It’s a festive tradition: December 31. New York City. 11:59 p.m. All eyes turn upward toward the sparkling, brilliantly lit New Year’s ball as it begins its 60-second descent from high atop a flagpole located on the roof of One Times Square. Emitting a vast array of shining colors, it steadily lowers toward the base while crowds below chant the count: five… four… three… two… one happy New Year!

Last year, the hefty ball dropped without a hitch with the help of a Thern Stage Equipment winch. This year, a Thern winch lowered a new ball that’s six times the size of the 2008 ball.

New Year’s Eve crowds have enjoyed many different decorated balls as part of the annual festivities since 1907. 2009’s celebration included a ball measuring 12 feet in diameter, covered entirely by Waterford crystals, and lit from the inside by over 32,000 LEDs. It weighed in at just under six tons. A new support structure and 139-foot shaft were constructed . The ball was raised and lowered using a closed-loop cable system to meet the challenge of dropping the ball 75 feet in 60 seconds.

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Cobalt Studios announces upcoming training sessions. Class space is limited, so register early. For detailed information, call 845-583-7025 or visit the website.

Painting for Film and Television will be held February 22 through 26 and will be taught by Donna Wymore. Anti-Freakout Job Market Roundtable will be held February 26 and 27. Guns and Sprayers in the Scenic Arts will be held February 8 to 12 and is taught by Kamilla Nilsson. The Art of Scene Painting - the Historical Method will be held March 15 to17 and will be taught by Lance Brockman.

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Lighting is always one of the most popular topics at the Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas (SILV) summer program, covering everything from pre-visualization and WYSIWYG to technology and design. The summer 2010 lighting classes features a powerhouse faculty to teach the hands-on sessions. Among the superstar teachers are Valy Trembley of Proluxon and freelance lighting designers Yves Aucion (Celine Dion), Luc Lafortune (O, Ka, Mystere), and Nol van Genuchten (Varekai).

Immediately following the Lighting Tech and WYSIWYG classes, SILV will dive into Moving Lights, a session led by Leonard Miller of Philips/Vari-Lite and Brian Gale of NYX Design and his top notch team of programmers.

Find out more about learning lighting with SILV at stagecraftinstitute.com.

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Theatre Projects Consultants, Inc. welcomed Steve Rust to its team as the senior lighting designer in its United States office. With over 10 years’ experience as a theatre consultant, he joins the firm from Sachs Morgan Studios in New York where his projects included the Nederlander Theatre in New York, the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, and the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theatre in Washington, D.C. Before becoming a consultant, he was a production stage manager with Columbia Artists Management, and touring dance companies including the Bolshoi Ballet, National Ballet of China, and Paris Opera Ballet Ensemble.

For more information, visit theatreprojects.com.

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