LA PROPOINT SPINS WEB FOR SONY AND VAN WAGNER

Click Below to Watch the Process

 

LA PROPOINT BUILDS FIVE TOWERS FOR NEW CITYWALK NIGHT TIME SPECTACULAR

LA Propoint featured in Los Angeles Daily News "5 Towers a new Citywalk star" in the June 2011 Issue

Universal CityWalk debuts its 5 Towers outdoor concert arena Friday night, with the hopes of making it the center of free music in Southern California - and maybe the free world.Five 42-foot high, steel tower sculptures define the concert space in CityWalk's main plaza, between the movie multiplex and the Hard Rock Cafe. The 31-by-24-foot stage is permanent, and there's an upgraded, 26-by-14-foot LED monitor mounted above it."We've had live music at CityWalk, probably, for a good 10 years," said Pat Donahue, director of CityWalk Entertainment. "But the 5 Towers is a game-changer for us. There's nothing like it in Southern California, and I think it's going to redefine the way people experience free live music. "You're immersed in the energy and the whole vibe, and you kind of feel like you're part of the show," he said. "The barriers between the artists and the fans are completely removed."

Motion capture devices will project some concertgoers' silhouettes on the wall behind the stage. Thousands of light fixtures around the stage and on the towers can be programmed to complement the music and - when nobody's playing - the music videos that have long been a ubiquitous presence on the CityWalk Jumbotron.

Underground weight sensors will enable guests to control the volume of lights on the towers. And for those who've had the happy experience of not being able to hear themselves think when a concert's going on in other sectors of CityWalk, custom-built acoustical panels were designed to keep sound waves in the arena and minimize echo elsewhere. The purpose of all this razzmatazz, they say, is to focus attention on the music.

And, in the case of "Close to Home" - the Friday night performance series starting July 8 - on the music of up-and-coming Southern California bands. Tonight's stage christening comes courtesy of Later Days and Elvis Monroe. The latter outfit, which will be performing for the first time in public, is an acoustic rock side project for Bryan Hopkins (singer of Paperback Hero), Ben Carey (guitarist, Lifehouse), Ryan MacMillan (drummer, Matchbox 20) and bassist Matt Nelson (Ricky's son). Opening 5 Towers is a special honor for Hopkins, who's been performing on roll-out CityWalk stages for six years and consulted on the new arena's design. "It'll be the biggest, most breathtaking outdoor venue around," Hopkins said. "It will provide an opportunity for big bands and bands on the way up to be seen and heard by so many."

Singer Cee Lo Green will be next to help launch the venue, with a free performance on July 7. Of course, the free concerts hope to attract many who will be paying for parking and, more than likely, patronizing CityWalk establishments - an increasing imperative as the recession continues to weigh down on tourism. Like Infusion Lounge, the Hollywood-style nightclub scheduled to open there in August, 5 Towers is part of an effort to convince more Valley residents and other locals to spend more time at Universal City. "We're definitely a place that tourists come to visit," CityWalk's Donahue said. "But the 5 Towers now will totally set the tone, and send the message to the locals that this is the place to be when you want to experience free live music every single weekend."

Hopkins - who lived in North Hollywood for 13 years before moving recently to Sherman Oaks - said 5 Towers is an attraction that should be experienced by tourists and locals alike. "I've played in front of 30,000 people, I've played all over the country," he said. "But I am so excited about (tonight). At the end of the day, this will be the largest free stage anywhere. I mean, this makes the Valley the coolest place to be."

LA PROPOINT BUILDS WORLD'S LARGEST 3D SCREEN FOR KING KONG ATTRACTION AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD

LA Propoint featured in Sound & Communications Magazine's "92 Seconds on Skull Island" Article in May Issue

Fire on the Universal Studios Hollywood back lot in Spring 2008 wiped out several movie sets,damaged the famous Back to the Future clock tower and destroyed the popular King Kong tram-tour attraction from the 1980s. It was decided not to build a new Kong animatronic but,rather, to update the popular attraction by replacing it with King Kong 360 3-D, an immersive multimedia experience. It opened July 1, 2010, and features a gigantic 3D projection system with two 187-foot-wide by 40-foot-high screens within a football-field-sized soundstage.

