The Week in Review

In Memoriam: Lou Stancari: A memorial service was held on Saturday for Lou Stancari, the Washington, DC-based theatre set designer who died on January 15. (Stancari's body was found lying on the tracks at one of the city's Metro stations. A police investigation is in progress.) The designer also worked as the photo archivist at the National Museum of the American Indian. A founding artistic associate of Signature Theatre Company, he designed 25 productions there, winning a Helen Hayes award in 1992 for Sweeney Todd. Friends told The Washington Post< that, at the time of his death, he left behind several uncompleted projects. He is survived by his mother and sister

StageCo vs. Christie: The latest incident of industry litigation came to light last week: StageCo has been sued in Texas state court by Christie Lites for damages sustained when a 90' lighting tower erected by StageCo collapsed prior to a nationally televised motocross event at the Fort Worth Stockyards in June, 2009. Christie is seeking actual damages in excess of $500,000, and to ensure that this type of incident does not jeopardize public safety for future events, $1,000,000 in punitive damages. A spokesman for Christie commented, "Stageco takes its responsibilities very seriously, we are fully insured, and so all parties will be appropriately protected and reimbursed." He added, 'We anticipate the judges will need time to resolve this complex matter."

New Leadership at LOUD: LOUD Technologies Inc. has appointed Jeff Rocha vice president and general manager, EAW and Anthony Taylor vice president and managing director, Martin Audio. In these newly expanded roles, Rocha and Taylor will assume P&L responsibility for their respective brands, and will manage all engineering, product development, marketing, manufacturing, and sales efforts. In addition, Rocha will lead the EAW design and manufacturing facility in Whitinsville, USA, while Taylor will lead the Martin Audio design and manufacturing facility in High Wycombe, UK.

New World Symphony Opens: In what may be the theatre architecture event of the year, New World Symphony's new building opened in Miami. Designed by Frank Gehry, it is a combination of conservatory and concert hall, with many associated public spaces. High-tech innovations include a projection wall and complex sound system, which allow members of the public to "attend" a concert in the adjacent park. The building is also a sophisticated example of connectivity, allowing for many distance learning possibilities. Theatre Projects was the theatre consultant. Yasu Toyota, Nagata Acoustics was the acoustician. LAM Partners provided sound and projection consultation. Sonitus provided principal sound design for the concert hall and outdoor areas.