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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.
Beetlejuice - Broadway - Joshua Mark Samuels
Joshua Mark Samuels' percussion setup for the Broadway production of Beetlejuice at the Winter Garden Theatre.
Read/See more...“Kris (Orchestrator/Music Director) wrote some really challenging and non-stop percussion parts, which included fun toys like a waterphone, boxing bell, and flexatone, just to name a few.”
Finding Neverland - Broadway - Joe Choroszewski
Joe Choroszewski’s drum set setup for the Broadway production of Finding Neverland at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
Read/See more..."The Roland pad is mostly integrated with the acoustic kit playing sampled sounds such as concert bass drum, metal pots and pans, and power toms with reverb."
Finding Neverland - Broadway - Dave Roth
Dave Roth’s percussion setup for the Broadway production of Finding Neverland at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
Read/See more..."One of the biggest challenges in deciding what instruments to use was deciphering Simon’s descriptions due to his London background."
Memphis - Regional - Whitney Kessling
Whitney Kessling’s setup for Memphis at the Playhouse on the Square in Memphis, Tennessee.
Read/See more...“It was a pretty straight forward drum set show, and fortunately it used a triangle for one song, so I got to use my Miller Machine!”
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."
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."
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.”
Once On This Island - Tour - Mariana Ramirez
Mariana Ramirez's setup for the National Tour of Once On This Island at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.
Read/See more..."This unique hybrid set up...combined the basic structure of a drum set (kick drum, snare drum, hi hat, and cymbals) with hand drums such as congas, bongos, djembe, and surdo, making the congas the central sound of this set up instead of the snare drum."
Cinderella - Regional - David Glover
David Glover's setup for Cinderella at the North Allegheny Senior High School just North of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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In the Heights - Regional - Patrick Lehosky
Patrick Lehosky's setup for In the Heights at the CM Performing Arts Center in Oakdale, New York.
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The Cradle Will Rock - New York City Center Encores! - Billy Miller
Billy Miller's setup from the New York City Center Encores! production of The Cradle Will Rock.
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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 Last Ship - Broadway - Trey Files
Trey Files' setup for the Broadway production of Sting's The Last Ship at the Neil Simon Theatre.
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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.
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Mamma Mia - Broadway - David Nyberg
David Nyberg's percussion setup for the Broadway production of Mamma Mia at the Broadhurst Theatre.
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Guys and Dolls - Regional - Kory Andry
Kory Andry's setup for Guys and Dolls at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Read/See more..."Using Regal Tip Conga Sticks allows for movement from conga/bongos/djembe to timbales and crash cymbal."
The Life - Regional - Matthew Dudek
Matthew Dudek's percussion setup for Cy Coleman’s The Life at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.
Read/See more..."Like most percussion books, the difficulty was primarily in the choreography of instrument to instrument."
The Last Ship - Broadway - Joe Bonadio
Joe Bonadio's setup for the Broadway production of Sting's The Last Ship at the Neil Simon Theatre.
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How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Madison Square Garden - Dave Roth
Dave Roth's percussion setup for the 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 Madison Square Garden production of Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
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Big Fish - Broadway - Billy Miller
Billy Miller's percussion setup for the Broadway production of Big Fish at the Neil Simon Theatre.
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Big Fish - Session - Billy Miller
Billy Miller's percussion setup for the cast recording of the Broadway musical Big Fish at MSR Studios in New York City.
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Big Fish - Broadway - Perry Cavari
Perry Cavari's drum set setup for the Broadway production of Big Fish at the Neil Simon Theatre.
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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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Something Rotten - Broadway - Sean Ritenauer
Sean Ritenauer's percussion setup for the Broadway production of Something Rotten at the St James Theatre.
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Something Rotten - Broadway - Perry Cavari
Perry Cavari's drum set setup for the Broadway production of Something Rotten at the St James Theatre.
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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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Pippin - Broadway - Sean Ritenauer
Sean Ritenauer's setup for the Broadway revival of Pippin at the Music Box Theatre.
Read/See more..."Probably the most obscure part of the book is a tune where I don’t use a score at all. I have a whole routine of sound effects in quick succession that go directly with acrobatic and circus tricks happening on stage."
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.”
