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Lots of fun setups to look at.
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There are over 400 setups from drum set players and percussionists.
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Billy Miller
The Miller Machine
Seattle, Washington.
Aladdin - London's West End - Shan Chana
Shan Chana's percussion setup for Aladdin at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London's West End.
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Hairspray - International - Tim Sellars
Tim Sellars' drum set setup for Hairspray at the Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch, New Zealand for Showbiz Christchurch.
Read/See more..."You'll notice that I have a heavy set up of gear on my left side and this is due to me playing open handed."
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'"
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.”
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."
Evita - International - Craig Given
Craig Given’s percussion setup for Showbiz Christchurch’s production of Evita at the Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Read/See more...“I enjoyed being able to mix guaguanco and samba influenced conga rhythms in this tune, along with some nice opportunities for timbale fills and cascara patterns.”
Evita - International - Tim Sellars
Tim Sellars’ drum set setup for Showbiz Christchurch’s production of Evita at the Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Read/See more...“You may notice that I have the majority of my cymbals on my left side as well as a floor tom to the left of the hi-hat. This is due to me being a left hander, playing on a right handed kit.”
Fiddler On The Roof - Regional - Chris Roberts
Chris Roberts’ setup for Fiddler On The Roof at the Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire.
Read/See more...“I played around with my cymbal choices a bit but went with a 16" and 18" crash. There isn't very much ‘riding’ and I wanted the option to be able to have two crash sounds.”
Fame - Tour - Brett Beiersdorfer
Brett's drum-set setup for the national tour of Fame - The Musical at the Stanley Theatre in Utica, New York.Read/See more...
Little Shop of Horrors - Regional - Skyler Fortgang
Skyler Fortgang’s percussion setup for Little Shop of Horrors at The Livingston Theater Company at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
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Pippin - Regional - Michael Dooley
Michael Dooley’s percussion setup for Pippin at Heritage High School in Frisco, Texas. This is the 2006 MTI version.
Read/See more...“I had to pick and choose which instruments I could cover per number, using the criteria 1) ‘Can I do this and still sound good’ and 2) ‘What is the most important sound to have here’”.
Finding Neverland - Tour - Greg Germann
Greg Germann’s combined book setup for the National Tour of the Broadway show Finding Neverland at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
Read/See more...“The orchestra read was really fun because Elliott Kennedy, the composer and Simon Hale, the orchestrator, were open to letting me try out a few new things.”
Seussical - Regional - Chris Roberts
Chris Roberts’ combined book for the Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School production of Seussical in South Hamilton, Massachusetts.
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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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Urinetown - Regional - Chris Roberts
Chris Roberts’ setup for Urinetown at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Read/See more...“…This was when I was told the pit was literally a pit (no stairs, or elevators) and the only access were two ladders (one on either side)”
Ragtime - Regional - Paul Hansen
Paul Hansen’s setup for Ragtime at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
Read/See more...“Seen here are many of my usual stock effects…”
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.”
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.”
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.”
Seussical - Regional - Scot Sexton
Scot Sexton’s combined book setup for Seussical with Broadway Bound in Seattle, Washington.
Read/See more...“…I knew I would be juggling sticks, page turns, shakers, and beaters so as I was combining the books I was also working on my layout and choreography.”
Cats - Broadway - Dave Roth
Dave Roth’s percussion setup for the Broadway revival of Cats at the Neil Simon Theatre.
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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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Miss Saigon - Broadway - Ray Marchica
Ray Marchica's drum set setup for the 2017-2018 Broadway revival of Miss Saigon at the Broadway Theatre.
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Miss Saigon - Broadway - Chihiro Shibayama
Chihiro Shibayama's percussion setup for the 2017-2018 Broadway revival of Miss Saigon at the Broadway Theatre.
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The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - International - Rob Holinaty
Rob Holinaty’s setup for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Drury Lane Theatre in Burlington, Ontario, Canada.
Read/See more...“Incorporating the electronics has saved me a lot of space without sacrificing parts of the score.”
Seussical - Regional - Brandon Levesque
Brandon Levesque’s percussion setup for Rhode Island College’s production of Seussical.
Read/See more..."For the crotale sound, I cut a timbale mallet down and screwed a finger cymbal to the top, using that as a mallet on the bells."
Hello, Dolly! - Broadway - Andy Blanco
Andy Blanco’s percussion setup for the Broadway production of Hello, Dolly!
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.”
Between The Lines - Regional - Sam Wisman
Sam Wisman’s setup for the world premiere and regional tryout of Between The Lines at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri.
Read/See more...“The styles and sounds required range from classic Broadway to swing, vaudeville, orchestral, rock, and disco.”
In The Heights - Regional - Angel Williams
Angel Williams’ percussion setup for In The Heights at the Judge Memorial High School in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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Groundhog Day - Broadway - Howard Joines
Howard Joines’ setup for the Broadway production of Groundhog Day at the August Wilson Theatre.
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Kiss Me Kate - Regional - Scot Sexton
Scot Sexton’s combined book setup for the Seattle Musical Theaters production of Kiss Me Kate in Seattle, Washington.
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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."
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..."
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..."
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."
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.”
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."
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."
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."
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..."
Spamalot - International - Petter Nilsen
Petter Nilsen’s combined book setup for Spamalot at Romerike Folkehøgskole, in Jessheim, Norway.
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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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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."
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."
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."
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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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."
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."