case study 2016 3 min read

On Your Feet

disguise Helps Tell the Story of Gloria and Emilio Estefan with Projection Mapping for Broadway’s 'On Your Feet!'

The aptly named Broadway musical ‘On Your Feet!’ gets audiences in the mood to dance with infectious Latin rhythms that tell the story of Gloria and Emilio Estefan and their rise to fame. The hit show at the Marquis Theatre has been acclaimed for its stunning production values, which include video and projection design by Darrel Maloney. He selected disguise media servers to projection map moving scenery with retro views of Miami and other locations key to the Estefans’ history.

“I began using disguise media servers in 2011 on the tour of ‘American Idiot,’ and they’ve been my main server ever since,” including on his last Broadway musical, “Allegiance,” says Maloney. For ‘On Your Feet!’ he deploys four 4U v2.5 systems from Sound Associates – two display, one master and one understudy – for a total of nine outputs.

“One of the things director Jerry Mitchell wanted for this show was to move quickly from one location to another, like a movie does,” Maloney explains. “Projection allowed us to do that, to propel the story forward in a really fluid way” as displays depict Gloria and Emilio’s roots in Cuba, their childhood memories in Miami, Gloria’s father’s service in Vietnam and the Estefans’ first world tour.

Maloney has established a “really close relationship”with disguise, which often provides on-site tech support for his shows. “They’ve been just great,” he says.

The disguise previs capabilities played an important part in the design process. “The set design features big panels of shutters that move, track and turn,” says Maloney. “With disguise previs function we were able to show the director and set designer David Rockwell the scenic moves and how they worked with projections. It used to be that you couldn’t see that type of thing in context until you got to the theater.”

The disguise systems feed four Panasonic 21K projectors tracking three sets of shutter-style sliders moving and turning through the downstage, midstage and rearstage areas. Another five Panasonic 21Ks handle a rear projection screen. “Sound Associates provided the external coders for the tracking, and disguise wrote a custom interface for us,” Maloney reports.

He found the disguise QuickCal projector calibration feature extremely useful especially as the musical charts up more performances. “It’s great for the maintenance of the show,” says Maloney. “It makes touch ups much easier.”

Maloney also cites the disguise flexibility as a key reason he likes using the system. “We went from four rear projectors at try outs in Chicago to five in New York, and the content didn’t have to be reworked.”

Maloney has established a “really close relationship” with disguise, which often provides on-site tech support for his shows. “They’ve been just great,” he says.