. The sets were moving around stage the whole time. Being able to have the wireless DMX that's always reliable is a very crucial part of this production. It's something that can be almost set and forget. It doesn't need constant changing of frequencies. Once we set it up, it works without any problems.

00:06:30 JM: That's what it does. Did you also get a chance to work with the DMXcat® Multi Function Test Tool on this production?

00:06:35 CS: I did. DMXcat was a very crucial part of this. Having a DMXcat to test different things I’m programming with my assistant, or having the head electrician troubleshooting on stage, not having to break out the console and have me stop what I'm doing to test something. Being able to just break the line there and plug it in and control what he needs to from his phone and troubleshoot it. DMXcat is a device that needs to be in every designer’s, every electrician’s, every programmer's, every lighting person's kit. Ever since getting one, I cannot do a show without it at this point.

00:07:09 JM: Thank you so much. I'm so glad that you like using SHoW Baby and DMXcat. This is not our first conversation, right? I know we've worked together on case studies for Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story National Tour. We also worked on a case study for your work at Kinky Boots, which was co-produced by Slow Burn Theatre Company at the Broward Center of the Performing Arts. And then similarly, we also worked on a Wednesday Matinee for Little Shop of Horrors by Slow Burn Company at the Broward Center of the Performing Arts. So, I know that you are very well versed in our Multiverse wireless DMX/RDM and DMXcat technologies.

How do you use Moving Light Assistant™ software differently for this show versus prior shows where you've used the software?

00:07:57 CS: We have events going on during the evenings. I can't always be in there programming and doing what we need to do, so I actually pre-vis the whole show before taking it into the space. I set it all up like I'm doing a tour. I use Moving Light Assistant software to be able to have pictures and data for my presets, my groups, my focus palettes, my cue looks. That way, when I bring him over the stage, I'm able to reference those pictures easily and make the adjustments that I need to, because we always know that in pre-vis compared to real life, things can be slightly different. Using Moving Light Assistant can help that transition from pre-vis to real life. It is such an important thing and good use of the Moving Light Assistant.

00:08:38 JM: How did you use Environmental Lights Decoders, Wash Bars, and PixelControl Domes for the show?

00:08:45 CS: There is a lot of set electrics in this show. Every set piece that we have has LED tape and pixel tape and pixel domes embedded inside the set. Like I said, we'll bring electricians over from New York. We want to give these guests of the resort a Broadway caliber show, a cruise ship caliber show. Being able to implement everything into our sets is such a crucial part to bring this show to life. From having a bunch of Environmental Lights decoders, and SBI controllers we use the edge lights to uplight some of our sets. They give such beautiful colors that we're able to light up an entire set without having to utilize other fixtures in the plot that we can use somewhere else.

The pixel domes have been an absolute favorite of mine. Getting to use them in this production, I used virtual media servers within ETC EOS Console software to be able to create such cool designs, whether it's waves, circles, rainbow effects, just being able to have those pixel domes be almost a video surface really adds a whole another element to the show. Having the decoders to be able to control that and connect them to the lighting console. Having all these components makes it seamless to be able to have control of them.

00:09:57 JM: It sounds amazing. Before we move past the show, let's talk more about your design. What’s your favorite scene or song or cue from the show? It sounds beautiful.

00:10:11 CS: I really love the Tony Awards section of the show, obviously, as a theater lighting designer. We do some songs and some snippets from Hamilton, from SiX, from Jagged Little Pill, and then also some classic Broadway.

It was really cool experience getting to do some high-level programming for this, such as the SiX section. We all know how much programming has gone into that show and the amount of production value in that show. Getting to do my own take on it for those sections was a really cool experience. Getting to use the pixel domes to mimic what happens within that real stage production. It was really cool experience getting to do that and kind of bring my own take on it.

00:10:55 JM: Let's talk more about the future of lighting. Going forward, how would you say the trend of lighting in scenery will continue?

00:11:04 CS: The advancement of set electrics is just, every day, growing. You can see it more and more, especially on Broadway and even in the corporate world is starting to add set electrics into what they're doing. It's becoming a way to light the scenery without having to utilize light fixtures, like I said, so they can be used somewhere else.

I mean, look at The Great Gatsby on Broadway. The show is primarily LED walls and pixel tape, and it's probably one of the most beautiful productions I've ever seen. Shout out to Cory Pattak. It was a beautiful, beautiful production. And the majority of the set was LED tape pixels.

