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Lots of fun photos to look at, and scroll down to read what gear they used and what they had to say about their setup.
There are over 400 setups from drum set players and percussionists.
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Billy Miller
The Miller Machine
Seattle, Washington.
Newsies - Regional - Scott Elford
Scott Elford's percussion setup for Newsies at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Read/See more..."My homemade glock/timp combos started out as Promark PST3's (Performer Series Maple Timpani Mallets) that I drilled out and inserted what was left of a broken pair of Promark DFP250's…"
Love Never Dies - Tour - Aaron Nix
Aaron Nix's setup for the 2018 National Tour of Love Never Dies at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
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Seussical - Regional - Benjamin Barham-Wiese
Benjamin Barham-Wiese’s setup for Seussical at a Community Theater in New York City.
Read/See more..."I am a 15 year old high school student in New York City so it has been a lot of work going to school during the day and playing at night."
Matilda - Regional - Alec Wilmart
Alec Wilmart's setup for Matilda at the Village Theatre in Issaquah, Washington.
Read/See more..."One of the coolest things about this book is the role of the Bass Drum. I can’t stress enough how important having a concert bass drum is for this show. The lower, the better."
Peter Pan Live - TV - Paul Pizzuti
Paul Pizzuti's drum set setup for the 2014 recording session of NBC’s Peter Pan Live at Avatar Studios in New York City.
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Peter Pan Live - TV - Bill Hayes
“For Peter Pan Live!, we had terrific new orchestrations (for a 36 piece orchestra) from Doug Besterman and Danny Troob…"
Bill Hayes' percussion setup for the 2014 recording session of NBC’s Peter Pan Live at Avatar Studios in New York City.
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Beauty and the Beast - Regional - Brett Beiersdorfer
Brett Beiersdorffer setup for Second Stage Production’s Beauty and the Beast at the Maria Regina School in Seaford, New York.
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The Little Mermaid - Regional - Rex Lycan
Rex Lycan’s percussion setup for The Little Mermaid at the Howard Brubeck Theatre in San Marcos, California.
Read/See more..."There was quite a bit of Latin bongo playing in this show, as well as plenty of orchestral numbers."
Nice Work If You Can Get It - Broadway - Andy Blanco
Andy Blanco's percussion setup for the 2012/2013 Broadway Revival of Nice Work If You Can Get It at the Imperial Theatre.
Read/See more..."It worked out well to have the vibraphone and xylophone in this position because there is a lot of back and forth between the two."
Nice Work If You Can Get it - Broadway - Eric Poland
Eric Poland's drum set setup for Nice Work If You Can Get It from the 2012/2013 Broadway Revival at the Imperial Theatre.
Read/See more..."My goal was to get a sound closest to calf without having to deal with the upkeep and inconsistencies of natural heads.”
Crazy For you - Regional - Bill Klymus
Bill Klymus' percussion setup for Crazy For You at the Granville Performing Arts Center in Garland, Texas.
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Thoroughly Modern Millie - Regional - Bill Klymus
Bill Klymus' percussion setup for Thoroughly Modern Millie at the Granville Performing Arts Center in Garland, Texas.
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Pajama Game - Regional - Paul Hansen
Paul Hansen’s percussion setup for Pajama Game at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
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Romeo & Bernadette - Off Broadway - Jon Berger
Jon Berger’s setup for the 2020 Off-Broadway Premier of Romeo & Bernadette: A Musical Tale of Verona and Brooklyn at A.R.T./New York Theatres in New York City.
Read/See more..."The score combines small snippets of Medieval music, some Big Band Swing, 2-Beat, Classical, a bit of 60's Rock, and R&B."
Beauty and the Beast - Regional - Luke Hubley
Luke Hubley’s percussion setup for Beauty and the Beast at Theater Under The Stars in Houston Texas.
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The Addams Family - Broadway - Billy Miller
Billy Miller’s percussion setup for the Broadway Production of The Addams Family at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
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Austen's Pride - Regional - Dennis J. Arcano
Dennis J Arcano's setup for Austen's Pride, a new musical of Pride and Prejudice at ACT in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
Read/See more..."This setup also included six foot pedals: two on the timpani, a kick drum pedal, a hi-hat pedal..."
A Christmas Story - Tour - Laura Hamel
Laura Hamel's percussion setup for the National Tour of A Christmas Story at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, California.