Custom Screen

“The full-size mockup at Playa Vista Studios was up almost a year,” recounted Mark Riddlesperger, Founder and President of LA ProPoint. “And they played around with that mockup to finalize the geometry of the screen, do projection studies and sightline studies from the tram, and basically look at all aspects of what the show was going to be. The next step was to actually design, engineer and build the final structure.”

The underlying structure for the custom screens is an aluminum frame supported by steel jacks and covered with luan substrate (lightweight plywood) that was seamed, drywall-mudded and skim coated with a level 5 finish. “Basically,
the whole screen is plastered and sanded,” said LA ProPoint Project Manager Andy Hanlen. “It’s a complex toroidal shape, which curves in two directions and makes you wish you paid more attention in geometry class.” The screen is in two halves, on either side of the tramway. Once the plaster finish had been applied and sanded smooth, two coats of latex primer were applied, and the surface was finished off with Screen Goo. “It was a tricky application,” noted Riddlesperger. “You can’t let an edge of it dry as you go along or you will get a joint. We had two people in the basket of the lift applying the Screen Goo, and two more down on the ground mixing the paint, keeping it mixed and flowing through airlifts, in order to move things along so the people in the lift could remain mobile and fluid and not have to stop. It’s water-based and very metallic; it dries fast. It is critical that the person applying it understands how to do so evenly, consistently and without blotches during the entire application.” Natural expansion and contraction from temperature swings presented a different challenge. “We couldn’t put in any expansion joints, because Universal required a completely solid, uniform surface,” said Hanlen. “This required that we design provisions into the frame that allow it to move.” “What we built for the final was seven degrees different from the mockup because of crosstalk issues observed by Universal,” said Riddlesperger. “The mockup, which included an elevated platform and a mockup of four tram cars down the middle, was worth its weight in gold. We rigged all the projectors there; we built platforms to give a good
approximation of where they would be positioned in the actual venue.”

The screen was built right into the building structure on either side of the tramway. “We laid out the whole thing with SolidWorks design and engineering software, which allows you to manipulate the image in three dimensions,” said Hanlen. “There was also a lot of handwork, and a lot of trial and error and headscratching. Universal built something that has never been built before.”

 

LA PROPOINT PROUD MEMBER OF THE TALANTED TEAM AND CREDITED FOR TECHNICAL PRODUCTION AND SPECIAL EFFECTS

BEYOND ALL BOUNDARIES RECEIVES THEA AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT. Phil Hettema of the Hettema Group and Bob Farnsworth of the museum, accepted the award on behalf of the National World War 2 Museum in New Orleans, LA.

Orlando, Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2010 -- "The annual Thea Awards, presented by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA), recognize and honor excellence in the creation of extraordinary visitor experiences, attractions, exhibits and places," says
incoming TEA president Rick Rothschild of FAR Out! Creative Direction. "Storytelling and teamwork are the heart of the Experience Design Industry and its projects. TEA's Thea Awards celebrate storytelling across the globe - educational and entertaining stories of heritage, history, fiction, fantasy, magic and even hard science – delivered with artistry and the appropriate use of technology at museums, theme parks, world expos, special events and other settings. The Thea Awards also honor teamwork at its very best – the creative handshake between the visionary project owner and the multidisciplinary collective of designers, artisans and technicians who realize the vision. Also, this year we commemorate the late Harrison "Buzz" Price, who at the very first Thea Awards in 1994 was recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award. In his honor, we've renamed it the 'Buzz Price Award, recognizing a Lifetime of Distinguished Achievements.'

The Thea Awards Nominating Committee (listed below in the PDF) recommended the current slate of 15 Thea recipients, with final approval by the TEA International Board of Directors. The Awards will be formally presented March 12, 2011 at the 17th Annual Thea Awards Gala, to be held at the Globe Theatre, Universal Studios Hollywood. The Awards Gala, sponsored by Economics at AECOM, is an elegant, black-tie dinner event and is open to the public. Tickets/more information: www.teaconnect.org.

