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Showman Fabricators

Artistry Behind the Scenes: Showman Fabricators

What do the Nightly News, a Broadway show, and a museum exhibit all have in common? Scenery engineered and constructed by Showman Fabricators, Inc. and expertly machined on an OMAX 80160. With an impressive project list that has included sets for the newly launched FOX Business Network, the CNN Communication Center, the GORE Capabilities and Visitor Center, and stage design for the new Broadway musical The Little Mermaid, this 21-year old company has continued to outpace the competition by crafting stunningly realistic sets that combine sound construction principles and technical expertise with the best elements of scenic design.

Headquartered in Long Island City, New York, Showman was founded in 1986 by Bob Usdin and Michael Cioffi, graduates of the SUNY Purchase College Technical Theater program. The company offers a variety of services to Broadway, the movie industry, museums, corporations, restaurants and retail. Employing a diversely talented staff of over 100, their shop is fully equipped to handle any number of carpentry, metalwork, and engineering challenges. In nearly every area, the 80160 has proven itself as an essential complimentary technology for Showman.

"Before the waterjet, we weren't really looking at projects the same way,” says Showman head of Design and Engineering, Mike Riccio. Prior to the OMAX, Showman started out with a small 4 x 4 CNC router in 1990 which they used primarily for wood and plastic, while they sent most of the metal-work to outside fabricators. However, it soon became clear that extra technology was still required to bring their metal work in house, streamline their operations, and increase overall productivity. Before finally choosing OMAX in February of 2006, they looked hard at several companies. “Mike and I looked closely at one particular OMAX competitor,” explains Usdin. “At that point, we wanted a large table. But their cantilever arm gave us concerns with respect to how practical it was for our usage. We liked the design of OMAX better.”

Going forward, Showman is poised to leverage its considerable expertise to meet even more technical and artistic challenges. “Our plans are to obtain more work on Broadway fabricating automation equipment,” says Usdin. This is the equipment that helps to move scenery around on stage. “Also, now that HDTV is more prevalent, the industry is demanding more detail oriented and realistic materials.” With viewers now able to focus in on every detail of a set, Showman has begun to hone their capabilities in the machining of stone, laminates, and glass, materials that the OMAX excels at cutting. Could this mean that another OMAX might play a future role at Showman? “We have just one OMAX at the moment,” says Riccio. “I wish we had more.”

Showman Fabricators
Owner: Bob Usdin
Location: Long Island City, NY
Specializes in: Scenic Design
Founded: 1986