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Plenty of people worship the ground Lady Gaga walks on. Nick Vogelpohl '13 engineered it.
The theatre design and technical alumnus was part of an elite group of technical designers chosen to stage Lady Gaga's Super Bowl LI halftime performance at NRG Stadium in Houston on Sunday.
Vogelpohl and his colleagues at All Access Staging & Productions in Los Angeles turned an ambitious design concept into one that could be safely assembled in under 10 minutes - without nicking the synthetic turf.
"What that entails is figuring out how to realistically build and manufacture units that match the designer's vision but are also functional in that they can be easily and quickly deployed and assembled, do not damage the field, and are safe for performers," says Vogelpohl.
He
personally
designed
several
elements
of
the
set,
including
two
large
stars
that
flanked
the
stage.
Lady
Gaga
ended
the
show
by
jumping
off
one
of
these
stars
-
after
dropping
her
mic
and
catching
a
football
-
inspiring
a
flood
of
internet
memes
that
sent
Vogelpohl's
work
viral.
"It was really exciting to work on such a large show, but also quite exhausting," he says. Days off aren't an option when preparing for the most-viewed TV broadcast of the year. "I wouldn't have traded it for the world though. It was a dream come true, and it was amazing to work with all of the truly talented and dedicated people at All Access."