 

LA PROPOINT PROUD TO BE ACKNOWLEGED FOR ITS EFFORTS IN WWII MUSEUM

BEYOND ALL BOUNDARIES FEATURED IN LIGHTING AND SOUND MAGAINE'S FEBRUARY 2011 ISSUE Remembering the Good Fight: The National WWII Museum Preserves the Voices of the Greatest Generation Since opening in November 2009, the National World War II Museum expansion in New Orleans has drawn glowing acclaim and healthy visitor numbers. The new, 70,000-sq.-ft., $60-million complex's venues are The Solomon Victory Theatre, Stage Door Canteen, and The American Sector restaurant. Voorsanger Mathes, LLC was the architect for this first phase of a $300-million project to develop the museum's six-acre campus, set for completion in 2015. The grandopening celebration was presented by Satterfield & Pontikes Construction, general contractor for the project, and included a retrospective honoring the museum's founder, the noted historian Stephen E. Ambrose. The central feature of the redeveloped museum is the 250-seat Solomon Victory Theatre, the home of Beyond All Boundaries, a 45-minute, 4D multimedia show that tells the story of America's experience of the war and endeavors to preserve the voices of WWII veterans and eyewitnesses. "It was in one of our several iterations when we sat down with Tom Hanks and he suggested, 'Could we tell this in the voices of the people who were there?'" recalls show producer and creative director, Phil Hettema. Beyond All Boundaries was conceived, designed, and produced by The Hettema Group, with Hettema leading the creative team, and Anthony Pruett as senior project director, driving the production effort. George Wiktor, now an independent, was with Hettema throughout the project, on production development. Tom Hanks was executive producer, and the president and CEO of the museum, Dr. Gordon H. "Nick" Mueller, was producer. The team also included Chris Ellis (writer); Mousetrappe (director David Briggs and media designer Daren Ulmer); Doug Yellin, media producer for The Hettema Group; It's Alive Co. (Bob Chambers, Susan Cummings, and Rob Palmer); LA ProPoint (show action equipment); Electrosonic (AV design, show control, and integration); Visual Terrain (lighting design); Bandit Lites (lighting supply and integration); Audio By the Bay (sound design and music production); Bruce Broughton (original music); Timothy Williams (music scoring and conducting); John Kasperowicz AIA (theatre design); Daniel Ionazzi (scene design); AES (scenic fabrication); Judd Nissen (site projectcoordinator); and Rando Productions (special effects). With Hanks doubling as narrator, the show features an allstar voice cast including Kevin Bacon, Patricia Clarkson, Blythe Danner, John Goodman, Neil Patrick Harris, and Gary Sinise.The theatre's raked seating is cocooned snugly within the curve of a projection scrim that is 115' wide by 28' tall. Giving depth to the illusion are special effects that work in concert with the action on-screen and a host of physical props that are revealed by lighting when they fly overhead or emerge from the pit. Additional projections appear on Christie DLP DS-10K-M secondary screens about 25' behind the main scrim and three smaller Christie DLP HD- 10K-M screens in front that raise and lower from the pit. These three hard-surface panel screens allow for directed focus on archival images, and provide a contrast to the large scale of the massive main screen. Six sections of black velour provide masking. (Soft goods were furnished by Rose Brand). Theatrical license and placemaking "The dramatic scale of audience to screen was part of Phil Hettema's core concept for putting people in the middle of the experience," says Daren Ulmer. "Theatrical scenic and set pieces were part of the concept, so we took theatrical license. We approached each scene thinking what we'd do in a traditional theatre environment rather than a film documentary. We considered the elements of the film as cinematic representations of theatrical elements, such as scenic, lighting, and performers, and we thought about the images as being projected beyond the plane of the screen—as if the screen were a proscenium. We went for a painterly, rather than photorealistic, look. Performers were shot on film and composited into a scene, most often at a 1:1 scale, to appear life-sized. At the same time, we were not constrained by the physics of actual theatre." Consultant Yael Pardess was tapped to art-direct the movie. "Yael brought a theatrical sensibility to the design," says Ulmer. "Her designs brought a great color palette, perspective, and POV that had its basis in dimensional physical space rather than a 2D screen." The Normandy D-Day landing is the most elaborately realized battle scene. The film imagery interplays with physical set pieces: five tank traps rising up from the pit. Other sequences are fully CG-animated, the biggest of which depicts US B29s firebombing Japan from the viewpoint of someone inside the plane, accompanied by Jesse Eisenberg's reading of a graphic quote from a veteran who had been there. "We were extremely cautious to be absolutely true to the history and the facts," notes Ulmer. "Everything was vetted by historians, and the 4D type tools that we used were applied in moderation, to create setting and emotion and enhance the theatrical suspension of disbelief. It wasn't a 'ride,' it was placemaking."     Since 2002, LA ProPoint has been a leading provider of design, engineering, fabrication and installation of stage and show systems for all aspects of the entertainment industry, from concert halls and theme parks to outdoor amphitheaters and movie sets. Strategically headquartered in Southern California in the city of Sun Valley, the company has a huge reach. Its highly skilled, experienced technicians, fabricators and craftspeople regularly take on far-flung projects from the Hollywood Bowl and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas.   Click here to view the full article in PDF