Read/See more..."A new challenge presents itself with the many pedals I have to keep track of. Between the substantial amount of timpani tuning, 128 patch changes and riding a sustain pedal, you end up tap dancing your way through the show."
Tuck Everlasting - Regional - Jacob Bradshaw
Jacob Bradshaw’s combined book setup for Tuck Everlasting at Hale Center Theater in Sandy, Utah.
Read/See more..."I combined the percussion and drum set book, which was quite the undertaking."
Evita - Broadway, Buenos Aires Live - Dave Roth
Live performance of Dave Roth playing the percussion book for Buenos Aires from the 2012-2013 Broadway Revival of Evita at the Marquis Theatre.
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Evita - Broadway - Dave Roth
Dave Roth's percussion setup for the 2012-2013 Broadway Revival of Evita at the Marquis Theatre.
Read/See more..."I was very fortunate to be given a lot of leeway in creating my own part for this tune and particularly my own timbale solo."
Evita - Broadway - Bill Lanham
Bill Lanham's drum set setup for the 2012-2013 Broadway Revival of Evita at the Marquis Theatre.
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Cats - Regional - Brandon Miller
Brandon Miller's combined book for Cats at the Dutch Apple Dinner Theater in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
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Cats - Broadway - Bill Lanham
Bill Lanham’s drum set setup for the 2016-2017 Broadway Revival of Cats at the Neil Simon Theatre.
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Cats - Broadway - Dave Roth
Dave Roth’s percussion setup for the 2016-2017 Broadway revival of Cats at the Neil Simon Theatre.
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Working - Regional - Dennis J. Arcano
Dennis J. Arcano’s setup for a brand new, multimedia production of Stephen Schwartz's Working at ACT in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
Read/See more..."The drum set is a 1989 Pearl Export that I stripped off the original black drum wraps."
Parade - Regional - Sho Fujieda
Sho Fujieda's setup for Parade at Fullerton College in Fullerton, California.
Read/See more..."Here's a fun technique I used that was shown to me by another pit percussionist. Instead of having a full set of crotales for the single crotale note, I hit the glockenspiel with a finger cymbal on the high E flat."
Ragtime - International - Craig Given
Craig Given's combined book setup for Ragtime at the National Academy for Singing and Dramatic Art (3rd Year Students Production) in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Read/See more...“I decided to take the two books (drum set and percussion) and combine as much as possible into a single book.”
Pippin - Regional - Brian Kilgore
Brian Kilgore's setup for Pippin at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, California.
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Godspell - Regional - Greg Hersey
Greg Hersey's setup for Godspell at the Players by the Sea Theatre in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.
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Waitress - Tour - Noah Hadland
Noah Hadland's setup for the 2nd National Tour of Waitress at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Read/See more..."While having all the cymbals and drums to hit in a 360 setup is always fun, it's been an awesome experience to try to get the most out of this smaller setup."
Into The Woods - Regional - Rex Lycan
Rex Lycan’s setup for Into The Woods at the Old Town Temecula Theater in Temecula, California.
Read/See more..."At the end of the second act and at the end of 'Maybe They're Magic' there are tons of quick switches between snare drum and bells/xylophone. In order to achieve these difficult changes…"
How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Regional - Russ Nyberg
Russ Nyberg's combined book setup for Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.
Read/See more..."There are so many moments where a suspended cymbal roll or timpani hit is snuck into the middle of a groove."
How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Cast Album - Greg Landes
Greg Landes’ drum set setup for the cast album of Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! at the Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom in New York City.
Read/See more..."The show originally opened in 2006 but we finally got to create a fantastic cast album this past August 2013."
How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Cast Album - Dave Roth
Dave Roth's percussion setup for the cast album of Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! at the Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom in New York City.
Read/See more..."It was a very unique experience in that the entire 14 piece band was in the same room with no baffling."
How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Regional - Greg Landes
Greg Landes' combined book setup for Dr Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! at the Wang Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts.
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How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Madison Square Garden - Dave Roth
Dave Roth's percussion setup for the 2014 Madison Square Garden production of Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! in New York City.
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How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Madison Square Garden - Greg Landes
Greg Landes' drum set setup for the 2014 Madison Square Garden production of Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! in New York City.
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Hello Dolly - Broadway - Andy Blanco
Andy Blanco’s percussion setup for the Broadway production of Hello Dolly at the Shubert Theatre.
