Touring Radio City Christmas Spectacular Continues To Be a Success
CSSI continued its long-standing relationship with Radio City Productions by providing elements for this year's touring version of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular: Christmas Across America. Project Manger Ken Zommer worked with long-time Radio City Producer Rick Bloom and Production Designer Pat Fahey on this production. The show toured to Atlanta and Cleveland while existing shows were remounted in Chicago, Detroit, and Branson for nearly six weeks.

CSSI produced several scenes and painted backdrops for the show including an illuminated Christmas tree for the famous Christmas in New York scene. CSSI Job Leads Tim Steimle and Nick Levinsky worked closely with Technical Director Larry Morely during the construction period. All of the set pieces were created in CSSI's 140,000-sq.- ft. shop, and then loaded onto trucks, and delivered to the site.

After the very successful tour, the entire production was returned to the CSSI warehouse for refurbishment and storage until next year.

CSSI Brings Century-Old Ballet to Life
Chicago Scenic recently helped bring to life a century-old ballet for the Joffrey Ballet Company. Jeux, based on a love triangle between a man and two women was performed at the Athenaeum Theatre as a part of a showcase featuring three ballets. Ballet Researchers Kenneth Archer and Millicent Hodson worked with CSSI Project Manager Gary Heitz and Head Painter Kevin Taylor on the project.

What made this project unique was the intensive historical research needed
to reconstruct the set, originally designed in 1912 by Leon Bakst. The researchers provided Kevin with samples of the color palette that Bakst worked in at that time in his life, along with newspaper reviews of the original show and watercolors of other sets he designed around the same time. They also provided correspondence of Bakst's that revealed the influence of post impressionistic artists such as Van Gogh on his work.

With that information Kevin designed the drop as a working full rendering for approval. After applying color and more fully developing its style Kevin painted the beautiful 30-foot by 50-foot backdrop.

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