More than a million revelers celebrate the beginning of a new millennium in New York City's Times Square as the year 2000 is born.
Geoff Puckett's illustrated concept rendering of the Times Square 2000 main stage, where costumed performers from countries around the world were represented across 24 consecutive hours.
This Nikita Polyansky illustration depicts the hour when India and neighboring countries were featured via custom, hand-made puppets from Michael Curry's studio.
Several of the more than 160 puppets await their opportunity to swim in from of the entire world. Global television featured every hour of the once-in-a-lifetime New York City event.
Times Square 2000 main stage the morning of December 31, 1999 - the last day of the 20th century. Five sequential show production crews worked across forty hours to bring the show to life.
Two exotic birds mingle with the millennium celebration audience. Several times zones included both tropical and frozen regions of the world, making each hour a visual surprise.
A concept illustration depicting the crystal sphere 'button' used to initiate New York City's famous midnight ball drop. This feature area was part of the main stage at the crossing of Broadway and 7th Avenue in Times Square.
One of the very first sketches exploring what would eventually become Times Square 2000. A central stage with hand-carried puppets was visualized, surrounded by 'Time Squarians,' who were later called 'Time Beings.'
A curious 'Time Being' performer moving through the audience. Some of the Beings served as jesters, while others spotted for puppet handlers. The streets of Broadway and 7th Avenue became day and night stages as the hours progressed.
Times Square from atop the skyscraper where the ball drops. Audience members watched the hourly progression of puppets and performers as music and sounds were heard across a series of 16 separate audio channels - creating a 3D soundscape.
Times Square 2000
The Millennium Celebration at the Crossroads of the World
• 24 consecutive hours from 6 AM December 31, 1999 to 6 AM January 1, 2000
• More than one million live audience members outside in the middle of winter
• 160 custom puppets by Broadway’s Lion King puppet designer Michael Curry
• Discreet audio created a three-dimensional sound field throughout the Square
• Television broadcast out, and received in from countries all around the world
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Geoff Puckett served as the Writer and Creative Producer of Times Square 2000. Promoted as The Global Celebration at the Crossroads of the World, the event was a live, 24-consecutive hour celebration in the heart of New York City, bringing together the entire world through costumed live entertainment, giant puppets, music, pyrotechnics, sound and lighting effects, together with satellite television images broadcast to, and received from dozens of global locations. The production was the longest running, most elaborate millennium event in the United States.
Puckett brought together a diverse team of designers and craftspeople from across the U.S., creating at the time, the largest live public event in New York City’s history. The vision was grand, however the show budget required tight coordination. Volunteers worked alongside industry professionals to breathe life into 160 custom-crafted puppets. Sound designers created a discreet 16-channel sonic environment. Dancers interpreted cultures from diverse countries and traditions within each hour.
The scale of Times Square 2000 was enormous even for New York City, yet behind the scenes this production came together because of team passion, vision, focus and creative spirit – the ingredients GPG brings to each of its creations.