 

LA PROPOINT PROUD OF ROLE IN MUSE GOLD AWARD-WINNING
IMMERSIVE WWII THEATER EXPERIENCE

Beyond All Boundaries Attraction at the Solomon Victory Theater at the National WWII Museum Recognized at the American Association of Museums Annual Meeting in Los Angeles May 23

(Sun Valley, Calif.) May 25, 2010 - LA ProPoint, a leader in the design, engineering, fabrication, and installation of stage and show systems, is proud to announce that The Hettema Group’s major theater project, the Solomon Victory Theater at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana—for which LA ProPoint provided key services in 2009—has resulted in a MUSE Gold MultiMedia Installation Award from the American Association of Museums (AAM). The award was presented Sunday, May 23, 2010 at the AAM Annual Meeting and MuseumExpo in Los Angeles. The Gold Award is the highest honor that the AAM bestows.
A celebration of scholarship, innovation, creativity and inclusivity, the MUSE Awards, organized and reviewed by the AAM Media & Technology Committee, recognize outstanding achievements in museum media which enhance the museum experience and engage new audiences.
The centerpiece attraction of a $300 million museum renovation, the Solomon Victory Theater is a new 250-seat venue with a 30-foot tall, curved, sharkstooth scrim screen that stretches to 120 feet wide. The wraparound screen serves as the exclusive staging ground for “Beyond All Boundaries,” a 20-minute documentary produced by legendary actor and producer Tom Hanks.
In choosing to honor the National WWII Museum, The Hettema Group and its partners, the AAM judges noted the “Beyond All Boundaries” project for “physically and virtually integrating multimedia technologies” and creating “a brand-new museum-visiting experience.”
Since November 2009, the multimedia attraction has set a new standard for immersive theater entertainment, employing 4D technology to launch audiences on an odyssey that brings to life “The War That Changed the World.” Spanning four continents, the experience recreates everything from the rumbling of tanks over the African desert to the oppressive heat of Pacific jungles as well as the penetrating cold of the Battle of the Bulge and the staccato rhythm of anti-aircraft fire over Nazi Germany.
The Hettema Group, leader of the project, enlisted the LA ProPoint team in the design, engineering, fabrication, and installation of the Solomon Victory Theater’s overhead rigging equipment, show action equipment, sub-system show control, scenic elements, and many other facets of the detailed project. 

“The Solomon Victory Theater project was unlike anything LA ProPoint had taken on before. It incorporated moving 3D props and scenic elements such as city flats, the recreation of a concentration camp guard tower, the installation of a naval anti-aircraft gun turret, and the suspension of a scaled-down replica of a B-17 bomber’s nose cone from the theater’s ceiling,” said Mark Riddlesperger, founder and president of LA ProPoint. “And that’s all before we take into account the 40-foot tall velour main show curtain and motorized track system, not to mention the oversized main scrim/projection screen. We are thrilled to see this complex project recognized by the museum industry.”

“We knew that in order to create, with ‘Beyond All Boundaries,’ something that audiences had never seen before, it was critical to assemble the perfect team of partners and subcontractors,” said Phil Hettema, president and CEO of The Hettema Group. “It is the ultimate fulfillment of our team’s hard work that this MUSE Award is shared by such a diverse array of highly skilled professionals.”
For more information about how “Beyond All Boundaries” came into being, visit http://www.nationalww2museum.org/victory/b-a-b_backgrounder.html.

 

LA PROPOINT STRETCHES BOUNDARIES FOR NEW IMMERSIVE THEATER EXPERIENCE At THE NATIONAL WWII MUSEUM

Beyond All Boundaries at the Solomon Victory Theater is the Centerpiece of Multimillion Dollar Renovation New Orleans Museum to Debut MajorNew Attraction November 7, 2009

(Sun Valley, Calif.) October 13, 2009 – LA ProPoint, a national leader in the design, engineering, fabrication, and installation of stage and show systems, is proud to announce the completion of its role in The Hettema Group’s major theater project, the Solomon Victory Theater at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. The centerpiece attraction of a $300 Million museum renovation, the Solomon Victory Theater is a brand new 250-seat theater with a 30-foot tall, curved, sharkstooth scrim screen that stretches to 120 feet wide. The wraparound screen will serve as the exclusive staging ground for “Beyond All Boundaries,” an immersive documentary produced by legendary actor and producer Tom Hanks, whose critically acclaimed WWII projects include “Saving Private Ryan” and “Band of Brothers.”