Aladdin - Broadway - Mike Englander
Mike Englander’s setup for the Broadway production of Aladdin at the New Amsterdam Theatre.
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Aladdin - Broadway - John Redsecker
John Redsecker’s drum set setup for the Broadway production of Aladdin at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City.
May 2014
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..."
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."
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."
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."
Spamalot - International - Petter Nilsen
Petter Nilsen’s combined book setup for Spamalot at Romerike Folkehøgskole, in Jessheim, Norway.
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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..."
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."
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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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."
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."
Wicked - Tour - Tim Mulligan
Tim Mulligan's drum set setup for the National Tour of Wicked at the Paramount Theater in Seattle, Washington.
At this performance, Chris Jago was subbing for Tim.
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Wicked - Tour - Paul Hansen
Paul Hansen’s percussion setup for the National Tour of Wicked at the Paramount Theater in Seattle, Washington.Read/See more..."Stack it tall, keep it tight."
On The Town - Broadway - Charlie Descarfino
Charlie Descarfino's percussion setup for the Broadway production of On The Town at the Lyric Theatre.
Read/See more..."A first here on Broadway for me, is the use of a 23" timpani…"
On The Town - Broadway - Rich Rosenzweig
Rich Rosenzweig's drum set setup for the Broadway production of On The Town at the Lyric Theatre.
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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.”
Cats - Broadway - Dave Roth
Dave Roth’s percussion setup for the Broadway revival of Cats at the Neil Simon Theatre.
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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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Allegiance - Broadway - Joe Mowatt
Joe Mowatt's setup for the Broadway production of Allegiance at the Longacre Theatre.
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Cinderella - Broadway - Rich Rosenzweig
Rich Rosenzweig's drum set setup for the Broadway production of Cinderella at the Broadway Theatre.
Read/See more..."We're all very lucky in this pit, relying almost exclusively on acoustic sound and very little monitor use."
Cinderella - Broadway - Bill Hayes
Bill Hayes' percussion setup for the Broadway production of Cinderella at the Broadway Theatre.
Read/See more..."The bells are mounted over the xylophone, and I play virtually everything on both with the same pair of mallets, innovative OS4 in this case, which also work on the nearby bell tree and Mark Tree."
Lyrics and Lyricists - 92nd Street "Y" - Billy Miller
Billy Miller's setup for Brush Up Your Shakespeare: The Bard and the Broadway Musical from the "Lyrics and Lyricists" series at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.
Read/See more..."…I decided to bind my music to easily move the book from stand to stand."
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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A Chorus Line - Regional - Paul Hansen
Paul Hansen's percussion setup for A Chorus Line at The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
Read/See more..."The one thing I also point out to students tackling this show for the first time is…"
A Chorus Line - Regional - Alec Wilmart
Alec Wilmart's drum set setup for A Chorus Line at The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
Read/See more..."The Yamaha Oak Custom was a great kit for this show, tuned pretty much wide open with gel mutes to emulate that '70s ‘Dead Drum’ sound"
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."
The "Whoopie Case" - Paul Hansen
Paul Hansen's "Whoopie Case".Read/See more..."One should always carry an emergency kit to every gig. You never know when you'll need a last minute shaker, duck call, slide whistle, kazoo, jaw harp…."
Pippin - Broadway - Jared Schonig
Jared Schonig's drum set setup for the Broadway revival of Pippin at the Music Box Theatre.
Read/See more..."Our revival is enhanced by wonderful circus elements so, in addition to Pippin's classic rock and pop songs…"
Funny Girl - Regional - Alec Wilmart
Alec Wilmart's combined book setup for Funny Girl at the Village Theatre in Issaquah, Washington.
Read/See more..."Combining the two parts on this show presented some interesting challenges"
Les Miserables - Regional - Don Sanderson
Don Sanderson's setup for The Orlando Shakespeare Theater production of Les Miserables in Orlando Florida.
Read/See more..."The book also calls for a scrape across a wind gong and because I don't own one I used my 20” Zildjian K Flat Ride. I tipped it sideways like a hanging gong and it works fine."
Tarzan - Regional - Angel Williams
Angel Williams’ combined book setup for Tarzan at the Kensington Theatre Company in South Jordan, Utah.
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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."
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."
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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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 - 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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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.”