The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) is a premier, state-of-the-art facility with six performance venues, supporting over 1,200 events a year. Fostering creativity, education, and performance, The Clarice houses the School of Music; School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies; The Clarice’s own artistic platform for visiting artists, Clarice Presents; and the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library. As a hub for artistic innovation, projection plays a vital role in illuminating the center’s events, productions, educational courses, and communal spaces. Each show and event is very different, demanding a variety of projection solutions along with unique installation challenges and requirements. Epson’s extensive lineup of interchangeable lens laser projectors has been crucial for meeting the diverse projection needs across multiple venues.
“Our team handles all the tech in-house, and I’m a big fan of Epson’s versatile lineup and wide range of lens options,” said Zach Rupp, projections coordinator at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. “Every project has its own unique scope of work, and being able to use the same projectors, with lenses that can be used between models, has been crucial. The projectors’ level of adaptability and ability to completely change production with a simple lens swap has been invaluable as we manage so many different types of venues and events.”
The Clarice has used Epson projectors in multiple ways for many different productions, from using nine Epson projectors to light up the stage for an opera production with projected subtitles, to students working with the projectors in the immersive media design education program, to deploying 16 projectors to transform an entire lobby for its recent NextNOW Fest 2024. Epson’s versatile lineup has allowed the center to meet everyone's diverse display needs.
NextNOW Fest Projection
In its eleventh year, the annual NextNOW Fest 2024 – an inspiring arts experience that celebrates imagination, creativity and community – took place in early September at The Clarice. A signature event in the University of Maryland's Arts for All initiative, Rupp and his team used 14 Epson large venue laser projectors to cover nearly 2,000 square feet of space in the center’s Grand Pavilion, a central hub for its six performance venues. Lighting up nearly every surface in the multi-level lobby, scenes of abstract free-flowing color and form, to marketing content and a live camera feed took over the space, displaying eye-popping color and exquisite detail that wowed guests upon arrival.
Rupp and his team created and delivered the content using a combination of the projector’s built-in curved surface mapping tools, along with blending and stacking techniques and third-party management software, including WATCHOUT 6 multi-display software. The projectors were networked together, allowing for remote access and a convenient set-and-forget solution. Some of the projectors were stacked on top of one another in Epson’s projector stacking frame to increase brightness and provide redundancy. This also provided flexible stacking and peace of mind during installation and handling.
“The entryway blew attendees away right from the start,” Rupp said. “It truly set the stage for what to expect at the rest of the festival.”
Interchangeable Lenses for Diverse Applications
Epson also works with several equipment rental and staging companies such as 4Wall to offer end users greater flexibility, whether they need a temporary rental or a lens swap based on specific projector requirements.
“4Wall has been a fantastic partner for Epson rentals, allowing us to own what we need and supplement our collection with rentals,” said Jeff Reckeweg, technology shop manager, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. “Owning and renting within the Epson projector and interchangeable lens ecosystem has been both convenient and cost-effective.”
Epson projectors provide unmatched creative possibilities and audience experiences with state-of-the-art technology, delivering exceptional color output and durability. Featuring a single lens family that supports a wide range of projectors from 6,000 to 20,000 lumens1 from ultra-short-throw to long-throw. Advanced projection technology combined with motorized lenses enables a wide range of lens shift capabilities for added installation flexibility.
“At Epson, we prioritize outstanding image quality and reliability while offering tools that make projector installations easier,” said Ramzi Shakra, senior product manager, Epson America, Inc. “The feedback we receive from end users is extremely important to us as it plays a crucial role in shaping our product development and improvements. It’s great to see The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center taking full advantage of Epson’s flexible lineup and versatile lens options.”