LA ProPoint, which has a reputation for being the go-to team of highly skilled and experienced technicians, fabricators and craftsmen, applied its expertise in design, engineering, fabrication, and installation to the Solomon Victory Theater’s overhead rigging equipment, show action equipment, sub-system show control,  scenic elements, and many other facets of this detailed project. “As a team, we are accustomed to working in fragile historic spaces and expansive outdoor environments—all manner of venues,” said Mark Riddlesperger, founder and president of LA ProPoint. “But the Solomon Victory Theater project presented something altogether unique: the opportunity to honor an exceptional period in American history while tackling an incredibly intricate professional challenge.”

Beginning this fall, “Beyond All Boundaries” is poised to set new standards for immersive theater entertainment, employing 4D technology to launch audiences on a WWII odyssey that spans four continents and brings to life the oppressive heat of Pacific jungles as well as the penetrating cold of the European winter battles. “The Solomon Victory Theater project was complex, involving multiple show action elements, including the incorporation of moving 3D props and scenic elements such as city flats, a 1940s style radio, a death camp guard tower, D-Day tank traps, a naval anti-aircraft gun turret, and a B-17 bomber. LAPP also provided the 40-foot tall velour main show curtain and motorized track system, motorized scrims and blackout drapes, borders and other soft goods—not to mention that oversized main scrim/projection screen,” explained Andy Hanlen, LA ProPoint’s project manager. “We weren’t simply helping to build a theater.  This felt more like building a world.”

The full extent of the National WWII Museum’s major renovation will not be complete for several more years, yet “Beyond All Boundaries” at the Solomon Victory Theater is on track to debut November 7, 2009.

“We created ‘Beyond All Boundaries’ for the National WWII Museum with the intention of providing an immersive experience like nothing audiences had ever seen, heard or felt before,” said Phil Hettema, president and CEO of The Hettema Group. “To make all the pieces come together as we intended, we needed to partner with a top-notch team, and LA ProPoint delivered crucial stage and show systems savvy at every step of the way.”
About LA ProPoint

Some links to on-line articles about the National WWII Museum project: LA ProPoint Facilitates Immersive Theatre Experience at National WWII Museum http://www.blooloop.com/PressReleases/Museums-La-Propoint-Stretches-Boundaries-for-New-Immersive-Theatre-Experience-at-The-National-Museum/1831 http://www.attractions.co.uk/newsdetail1.cfm?codeID=154363&CFID=29516939&CFTOKEN=18786478

 

THEATRE RENOVATION AND SHOW SYSEMS EXPERT LA PROPOINT TAKES NEW OFFICE SPACE TO MEET FABRICATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE DEMANDS

New 27,000 Square Foot Facility in Sun Valley Doubles the Size of Company Headquarters

(Sun Valley, Calif.) December 2, 2008 – LA ProPoint, a national leader in the design, engineering, fabrication, and installation of stage and show systems, is pleased to announce that it is moving its headquarters to a larger facility, also located in Sun Valley, effective December 1, 2008.

The new office, which measures 27,000 square feet, nearly doubles the space available for both administrative and fabrication functions, which is crucial given that LAProPoint now counts more than 40 fulltime employees and, despite the challenging economic times, is moving forward on several theatre, museum and theme park projects. “Our headquarters in Sun Valley has served as an ideal launching point for our work in Southern California and throughout the state,” explained Mark Riddlesperger, founder and president of LAProPoint. “Our move ‘next door’ keeps us tapped into the creative pulse of LA’s entertainment industry while accommodating our growth.”

Since the company was founded in 2002, LA ProPoint’s highly skilled and experienced designers, technicians, fabricators and craftsmen have established a reputation as the go to team for theatre construction and renovation. Some of the company’s most notable theatre commissions include the REDCAT, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Kirk Douglas Theatre, El Rey Theatre, Nokia Theatre and the Hollywood Bowl.