Read/See more...“Other than a few sections with some very fast instrument switches, the book is straight ahead and a lot of fun to play.”
Dreamgirls - Regional - Jim Reif
Jim Reif’s drum set setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.
Read/See more...“The fun never stops and the train keeps on moving.”
Dreamgirls - Regional - Alec Wilmart
Alec Wilmart’s percussion setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.
Read/See more...“I listened to a lot of Jackie Wilson, James Brown, Temptations, Supremes, and Earth Wind and Fire to help prepare the different bongo and conga grooves.”
Urinetown - Regional - Eli Maniscalco
Eli Maniscalco’s setup for Urinetown at the YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts in Bay Shore, New York.
Read/See more..."As a working musician who gigs around town, I favor lightweight hardware that packs up small..."
Aladdin - Tour - Joshua Mark Samuels
Joshua Mark Samuels’ percussion setup for the North American tour of Aladdin at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
Read/See more...“I had to figure out ways to make the rig smaller without losing any instruments, even to the point of having to crawl under the xylophone in order to get in and out of the setup itself.”
Aladdin - Tour - Danny Taylor
Danny Taylor’s drum set setup for the North American tour of Aladdin at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
Read/See more...“I took the jingles off of an LP Cyclops Jingle Ring and placed a band of ankle bells on it instead, which I then attached to a DW Lowboy Hi Hat Pedal.”
Most Happy Fella - Regional - Erik Charlston
Erik Charlston's setup from the Encores! production of Most Happy Fella at City Center in New York City.
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Cinderella - Broadway - Bill Hayes
Bill Hayes' percussion setup for the Broadway production of Cinderella at the Broadway Theatre in New York City.
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Bright Star - Tour - Steve Bartosik and Joe Mowatt
Joe Mowatt on Steve Bartosik’s setup for the National Tour of Bright Star.
Read/See more..."The use of a Remo Frame Drum on a towel on top of the floor tom made for a perfect ‘suitcase’ sound when played with Promark Broomsticks."
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying - Regional - Alec Wilmart
Alec Wilmart's drum set setup for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
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How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying - Regional - Paul Hansen
Paul Hansen's percussion setup for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
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The Producers - International - Lindsay Kaul
Lindsay Kaul’s percussion setup for The Producers at The Players Theater in Port Macquarie in New South Wales, Australia.
Read/See more...“Due to a lack of players in a small theatre community in Regional NSW, Australia, I took up the parts of keyboard, harp, oboe and percussion.”
On The Town - Broadway - Rich Rosenzweig
Rich Rosenzweig's drum set setup for the Broadway production of On The Town at the Lyric Theatre in New York City.
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On The Town - Broadway - Charlie Descarfino
Charlie Descarfino's percussion setup for the Broadway production of On The Town at the Lyric Theatre in New York City.
Read/See more..."A first here on Broadway for me, is the use of a 23" timpani…"
Dear Evan Hansen - Tour - Ryan McCausland
Ryan McCausland’s setup for the National Tour of Dear Evan Hansen at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
Read/See more..."Being a part of this production has been an absolute dream come true for me."
Mamma Mia - Broadway - David Nyberg
David Nyberg's percussion setup for the Broadway production of Mamma Mia at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City.
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Mamma Mia - Broadway - Ray Marchica
Ray Marchica's drum set setup for the Broadway production of Mamma Mia at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City.
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Mary Poppins - Regional - Alec Wilmart
Alec Wilmart's percussion setup for the 2014-2015 Winter production of Mary Poppins at the Village Theatre in Everett, Washington.
Read/See more..."Step In Time' is a real challenge, with some quick switches between Xylophone and Timpani, and if I had to do it all over again, I would have put the Bass Drum on the other side of the Timpani to facilitate that."
Mary Poppins - Regional - Chris Monroe
Chris Monroe's drum set setup for the 2014-2015 Winter production of Mary Poppins at the Village Theatre in Everett, Washington.
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Pageant - Regional - Scot Sexton
Scot Sexton’s setup for Pageant: The Musical Comedy Beauty Competition at ACT Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
Read/See more...“This was for the premiere show of A Sensible Theatre Company in Seattle, Washington. It is a wonderful drum book, covering lots of different styles of music.
The Little Mermaid - Regional - Ethan Deppe
Ethan Deppe’s setup for The Little Mermaid at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.
