"In addition to writing books, designing computer games, consulting and other things, Bill Gutsch reports ... "Where in the Universe is Carmen Sandiego?" (which he wrote, produced and directed) is now playing in 15 planetariums across the US and Canada including Vancouver, Boston and Denver. In places, it has become the most popular show ever presented. In Eugene, Jon Elvert reports attendance up 60% while Derrick Pitts reports similar figures in Philadelphia and for 1998, in Salt Lake attendance increased 97% thanks to Carmen and her Gang according to Hansen's Richard Cox. Will there be a sequel? Will Carmen develop warp drive and go after the giant black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy? Stay tuned.
Elsewhere, "Hubble: Visions Through Time" written by Bill opened this spring at the Coca Cola Space Science Center in Columbus, Georgia and the Hansen Planetarium in Salt Lake. "Encounter: The Search for Life in Space" also opened at the CCSSC in late spring and will play through the summer.
"Journey to Infinity", Bill's premier show for the new 300+ seat L'Hemisferic Planetarium/IMAX Theater (Europe's largest planetarium and part of the exciting $650 million City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, Spain) completed it's first year's run in April. Overall, "Journey to Infinity" out drew and out earned all individual IMAX movies presented in the same theater during the same period and, in its first 12 months, earned a net profit of over $1,000,000. "Encounter" had its world premier in Valencia in mid-April joining "JTI" in a joint run. A modified version of "Journey to Infinity" will also be the premier show at the new CyberSphere Interactive Theater at Dickson, Tennessee's Renaissance Center when it opens in August.
"Bill also recently wrote a series of short
"Demo Shows" for Jon Elvert at the Lane ESD Planetarium in Eugene. Designed
to utilize the planetarium's impressive array of AV gear, one show is aimed at local
educators illustrating Jon's many educational programs from planetarium shows to
live video links to the University of Oregon's Pine Mountain Observatory. A
second Demo is targeted at the Eugene business community. It is designed to sell the
planetarium as a exciting setting for staging dazzling corporate special events as well
as to elicit financial and in-kind contributions to the planetarium for equipment and
special projects."
Finally, Bill anticipates work beginning late this year on a show designed for the exciting new medium of all-dome digital video for a consortium of US and Canadian planetariums. And more projects are in the works."
For further information, please contact Bill at:
25 The Crossway Smoke Rise Kinnelon, NJ 07405;Tel: (973) 492-8165; Fax: (973) 492-1836; E-mail: 103417.2073@compuserve.com
The $650,000,000 City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, Spain.
L'Hemispheric Planetarium & IMAX Theater