Even as it works through Chapter 11 restructuring, the Show Department, Inc. and its subsidiaries, Resolution Digital Studios and The Screen Works, recent staged two high-powered benefit events.
One was for Chicago Community Trust’s 95th Anniversary Gala Oct. 12 at the Harris Theatre for Kurtis Productions and producer Scott Jacobs; the other for President Obama’s recent rally in Madison, Wisconsin.
COO Jeff Facklis says Show Department has done small projects with Kurtis over the years, but “this was our first major show with them. It’s the beginning of a good working relationship.”
The Chicago Community Trust gala hosted by Bill Kurtis, featured speakers Mayor Daley and New York Times columnist David Brooks, performances by Luna Negra Dance Company, the Old Town School of Folk Music, and penguins from the Shedd Aquarium.
Jacobs produced with Kurtis Productions’ Donna LaPietra. Facklis was stage manager, Rich Sullivan technical director, and RDS graphic artist Liz Zielke supplied animation.
“Everything was pristine HD-quality,” Jacobs says. “Both evenings were terrific, but the staging made them dynamic and memorable. Seeing the videos projected at that level of quality was breathtaking.”
Adds LaPietra, “I don’t know how we could have reached that high level without Show Department and Resolution as partners in this endeavor.” At RDS, Fred Blurton and Justin Zion of Fred Blurton Productions spent 300 hours developing stereoscopic 3D video for the gala, featuring Joffrey Ballet dancers Derrick Agnoletti and Yumelia Garcia, composited with performance footage of 18 other dance companies that the Community Trust has supported, and with Chicago landmarks.
“We were thrilled to get a chance to work with such a great group of people on something we could really push the boundaries of our Z Space 3D techniques,” Blurton says.