Theatrical sets and sets in general are advancing to the point now that they can be their own entity. They are becoming a light fixture in their own now, with the integration of practicals, LED tape, pixels, everything like that. It's something that we're starting to see more and more within modern shows, productions, and events, all over.

00:12:03 JM: It sounds like you're an adapter of LED technology. How do you think that LED technology can be improved in the future?

00:12:11 CS: I think one of the biggest changes that I'd love to see is using SPI for pixel tape. It’s a much newer technology. One of the problems we saw a little bit is that, we're sending a lot of data quickly to pixel tape. If it's not getting that constant update, it might have a section that kind of lags on or stays on. I'd love to see the advancement of pixel tape become a little more reliable.

I know there's some other options out there that are starting to do that, but I'd love to see a more consumer cost effective solution to help advance that and make it a little bit more reliable.

00:12:46 JM: Is there any new gear that you'd really like to see come on the market in the next few years?

00:12:51 CS: One of the products I've been seeing more and more that I'd still like to see more of is smaller but higher output moving light. We're starting to see it with the Lone Star, and different pictures like that. Just smaller, that has shutters, and color mixing. I know it is hard to pack that all into smaller fixtures, but the weight of some of these lighting fixtures out there being 100 lbs. Just being able to have high output lighting that's a smaller frame, that you don't have to break your back lifting up. We're starting to see it now and I'm really excited, just kind of seeing where that advances, and what comes next.

00:13:25 JM: In an ideal world, what do you see for your future in lighting?

00:13:30 CS: I'm really trying to branch out and work with some new directors. Maybe work with some new regional theatres. Obviously, we all want to go Broadway, but I'm having a really fun time getting to work with different shows like this production that I'm doing at Woodloch, or doing some stuff with Margaritaville Cruise line. Cruise ships are always a fun time.

Just getting to branch out and work with some new theatres. Getting to work with some new scenic designers. I love getting to collaborate with Scenic designers, especially now with this set electrics integration. It's one of my favorite collaborations that you can do in theater.

00:14:03 JM: Cool. Well, I believe in the power of positive thinking. I'm thinking big and I think whatever you want your next project to be, will be, it’s just a matter of time. I'm looking forward to seeing what your future in lighting will be for sure we’ll be there, ready for you, when you're ready for your next case study!

While we're talking about collaborations with other creatives, other designers, are there any shout outs that you want to give to your collaborators, your mentors, or any folks that helped you on your way?

00:14:32 CS: Give a huge hand to the creative team and my team in general for this show. My assistant lighting designer, Anthony Marinaro, has been a Godsend during this process. With all the time code, and keeping track of what every time every queue is happening at, is a very crucial part. If something changes, we have to adjust by milliseconds, so having that information all organized is a huge thing.

Obviously, Aaron Spivey, without him, this project wouldn't happen. Him being able to create the set electrics and the plot.

Kelly Tighe, the Scenic Designer. We've worked together on other productions like, for example, Little Shop of Horrors, that you did. He was the scene designer for that as well. Worked together on many projects and he's always so fun and amazing to collaborate with.

Then, Brian Staten, he's the head of electrician, and my electrics team in general. They really made the show seamless. I didn't have to worry about anything going on on stage for set electrics. They just did it and made it happen. It's always amazing getting to work with them every year.

00:15:33 JM: Amazing. It sounds like you have a great team. You've worked with some of these folks before, and here you are doing your thing, working together as a team again in the Poconos mountains area!

Are there any upcoming shows that you'd like to promote?

00:15:47 CS: What I'm looking forward to this summer is called The Bodyguard: The Musical for Slow Burn Theater down at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale. It’s the music of Whitney Houston. It's going to be a big flashy show. We're looking forward to that, to get to do some good work with Slow Burn again.

00:16:04 JM: Let's talk a little bit about you as a designer. If you were to define your ideal lighting design aesthetic, if you were to give be given a blank space and you had to create a lighting design for the ideal musical or project. How would you describe your lighting design in three words?

00:16:23 CS: In three words. Saturated. I love the use of my colors.

Powerful. I love those powerful moments getting to just accentuate them and make them big and make the audience feel something.

And third: Collaborative. I love getting to collaborate on my work with the different. It's not a single person team, that's a part of the design, is getting to collaborate. That's the third.

