Explore our 2023 Year in Review by topic below.
Browse by: Interviews ◾ Case Studies ◾ New Products ◾ Wednesday Matinees ◾ Trade Shows ◾ Acquisition ◾ Past Year in Reviews
The following three Designer Interviews showcase lighting changemakers behind 2023 productions in live entertainment and film lighting projects around the world.
Gary Fails
December 2023. City Theatrical interviewed its company founder Gary Fails to celebrate his 37-year career at City Theatrical and upcoming retirement.
Read Gary Fails' Retirement InterviewAnne Dresbach
August 2023. City Theatrical interviewed Anne Dresbach, Boston-based Lead Lighting Designer and Project Manager at VDA Inc., to learn more about her many QolorFLEX NuNeon projects and explore her career in lighting.
Read Anne Dresbach's InterviewDavid Grill
June 2023. City Theatrical interviewed five-time Emmy Award winning lighting designer David Grill, to learn more about his lighting design for Bob Fosse's Dancin' on Broadway 2023 as well as his career lighting major events, like Super Bowl Half Time shows.
Read David Grill's InterviewSteven Ramsey
March 2023. City Theatrical interviewed NYC-based Chief Lighting Technician Steven Ramsey to learn more about his 26 years of experience in film lighting, including such notable films as West Side Story (2021), Joker (2019), Bridge of Spies (2015), and Winter's Tale (2014), and soon to be released Netflix film Leave the World Behind.
Read Steven Ramsey's Interview
The following three audio interviews make up our 2023-launched QolorTOPIX Podcast Series, which showcases the work and lives of lighting professionals who shaped the landscape of 2023.
Tim Lutkin, Tim Reed, and Paul Toben
June 2023. City Theatrical interviewed lighting design team members - Tim Lutkin, Tim Reed, and Paul Toben - from the three-time Tony Award-winning play and the epic tale, Life of Pi on Broadway. This podcast episode explores the lighting design for the show from the perspective of the lighting design team members who designed it.
Listen to the Life of Pi team's interviewBrandon Stirling Baker
April 2023. City Theatrical interviewed Brandon Stirling Baker, who is an award-winning lighting designer working internationally in the areas of theatre, opera, and dance. His work can be seen on stages throughout the United States and abroad including Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Hollywood Bowl, Walt Disney Concert Hall, New York City Ballet.
Listen to Brandon Stirling Baker's InterviewCarlos M. Torres
February 2023. City Theatrical interviewed Carlos M. Torres, a Los Angeles-based Chief Lighting Technician and Gaffer for many Hollywood-based films and television shows, including Everything's Gonna Be Okay on Freeform, Arrested Development on Netflix, S.W.A.T., and major films, including Alien 4.
Listen to Carlos M. Torres' Interview
City Theatrical is fortunate to be a company that is backed by many talented and passionate people. the following four Employee Spotlight interviews celebrate our artisans and their work to create the unique lighting accessories used by entertainment and architectural projects every day.
Harrison Hohnholt
October 2023. This Employee Spotlight interview features Harrison Hohnholt, our Sales Manager, and explores his experience working with City Theatrical since 2014.
Read Harrison Hohnholt's Employee SpotlightKyle Donahue and Chris Lee
July 2023. We talked to our Summer Interns, Christopher Lee and Kyle Donahue, to learn more about their projects at City Theatrical, which included a QolorFLEX NuNeon installation in the manufacturing office, overseen by City Theatrical Production Manager, Joe Fails.
Read Kyle Donahue and Chris Lee's Internship SpotlightPeter Nikel
April 2023. This Employee Spotlight interview features Peter Nikel, our Electronics Assembly Manager, to learn more about his experience working with City Theatrical since 2013.
Read Peter Nikel's Employee SpotlightNaum Bronz
February 2023. This Employee Spotlight interview features Naum Bronz, our Mechanical Engineer, to learn more about his experience working with City Theatrical since 1996 when the company began in its Bronx location, and continues today in Carlstadt, New Jersey.
Read Naum Bronz's Employee Spotlight
The following case studies feature projects in various areas of the entertainment industry from around the world.
QolorFLEX NuNeon at the Mirror Maze at American Dream
November 2023. City Theatrical had a conversation with American Dream's Lighting Designer and Programmer, Nick Fazio, to find out how QolorFLEX NuNeon, RGB was used at the Mirror Maze attraction in this theme park mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Read the case studyQolorFLEX LED Tape at Saturday Night Live on NBC
October 2023. City Theatrical celebrated the start of Season 49 of Saturday Night Live with our top 10 moments from the show over the years that include QolorFLEX LED Tape and QolorFLEX NuNeon solutions for musical performances and comedy sets.
Explore the SNL pageMultiverse Studio Kit at The Sex Lives of College Girls, Season 1, on HBO Max
October 2023. City Theatrical talked to Chief Lighting Technician Carlos M. Torres and his team for HBO Max's The Sex Lives of College Girls in regards to their use of the Multiverse Studio Kit on the show.
Explore the College Girls pageOnboard Multiverse Wireless DMX/RDM in ETC Fixtures at the University of Georgia
September 2023. City Theatrical talked to Josh Fisher, Systems Integrator at Barbizon Lighting's Atlanta office to learn more about upgrading UGA's Marketing and Communications Studio with lighting using ETC's fos/4 Panel and Desire Fresnel lighting fixtures, and how they used the fixtures' onboard Multiverse wireless DMX/RDM technology.
Explore the UGA pageQolorFLEX NuNeon, QolorFLEX Dimmers, and Custom Manufacturing for Brown University
August 2023. City Theatrical talked to Steve Rust from Theatre Projects to learn how they used 500 feet of QolorFLEX NuNeon, Blue to provide the bright, continuous safety lighting for the Lindemann Performing Arts Center at Brown University.