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Side Show - Broadway, Cast Album - Larry Lelli
Larry Lelli's drum set setup for the recording session at Avatar Studios, New York City, for the 2014/2015 Broadway Revival of Side Show.
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Side Show - Broadway, Cast Album - Billy Miller
Billy Miller's percussion setup for the cast album session at Avatar Studios, New York City, for the 2014/2015 Broadway Revival of Side Show.
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Side Show - Broadway - Billy Miller
Billy Miller's percussion setup for the 2014/2015 Broadway Revival of Side Show at the St. James Theatre in New York City.
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Side Show - Broadway - Larry Lelli
Larry Lelli's drum set setup for the 2014/2015 Broadway Revival of Side Show at the St. James Theatre in New York City.
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Something Rotten - Broadway - Perry Cavari
Perry Cavari's drum set setup for the 2015/2017 original Broadway production of Something Rotten at the St James Theatre.
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Something Rotten - Broadway - Sean Ritenauer
Sean Ritenauer's percussion setup for the 2015/2017 original Broadway production of Something Rotten at the St James Theatre.
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Les Miserables - Regional - Guy Gauthreaux
Guy Gauthreaux's setup for Les Miserables at the Theatre Baton Rouge in Baton Rogue, Louisiana.
Read/See more..."The 70‘s Mercedes Benz hubcap is used for the ‘copper pot’ and ‘garbage can lid’ as it produces many various sounds and definitely ‘elevates’ the look and feel of the setup"
Radio City Christmas Spectacular - Mario DeCiutiis, Dave Roth, Matt Beaumont
Mario DeCiutiis, Dave Roth, and Matt Beaumont’s percussion setup for the 2014 Radio City Christmas Spectacular in New York City.
Read/See more..."Most of the percussion is played on the PanKATs. The white lettering is used to remind the players which pad triggers which sample."
Radio City Christmas Spectacular - Kyle Maxwell-Doherty, Joshua Mark Samuels
Kyle Maxwell-Doherty and Joshua Mark Samuels' percussion setup for the 2015 Radio City Christmas Spectacular in New York City.
Read/See more..."Having the ability to perform the majority of the book on electronic percussion instruments (save the timpani) allows the rest of the band to spread out physically and save their ears in the pit. However, the main reason for the extensive use of electronic percussion is the control and flexibility it affords the section."
A Christmas Story - Tour - Matt Watson
Newsies - Broadway - Paul Davis
Paul Davis' setup for the Broadway production of Newsies at the Nederlander Theatre in New York City.
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Mary Poppins - International - Nick Apivor
Nick Apivor's combined set up for Mary Poppins at the Western Canada Theatre in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada.
Read/See more..."As I was the only percussionist I needed to cover both percussion 1 and 2 books."
New York Spectacular at Radio City - Joshua Mark Samuels
Joshua's Mark Samuels' drum set setup for the New York Spectacular at Radio City.
Read/See more..."This show was incredible not just because the orchestra and music was fantastic, but also because during one number in the middle of the show, the percussionist and I got off the band car, changed into costumes and headed up to the stage where we ran down the aisle and performed bucket solos."
Chicago - International - Tim Sellars
Tim Sellars' setup for Chicago at the Court Theatre in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Read/See more..."For the ‘clank’ sound I went with a car brake drum..."
Bandstand - Broadway - Adam Wolfe
Adam Wolfe’s setup for the Broadway production of Bandstand at the Bernard B Jacobs Theatre in New York City.
Read/See more...“When the onstage drummer is playing, I’m either tacet or playing percussion.”
The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Regional - Paul Hansen
Paul Hansen's setup for the The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
Read/See more..."The Tam Tam has the mounted 'throw ‘n’ go' mallet mount."
Miss Saigon - Tour - Russ Nyberg
Russ Nyberg's combined book setup for the 2018-2019 National Tour of Miss Saigon at the Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, Rhode Island.
Read/See more..."I remember the learning curve being a lot steeper verses other shows because there was a bit of choreography and memorization involved. I ran the show down every day to prep as a sub and it certainly benefitted me once I played my first show."
Curtains - International - Rob Holinaty
Rob Holinaty’s combined book setup for Curtains at the Drury Lane Theatre in Burlington, Ontario, Canada.