00:16:52 JM: When in your life did you know that you wanted to be a theatrical lighting designer?

00:16:59 CS: It's kind of funny because. I have been doing theater my whole life, but I've also been in band. I went to college for music education to be a high school band director, and I was still doing lighting all during this, and I did my internship. It was a great experience, but it wasn't what I wanted. That's really when I said, OK, lighting is what I want to do for my career, not just as a side job anymore. So I realized I wanted to do lighting full-time during the end of my college internship.

00:17:29 JM: Do you still play an instrument?

00:17:32 CS: I do. Percussion. I’m a drummer. So I have my electric drum set still set up in my office and I'll go play occasionally. I'll bring up a soundtrack and play along with sheet music, some Broadway shows, to keep up my chops a little bit. It’s not as much as I like to, but I still try to keep up with it a little bit.

00:17:51 JM: What brought you from music to lighting? Was it a natural transition. How did it go?

00:17:57 CS: I started with the theater up in New Jersey. I started there when I was eight years old, before I even started doing band. I started really young getting to work with an equity theatre. Theatre has always been in my blood from the start. Even before that, I was doing community theater acting and stuff.

But when I was in 4th grade, I was interested in band and I joined. So I was doing band and theater my entire life, both, side by side. There really wasn’t one that came first, except for theater, but for the most part, my entire life, they were side by side.

In college, we have a 1,400-seat base on campus. I became the Head of Lighting there while in college. So, I was performing in wind ensemble and then going down to the venue to do a concert. It was just doing everything together, always doing lighting, always doing band, always doing music. Music has helped me in my design as well, especially with music and sheet music.

The feel of music and counting and timing makes everything flow together. Music is still part of my life with musicals, and I use what I learned with music in my designs.

00:18:59 JM: Where are you from in New Jersey, and where did you go to college?

00:19:04 CS: I grew up in Long Beach Island, New Jersey. LBI! There's an equity theater there called Surflight. I started there when I was eight years old, like I said. Then I went to school at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in Boca Raton, FL. The great thing with the theater, Surflight, is I'm still doing stuff with them occasionally. I'm going back there this year to do their first show of their season, Top Hat: The Musical. I'm looking forward to that. It's like going home every time I go up there to do a show.

00:19:32 JM: Was there a certain show in your childhood or adolescence that really stood out to you as a show that kind of made you feel like you were at home on stage?

00:19:44 CS: The one big show that really was like, Oh, you can do a lot with lighting, was at Surflight, and it was Little Shop of Horrors. Funny enough, that show was such a beautiful design and seeing what they did, was like, Wow, I didn't know you could do that type of thing on stage. That was at a time before LEDs, before movers, it was all conventional. Getting to see some things you could do that are really cool and then getting to do that show years later and putting my own take on it, was a full circle moment for me.

00:20:17 JM: I remember that case study! The photos are beautiful. Your lighting design was beautiful for the show, and you use Multiverse wireless DMX, and DMXcat, and our beam shapers! So, we were really happy to be a very, very small part of it. That is really cool that the show really meant for you coming full circle from what you experienced as a kid. Love that.

00:20:35 CS: I appreciate that.

00:20:36 JM: Any shout outs to mentors that you met at Surflight or FAU, or anywhere in between in your career?

00:20:44 CS: Honestly, one of my biggest mentors is Kelly Tighe, the scenic designer. He's helped me a lot. He's helped me look at design and ways I like scenic in a whole new way. I never really had the chance to have that opportunity or that discussion with scenic designers. He'll still today, when we do shows, he might say, Hey, I added this color in here. I want to try adding this little bit here real quick. I don't know if you noticed it, because it's such a small little thing that, from the house, you might not notice. Then you add that little bit of light and it's like, Wow, that really pops. Or he says, I added this glitter to the set, and you just add that little light, and it'll pop. Little things that he'll point out that he did that I and other people might not have noticed.

It's cool things like that, how Kelly Tighe really helps me grow as a designer. It's amazing friendship, too. We talk all the time. He's one of my mentors, for sure.

00:21:40 JM: Thank you for your time, Cliff, and I look forward to the next one! Look forward to celebrating lots of great projects with you in the future.

00:21:42 CS: Of course. Look forward to it.

00:21:50 JM: Have a great day.

00:22:00 CS: You, too.

Read more about Clifford Spulock: