University of Michigan's Marching Band's 9/11 Memorial Halftime Show was designed to be an unforgettable show. Everyone on the field had a specially-designed jumpsuit that was put on over the uniforms each of the performers wore for the rest of the football game. The band members wore LED pixels on their shakos, each flag pole was outfitted with an LED pixel, and umbrellas were created to represent each state that also featured their own pixels.
The week of the game, three Theatre Design and Production students (including me) were brought on to the project to assist with prop creation, technical details, and execution of the program on game day. In the days before the game, we also acted as facility liasons, craft services, and worked out logistics of transportation of each of the contractors for the show. Day of, we were on the field and ensuring smooth transition from the stands to the tunnel (prop / costume acquisition) to the field.
That week, I oversaw the creation and acquision of props by a team of volunteers:
- 300+ Coveralls, each painted with different UV paint designs
- 50 Umbrellas, each representing one of the States
- 50 Umbrella covers painted with UV paint with individual designs
- 38 High-voltage flashlights with attatchments to condense their beam path
On game day, I was in charge of overseeing the 400+ performers acquiring their props and costumes in the tunnel. Gaff tape in hand and a tunnel supervisor in my ear, I safely coordinated acquisition and movement onto the field with two football teams running through the tunnel mere moments before our movement onto the field.
