DH: It’s great to have you in this new role, Joe! As Vice President of Theatrical Services, can you give us a birds-eye view of where the industry is at right now?

JT: You know, it's interesting because though the industry is changing and evolving, it's still remaining the same in certain ways.

I think we're starting to see a lot of more experimental shows. Not only that, but we are seeing shows that have people attached to them that are “known” names. That wasn’t as common before. More and more famous artists are veering off from the norm to try something a little more experimental, which I think is very exciting.

You’re seeing this in new works, but you’re also seeing this modern interpretations of older productions. 

DH: Would you say that trend started with the Broadway revival of Oklahoma a few years ago?

JT: I'd say it goes back beyond that. John Doyle was one of the first to do it with Sweeney Todd. If you remember, the 2005 revival (with Patti LuPone and Michael Cerveris) had a cast who also played their own instruments. It was a relatively minimalist production, but, the story was told beautifully because of this unique performance dynamic. I think that was really the tipping point, where we started to see modern interpretations with scaled-down versions.

All of this certainly led over to Oklahoma. Now it's A Doll's House, now it's Sunset Boulevard. There have been a bunch like that, which is really exciting.

DH: On the other end of the spectrum, we’ve seen a trend in recent years to have LED walls as the focal – and sometimes integral – set piece. You’ve also got space for more traditional sets. Do any of these approaches intersect?

JT: Some of the best work has been done when these different concepts meet one another. Think back to Mary Poppins on Broadway; everything in the show was hand painted. All the scenery was traditionally built. But then even they integrated projections that added little elements onto those pieces. You had birds flying in the background on a drop. You had projected smoke, billowing up from these painted houses that were on a backdrop. It was phenomenal to see.

DH: I’m sure.

JT: Another example is what is happening now at Back to the Future. The show has these hard scenic elements, like the outside of the school or town hall. The audience will see the hard piece, but then, in the next scene, it's a projection. Because the audience has already seen the scenery, though, it almost tricks their brains into thinking they’re seeing a 3D piece… because they already saw it true to life, its quite a trick!

DH: I haven’t seen the show but hope to change that soon. Without spoiling anything, why would they switch it up? 

JT: Not only is it a great effect, but the projections allow more room in certain scenes. It’s a smart solution to a problem productions have had for years: how do you have these big, beautiful sets with a show that demands a lot of movement onstage? Back to the Future demonstrates an elegant solution.

DH: And it’s not just in theater. I know concerts have been doing stuff like this, too.

JT: Right! I saw Taylor Swift’s tour over the holidays, and she had the same type of thing: there were video walls, but she also had hard scenic elements in front of them. For example, she’ll be sitting in some underground, woodsy-type space. The projections are all the trees in the forest behind her, but she also has a tangible set piece to climb, sit, and interact with. It adds something that would be sorely missing if it were just video projections behind her.

DH: You know, there’s this assumption out there that more traditional sets are more expensive than some of the modern, digital-only work.

JT: Well, I think that that's a misconception because it turns out that it's not necessarily cheaper or more expensive to go one way or another.

DH: How so?

JT: Well, you’re either paying someone a lot of money to create the assets and the artwork that will then be printed or you're paying the craftsmen to create a digital version of the same. 

The digital version also often comes with a necessity for LED walls, which productions will have to rent. No one can afford to purchase them, especially when they need to be as high quality as you might want. Plus, if you own them, you have the added costs of maintaining them on a regular basis. So; you have to rent them which can be prohibitively expensive.

I’m nu suggesting this should scare anyone off from going with more modern designs when the show’s concept calls for it. I’m simply saying that costs between more traditional and more modern approaches are often on par with one another.

DH: Speaking of financial decisions – and I don’t think your average theater fan knows this – shows often partner with production management firms like Tinc to make sure everything runs smoothly. There are a fair number of companies that offer management services. What makes Tinc stand out?

JT: So much, one thing at the top of the list is the additional support clients receive when they partner with Tinc. Productions who work with us not only get the team that working directly on that show, but they also get the support of all of Tinc’s backbone, along with all of the institutional knowledge that comes with.

DH: What might that look like?

JT: Take me, for example. I was a scenic painter for a long time. When it comes to set construction, set finishing, things like that, I have long-standing institutional knowledge. When I’m on a production and the the carpenters run into an issue with how things fit or how things play in the space, I am able to, on a dime, offer suggestions that can solve the issue efficiently and effectively.

All of our team members bring something like this to the table. We have a deep bench. When it comes to stage management, scheduling, or understanding Equity or IATSE rules, we have people already working on the shows in other areas that can help clarify or assist at a moment’s notice.

DH: That makes a huge difference, especially since many productions are a much bigger endeavor than initially anticipated. 

JT: When this inevitably happens, mistakes can happen if it’s only one person or several people with similar experience overseeing things. If scope creep scales up – and it almost always does, due to the general nature of the business – Tinc has the support to be able to scale up to meet the challenge. 

Tinc is also lucky because, when a show ends up getting a lot bigger than we anticipated, we have other people at the office that we can add onto the show for support.

It has become a trend in the industry that management teams are brought onto projects earlier and earlier than they were in the past. This is a good thing, but when a lot of important elements have not yet been decided, teams obviously don't know at the outset what the look of the show will end up being.

Tinc is in a unique position because our company is ready to tackle those unknowns, whenever they may pop up. We have the wealth of knowledge and the group of people to do it.

DH: Tinc also has a bunch of relationships with other creators in the industry.

JT: We have a rolodex that is a mile long of designers, stage managers, all sorts of creatives we've worked with in the past. When companies mention to us that they are having a hard time finding a specific discipline for a show, we can source a number of professionals we would expect to be a good fit. This is an incredibly very valuable resource, especially since the pre-production tends to be so much more condensed lately.

DH: That brings me to the final point I wanted to touch on. When you're putting together a team, what do you look for?

JT: Our teams are vetted to make sure we have the right people on any given project. To join our roster at Tinc, you have to have experience, know how, and, if needed for a particular role; certifications – just to make it to the interview phase. You’ve got to have the skills.

Our interview process is then all about how you would fit into the Tinc culture. We pride ourselves on diversity and inclusion, so we want to make sure we hire people who are supportive team members. Beyond that, we look for people who have a growth-mindset. Are they hungry? Are they continuing to hone their craft? Are they kind? Do they present themselves in a professional manner? Do they have a solid work ethic?

From a work standpoint, Other than the amount of seats in a theater, there is no difference between Broadway and off-Broadway. the professionals working on these shows are still doing the same amount of work. We expect the same quality of work and dedication from our off-Broadway technicians as we do from Broadway techs.

No matter what project we work on, our team brings the highest standards along with them. When we find people who share this same mindset, they make tremendous additions to our roster. They win. The client wins. Tinc wins.