Read/See more..."I am running a microKORG as a MIDI controller through my MacBook Pro into MainStage..."
Pippin - Regional - Will Marinelli
Will Marinelli's percussion setup for the Hightstown High School's production of Pippin in Hightstown, New Jersey.
Read/See more..."Just prior to downbeat on our final show, the soundboard died."
Groundhog Day - Broadway - Howard Joines
Howard Joines’ setup from the 2017 Broadway production of Groundhog Day at the August Wilson Theatre in New York City.
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Sweeney Todd - Regional - Sam Wisman
Sam Wisman’s combined book setup for Sweeney Todd at Kansas City Repertory Theatre.
Read/See more..."I mount as much as possible from STRONG cymbal stands and stack cymbals to save space and allow easy one handed rolls."
The King and I - Broadway - Dan Haskins
Dan Haskins' percussion set up for Lincoln Center Theater’s production of The King and I, winner of the 2015 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival.
Read/See more..."This was the largest orchestra running on Broadway at 29 players, and also the largest cast at 51 actors/dancers. The drum-set and percussion parts were all played by one person."
Lion King - Broadway - Carter McLean
Carter McLean's drum set setup for the Broadway production of Lion King currently running at the Minskoff Theatre.
Read/See more..."The best part of this show is all the styles you get to play. It has an African/Pop core and then branches off to Rock, Latin, R&B Ballads, and Big Drum breaks."
In The Heights - Regional - Brett Beiersdorfer
Brett Beiersdorfer's setup for In the Heights at the CM Performing Arts Center in Oakdale, New York.
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Tarzan - Regional - Rob Guilford
Rob Guilford's percussion setup for Tarzan at the White Plains Performing Arts Center in White Plains, New York.
Read/See more..."Space was very tight in the theater, so having the malletKAT for all of the mallet and timpani parts was a lifesaver."
Tarzan - Regional - Rob Fedson
Rob Fedson's setup for Tarzan at the Palace Theatre in Georgetown, Texas (Austin area).
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The Light in the Piazza - Broadway - Billy Miller
Billy Miller's setup for the Broadway production of The Light in the Piazza at the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center.
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Next to Normal - International - Tim Collins
Tim Collins' setup for Next to Normal at Macquarie University in New South Wales, Australia.
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Smokey Joe's Cafe - Regional - Debbie Minnichelli
Debbie Minnichelli's percussion setup for Smokey Joe's Cafe at the Stage Door Repertory Theatre in Anaheim, California.
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Wicked - Broadway - Matt Vander Ende
Matt Vander Ende's drum set setup from the currently running Broadway production of Wicked at the Gershwin Theatre.
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Wicked - Broadway - Andy Jones
Andy Jones' percussion setup from the currently running Broadway production of Wicked at the Gershwin Theatre.
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The Light In The Piazza - Concert - Billy Miller
Billy Miller's setup for the Lincoln Center Benefit Concert of The Light In The Piazza.
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Hairspray - International - Craig Given
Craig Given's percussion setup for Hairspray at the Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch, New Zealand for Showbiz Christchurch.
Read/See more..."I made some special double sided mallets to deal with the fast changes between glock and timpani in 'I Can Hear the Bells'"
Chaplin - Broadway - Shannon Ford
Life After - International - Jamie Drake
Jamie Drake's setup for the premiere of Life After at the Berkeley Street Theatre in Toronto, Canada.
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Spamalot - International - Petter Nilsen
Petter Nilsen’s combined book setup for Spamalot at Romerike Folkehøgskole, in Jessheim, Norway.
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Dirty Dancing - Tour - Ryan McCausland
Ryan McCausland's percussion setup for the National Tour of Dirty Dancing at the Eisenhower Auditorium at Penn State in University Park, Pennsylvania.
Read/See more..."Because the orchestra is meant to play a role in the show, many of us were worked into certain scenes and have onstage appearances during certain numbers."
The Wizard of Oz - International - George English
George English’s setup for The Wizard of Oz at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England.
Read/See more..."As you’ll see from the photos, there’s a large amount of gear, some might say excessive..."
Ain't Misbehavin' - Regional - Scot Sexton
Scot Sexton’s setup for the Seattle Musical Theater's production of Ain’t Misbehavin’ in Seattle, Washington.
Read/See more..."The drums I chose on this production are refurbished vintage Ludwig’s that I put Slingerland Beavertails on."