Explore the Brown University pageQolorFLEX and Multiverse technologies at Back to the Future: The Musical
August 2023. City Theatrical talked to Head Electrician Dylan Webb from the show's scenery fabrication team at ShowMotion Inc. to find out more about how City Theatrical products were used to help bring this iconic story to life on the Broadway stage.
Explore the BTTF pageCustom Manufacturing at Crazy For You London
August 2023. City Theatrical talked to Lighting Designer Ken Billington about how the show used City Theatrical custom-made Top Hats to provide reliable beam control for GLP FUSION X-PAR 12 Z fixtures used on the show.
Explore the Crazy For You London pageMultiverse Wireless DMX/RDM and RadioScan for United Arab Emirates 51st National Day
February 2023. City Theatrical talked with People's Production Manager for Scenic Lighting, Nick Read, to learn more about how Multiverse wireless DMX/RDM and RadioScan® Spectrum Analyzer were used to provide wireless DMX/RDM for this 9-day event which celebrates the UAE’s rich culture, present day achievements, and future goals and ambitions every year.
Explore the UAE National Day pageOnboard Multiverse Wireless DMX/RDM at The Fisher Center at Belmont University
January 2023. City Theatrical talked with Lighting Designer Rachel Blasengame to find out how the lighting team at The Fisher Center at Belmont University uses one Multiverse Transmitter to broadcast wireless DMX/RDM to ten freestanding Tomcat Dance Towers, each containing three to five ETC Source Four Series 3 LED light fixtures with onboard Multiverse wireless DMX/RDM technology.
Explore the Belmont University page
Beam Control Accessories for Martin MAC One
City Theatrical now offers three standard beam control accessories designed to fit LDI Show 2023’s Lighting Award winner in the Fixtures Category, Martin Lighting’s MAC One, which include the MAC One Top Hat, MAC One Concentric Ring, and MAC One Hexcel Louver.
See Martin Accessories pageMultiverse Connect Module
City Theatrical's Multiverse® Connect Modules, winner of the Lighting Award, Controls Category, at LDI Show 2023, are small devices that bring all the capabilities of Multiverse wireless DMX/RDM to a lighting fixture built by an OEM manufacturing partner of City Theatrical, such that the fixture has a Universal Connect Module socket build into it.
See Multiverse Connect Module pageDMXcat-E™
First available for demo at LDI Show 2023, City Theatrical‘s new! DMXcat-E™ (P/N 6100) is an expansion to City Theatrical’s DMXcat® Multi Function Test Tool system of solutions that allows for Ethernet control of a lighting fixture. In addition to all the functions DMXcat users currently enjoy, including utilization of the DMXcat free smartphone application for iPhone and Android to plan, install, operate, and maintain theatrical and studio lighting equipment, DMXcat-E allows users to view and send Ethernet protocols, including ArtNet and Streaming ACN (sACN).
See DMXcat-E pageWing Nut Socket
City Theatrical's Wing Nut Socket (P/N 1350), winner of the Widget Award at LDI Show 2023, can be used to secure any wing nut with ease and reliability. Simply attach the Wing Nut Socket to a 3/8” ratchet, slide the opening over any wing nut, and tighten or loosen the wing nut with ease, with more reliability than possible by hand.
See Wing Nut Socket pageAdapter, Scrim to Source 4
Launched November 2023. City Theatrical's new 1253 Adapter connects Source Four fixtures to Scrim for Film & Video projects.
See Adapter pageQolorFLEX 25x3A Dimmer
Launched June 2023. City Theatrical's QolorFLEX 25x3A Dimmer (P/N 5811) is a low voltage, constant voltage, dimmer that is designed for large installations of LED tape. It is the five-channel version of City Theatrical’s QolorFLEX 24x3A Dimmer (P/N 5810), for users who seek high-capacity dimmers to use for installations of 5-in-1 LED tapes, rather than four- or fewer channel LED tapes.
See QolorFLEX 25x3A Dimmer pageBeam Control Accessories for Martin MAC Ultra Performance and Wash
Launched June 2023. City Theatrical's MAC Ultra Performance Top Hat (P/N 2799) provides beam control for MAC Ultra Performance fixtures, and the MAC Ultra Wash Top Hat (P/N 2805) provides beam control for MAC Ultra Wash fixtures.
See Martin Accessories pageStandard Top Hats for High End Systems Halcyon Fixtures
Launched May 2023. City Theatrical's Top Hat for High End Halcyon Gold (P/N 2720) and Top Hat for High End Halcyon Titanium (P/N 2725) are standard beam control accessories designed to fit ETC High End Systems Halcyon Gold and Titanium lighting fixtures.
See ETC and High End Systems Accessories pageBeam Control Accessories for Martin MAC Aura XIP
Launched January 2023. City Theatrical's Martin MAC Aura XIP Top Hat (P/N 2798), Martin MAC Aura XIP Concentric Ring (P/N 2796), and Martin MAC Aura XIP Hexcel Louvers (P/N 2797) provide beam control for MAC Aura XIP fixtures.
See Martin Accessories page
13 Wednesday Matinees
Our weekly email series that we call "Wednesday Matinee" releases on Wednesdays at 2pm to feature new shows on Broadway and beyond.
Make sure to subscribe to receive this theatrical-themed content to your inbox.
A New Parent Company
Environmental Lights Announces the Acquisition of City Theatrical
“Environmental Lights is focused on being the lighting leader in each of our core verticals. The acquisition of City Theatrical combines two strong businesses in the scenic market under one roof, positioning us as the clear leader,” said Brad Tedder, CEO of Environmental Lights, on July 6, 2023.
Learn more about the acquisition
