The Atlanta Opera Presents Porgy and Bess at the Cobb Energy Centre

The second opera in The Atlanta Opera's 2010-2011 season is George Gershwin's American classic Porgy and Bess. Set in Charleston, Porgy and Bess depicts the people of Catfish Row who are yearning for a better life and great love, and features some of the most popular tunes in opera including the lullaby, "Summertime." Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart will make his Atlanta Opera debut conducting The Atlanta Opera Orchestra, Chorus and cast. Performances are February 26, March 1, 4 and 6, 2011 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.

This production will use an innovative high-definition projection technology developed by The University of Kentucky's Center for Visualization and Virtual Environments (VIS Center). The technology, originally used for a non-theatrical use, incorporates projections and screen units that will take the place of traditional scenery and sets.

New production concept
The projections used for this new production of Porgy and Bess will depict images of real locations in Charleston, South Carolina and the barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina. Actual hurricane footage from The Weather Channel will be used in the hurricane scene. Combining these images with a minimal amount of three-dimensional pieces of scenery will create a vibrant and exciting production.

How the technology works
The VIS Center has developed a method of rear projection called SCRIBE (an acronym for self-contained rapidly integratable background environment) that creates very large rear projections using only minimal backstage area. The technology utilizes a software system that allows multiple projectors to re-create three-dimensional renderings. Multiple projectors, attached to two large movable fabric screen units, take up less than five feet of stage space, freeing the rest of the stage for singers, and ensuring that stage light will not be disrupted. The uniqueness of this technology lies in the fact that the rear-projection system utilizes such a small amount of stage space. Older rear-projection technologies required a great deal of backstage space or a complicated system of mirrors to create large images. Traditional front-projection systems often left performers "wearing the scenery."

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