The company’s continued success during the recession can be credited to a decision to expand its scope of services. In addition to the fabrication, rigging and theatrical services that form the company’s core business offerings, LA ProPoint has been providing custom engineering, special effects and show action equipment to clients.

“Our team has always been dedicated to developing better solutions for a variety of entertainment venues—from concert halls to theme parks to outdoor ampitheatres,” said Jim Hartman, LA ProPoint’s vice president. “The new headquarters gives us the room we need to design, engineer and fabricate large scale customized stage and show systems for our clients.”

In 2009, LA ProPoint will participate in the new construction of several theatres in the Los Angeles Unified School District, take on a WWII museum project, continue its collaborations with Universal Studios, and pursue additional commissions in the international theme park market.

ABOUT LA PROPOINT
Since 2002, LA ProPoint has been a leading provider of design, engineering, fabrication and installation of stage and show systems for all aspects of the entertainment industry, from concert halls and theme parks to outdoor amphitheatres and movie sets. Strategically headquartered in Southern California in the city of Sun Valley, the company has a huge reach. Its highly skilled, experienced technicians, fabricators and craftspeople regularly take on far flung projects from the Hollywood Bowl and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas.

LA PROPOINT IS CALIFORNIA’S NUMBER ONE CHOICE IN THEATRE RENOVATION

Company’s Projects in San Diego, Downey, Granada, Riverside and Fontana Join Distinguished Client List that Includes Walt Disney Concert Hall and Hollywood Bowl

(Sun Valley, Calif.) July 8, 2008 – LA ProPoint, a national leader in the design, engineering, fabrication, and installation of stage and show systems, is pleased to announce that it is wrapping work on yet another round of high-profile theater projects in California. During the past two years, LA ProPoint has played a role in the remodel of the East County Performing Arts Center in San Diego, installed the theatrical rigging for the Downey Theatre, and performed work in front of the house and behind the scenes at the Granada Theatre.  Finally, this summer, the LA ProPoint team will take on the remodel of the Culver Center for the Arts in Riverside and put the finishing touches on the New Centre Theatre in Fontana.

“Our California theater projects are very different from each other. Clients call upon us for everything from testing and safety improvements to in-depth renovations and the creation of new theatre spaces from the ground up,” explained Mark Riddlesperger, founder and president of LAProPoint.
“What all our theater clients share, however, is their need for highly customized systems,” added Harvey Sweet, LA ProPoint’s vice president. “LA ProPoint combines the latest in state-of-the-art technology and innovative design with a commitment to safety, and proven, hands-on experience.  We are committed to providing our clients with individualized, user-friendly stage systems, and reliable maintenance services.” 
LA ProPoint has established a reputation as the go-to team of highly skilled and experienced technicians, fabricators and craftsmen. Since the company was founded in 2002, LA ProPoint has worked on theatres throughout California, in cities including San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Sacramento, Davis, Fresno and Los Angeles.  Some of the company’s most notable theatre commissions include the REDCAT, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Kirk Douglas Theatre, El Rey Theatre, Nokia Theatre and the Hollywood Bowl.
 The LA ProPoint team was proud to play a major role in the multi-million-dollar renovation of the Hollywood Bowl in 2004.  The company designed, fabricated and installed the motorized rigging, acoustic panel actuation and control systems of the acoustic canopy, and is entrusted to perform the maintenance of this equipment for the next 10 years.

“The Hollywood Bowl is a legendary theatre, beloved to Angelenos and known to people worldwide, so there were a lot of expectations when it came to the renovation,” explained Mark Ferber, Production Supervisor and Special Events Manager for the Hollywood Bowl. “Our theatre was in exceptional hands with the LA ProPoint team. They took every precaution to respect the historic structure, and gave back to us a theatre that performs better than ever before.  There was no question about giving LA ProPoint the maintenance contract for the Hollywood Bowl.”

Again and again, LA ProPoint’s successfully completed commissions like the one at the Hollywood Bowl result in new clients as well as repeat visits to former job sites. A few years ago, LA ProPoint won the bid to replace the theatrical rigging at the Downey Theatre.  This month, the team is back in Downey, contracted to provide a rear theater curtain, redrape the theater’s green room, and replace the drapes on a portable stage.

