Figure 53

Figure 53, LLC is an American technology company headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. The company develops software and related creative-technology initiatives for theatre, live performance, and other environments that require coordinated playback or control of sound, video, lighting, and other media. Its best-known product is QLab, a proprietary cue-based multimedia playback and show-control application for macOS. QLab began development more than two years before Figure 53 was incorporated in Maryland in March 2006. The product grew from a tool for organizing and triggering performance cues into a broader show-control environment. It allows users to construct and execute cue lists that can coordinate audio, video, lighting, and control signals, making it useful in theatrical productions, dance, touring shows, themed attractions, churches, and other live-event settings. QLab is operated primarily behind the scenes: performers and audiences may not interact with it directly, but its timing and cue structure can underpin major portions of a production. Over time, it came to be regarded as an industry-standard tool in theatre technology. Figure 53 has also developed products for more focused performance workflows. Go Button is an audio-cue playback application for iOS devices, intended for use with iPads, iPhones, and iPod touch devices in live shows. QLab Remote provides remote control capabilities associated with QLab-based workflows. Together, these products extend the company’s presence from macOS show-control systems to mobile devices and production-control interfaces. Beyond software, Figure 53 has pursued a physical and experimental role in performance technology. In 2018, the company announced the acquisition of the former Playhouse Theatre building in Baltimore. The site was renovated and became The Voxel in 2020. The Voxel functions both as a research laboratory for Figure 53 and as a theatre intended to support technological experimentation in performance art. This initiative connects the company’s software business with a venue where new approaches to theatrical technology can be developed and tested. Figure 53’s positioning is therefore specialized rather than mass-market. It serves production professionals, theatre organizations, artists, venues, and technical operators who need dependable cue-based control of multiple media systems during live events. Its public identity is closely associated with QLab and with the practical application of software engineering to performance production.

Figure 53 is a technology company based in Baltimore, Maryland, whose work focuses on software and experimentation for live performance. Its principal product, QLab, was already under development for more than two years when the company was incorporated in Maryland in March 2006. The early development of QLab established the direction of the business: rather than producing general-purpose consumer software, Figure 53 concentrated on the technical requirements of theatre and other live events, particularly the need to organize and trigger timed sequences of media and control signals. QLab developed into a cue-based show-control application for macOS. A production team can use it to assemble cue lists and run sequences controlling sound, video, lighting, and other media or external control systems. This structure makes the software suitable for productions in which multiple technical elements must be coordinated with performers, scenes, or other timed events. Its users include theatres, dance companies, touring productions, themed attractions, churches, and other venues requiring synchronized playback. The system is generally used backstage or in a technical-control position, where it manages the operational timing of a performance rather than serving as an audience-facing product. Over time, QLab became widely characterized as an industry-standard tool for theatre technology. Figure 53 expanded its product range beyond its flagship macOS application. Go Button was developed as an audio-playback application for iOS devices, allowing sound cues for live shows to be run from an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. QLab Remote added remote-control functionality to QLab-oriented production workflows. These products reflect the company’s broader focus on practical tools for operators and production teams rather than on entertainment software for general consumers. The company later extended its activities into a physical venue and research setting. In 2018, Figure 53 announced the acquisition of the defunct Playhouse Theatre building in Baltimore. The building was subsequently redeveloped and became The Voxel in 2020. The Voxel was designed to serve two connected purposes: it acts as a theatre supporting performance and technological experimentation, and it functions as a research laboratory for Figure 53. The venue gives the company a setting in which performance technologies can be explored in relation to actual artists, productions, and audiences. Figure 53’s history is consequently defined by the maturation of QLab, the addition of complementary mobile and remote-control tools, and a growing connection between software development and experimental performance practice. The available reference material does not identify the company’s founders, executives, ownership structure, financial results, or current corporate parent.

• 2020

  The Voxel is established

  [1]Figure 53en.wikipedia.org

  The renovated former Playhouse Theatre becomes The Voxel, combining a performance venue with a Figure 53 research laboratory.

• 2018

  Acquisition of the former Playhouse Theatre building

  [1]Figure 53en.wikipedia.org

  Figure 53 announces the acquisition of the defunct Playhouse Theatre building in Baltimore for redevelopment into a theatre and research facility.

• 2006

  Figure 53 is incorporated in Maryland

  [1]Figure 53en.wikipedia.org

  Figure 53, LLC is incorporated in Maryland. QLab had already been in development for more than two years by this point.

A specialist provider of show-control and multimedia playback technology for theatre, live performance, and related production environments.

• macOS show-control and multimedia playback software

  QLab

  QLab is Figure 53’s flagship cue-based application for macOS. It enables production teams to build and run cue lists controlling sound, video, lighting, and other media or control signals. The software is used in theatre, dance, touring productions, themed attractions, churches, and other live-performance environments where several technical systems must be synchronized. It is primarily a backstage or technical-control tool and has developed a reputation as an industry-standard platform in theatre technology.

• iOS audio cue playback application

  Go Button

  Go Button is an audio playback application for iOS devices designed for running sound cues in live shows. It supports production workflows in which an operator needs to trigger and manage prepared audio from an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. The product extends Figure 53’s focus on practical, operator-oriented tools beyond the macOS environment associated with QLab.

• Remote-control software

  QLab Remote

  QLab Remote is a remote-control product associated with Figure 53’s QLab workflow. It is intended to let production operators control or interact with QLab-based show-control processes from a separate device, supporting more flexible backstage and technical-operation arrangements.

• Theatre and performance-technology research venue · 2020

  The Voxel

  The Voxel is a theatre created through the redevelopment of the former Playhouse Theatre building acquired by Figure 53. Opened as a renovated facility in 2020, it serves both as a performance venue and as a research laboratory for Figure 53. Its purpose includes promoting and facilitating experimentation with technology in performance art.

• 2018

  Acquisition and redevelopment of the Playhouse Theatre buildingOther

  Background

  Figure 53 sought to connect its software and show-control expertise with a physical environment for performance and technology research.

  Action taken

  The company announced the acquisition of the defunct Playhouse Theatre building in Baltimore and subsequently redeveloped it as The Voxel.

  Aftermath

  The Voxel opened in 2020 as both a theatre and a Figure 53 research laboratory intended to support experimentation in performance technology.

  Source

1. 1Figure 53en.wikipedia.org