At the Granada Theater, LA ProPoint recently constructed and installed a false proscenium valance as well as fall protection in the attic above the audience.  The company’s work on the East County Performing Arts Center, a 1960s structure in San Diego, is another example of its expertise in the area of theatre remodeling.  LA ProPoint performed a safety check, then repaired or replaced cables, operating lines and arbor guides.  The company also rebuilt a complex motorized system for the theater’s Venetian-style main curtain, and modified and repaired the theater’s house lighting pipes and acoustical panel linesets.  In addition, LA ProPoint has just entered the design phase of a remodel of yet another existing facility, the Culver Center for the Arts in Riverside, where the team will provide a light grid and a double cyclorama track.

At the New Center Theatre in Fontana, LA ProPoint soon will be finishing work on a complex semicircular Austrian lift curtain that fits into the attic of the theatre.

“It was definitely a challenge fitting the curtain system into the building, but it is beautiful,” said Chris Collis, head of the LA ProPoint installation team. 

In addition to the curtain lift system, LA ProPoint is providing an innovative computer-controlled soft LED curtain as well as drapery for the theater entrance, stage right and stage left, rear of house service area, lobby, kitchen, and dressing room.

“LA ProPoint has proved a wonderful collaborator in transforming our traditional theatre space into a glamorous Vegas-style showroom," said Walter Orth, President of Orth Design Corporation, the company that commissioned LA ProPoint for the New Center Theatre project.  “It is gratifying to know that the City of Fontana received the same quality attention to detail that has been bestowed by LA ProPoint on some of California’s most prestigious theaters.”

About LA ProPoint

 

LA PROPOINT GOES BACK TO SCHOOL IN THE SOUTHLAND

Three Recent Commissions Improve School Theatres in Los Angeles, Redlands and Torrance

(Sun Valley, Calif.) June 2nd, 2008– LA ProPoint, a leader in the design, engineering, fabrication, and installation of stage and show systems, has been spending a lot of time in school in 2008.  Or schools, to be exact.  The company is pleased to announce that it recently completed a commission at Crozier Elementary School in South Central Los Angeles and is currently immersed in two additional theatre renovation projects at Redlands High School in Redlands and West High School in Torrance.

“Our work in local schools is very rewarding,” said Jim Hartman, vice president of LA ProPoint.  “As a company that has always been headquartered in Southern California, it is satisfying to be a part of substantial improvements to students’ day-to-day experiences in our area.”

At Crozier Elementary School, the LA ProPoint team played a crucial part in the remodel of the backstage area of the school’s existing theatre.  Premier Lighting contracted the team to design, provide and install stage rigging pipes and drapery tracks including 12 deadhang linesets attached to existing structural steel and two traveler tracks, as well as a truss for a front of house lighting position, and a lighting batten operated via two chain hoist motors. Once the underlying system was complete, LA ProPoint hung drapery pieces including a main curtain, valance, borders, legs, rear curtain, and installed a cyclorama and a Skjonberg controller. 

After wrapping the Crozier project, LA ProPoint graduated its team to two area high schools.  For Redlands High School’s main auditorium, LA ProPoint is following Uniform Building Code Section 405 and Standard 4-1 in its creation of a new fire safety curtain.  Made of treated fiberglass fabric, the curtain replaces the one removed from the school which contained asbestos.  LA ProPoint’s scope of work includes the curtain, a smoke seal at the top of the curtain, smoke pockets with built-in curtain guides, and an operating system consisting of new loftblocks, a new headblock, a new arbor, repairs to an existing lattice track and a new release system. 

Most recently, LA ProPoint started work at West High School in Torrance where theatre teacher and director Christy Orabuena recognized the inherent danger of old, worn rigging equipment and sought funding from the district for repairs and replacements.  The LA ProPoint team is currently working on three stage lighting linesets that will make the nearly forty-year-old theatre a safer place for teachers and students.

“The entire school is excited to have our theatre back better than it was before,” explained Christy Orabuena of West High School.  “From hosting assemblies to providing a space for creativity and performances, our theatre is an important part of school life and soon it will be easier to use, and safer, because of the work LA ProPoint is doing.”

“As Southern California’s school buildings age, there is an increasing need to take a look at the original infrastructure and evaluate its utility and its safety,” emphasized Mark Riddlesperger, president of LA ProPoint.  “LA ProPoint is committed to providing innovative, quality solutions for small and large school projects alike.”

About LA ProPoint