Tag Archive: Ben Cracknell

1. Jon Clark Wins Olivier Award for Best Lighting Design

   8 April 2019 17:35 Leave a Comment

   

   Established in 1976, the Olivier Awards celebrate the world-class status of London theatre and are recognised as Britain’s most prestigious stage honours. This year’s Award ceremony took place yesterday evening at the Royal Albert Hall. White Light was once again on hand to supply the lighting equipment for the main ceremony as well as the complete technical solutions for the post show party. The company also sponsored the prestigious Best Lighting Design Award, which was won by Jon Clark for The Inheritance at the Young Vic and Noel Coward Theatre.

   WL’s Managing Director Bryan Raven comments: “We were delighted to sponsor the Best Lighting Design Award once again; something we have done for over five years now. The standard this year, as ever, was extremely high and we had supplied three of the four shows nominated. We are absolutely over the moon for Jon who has picked up his first-ever Olivier Award. Having provided the lighting for both the Young Vic run and the West End transfer, we were lucky enough to see his amazing work on The Inheritance first-hand and were thrilled to see his efforts recognised”.

   Written by Matthew Lopez, The Inheritance is an epic two-part play which asks what it means to be a young gay man in New York after the AIDs crisis. It was directed by Stephen Daldry and received critical acclaim during its sell-out run. Alongside Best Lighting Design, The Inheritance also won Best New Play, Best Director and Best Actor.

   

   The other big winners on the evening included Company which took home Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical, Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical, Best Musical Revival and Best Set Design. WL supplied the lighting for this sell-out production and you can read the full press release here. Other winners included Kobna Holdbrook-Smith for Best Actor in a Musical in The Tina Turner Musical, Summer and Smoke at the Almeida Theatre and Duke of York’s Theatre which won Best Revival, Catherine Zuber for The King and I at the London Palladium who won Best Costume Design and A Monster Calls at the Old Vic which took home Best Entertainment and Family Show. WL supplied the lighting for all of these.

   Bryan comments: “It was fantastic to see such an eclectic range of shows we’ve supplied be recognised as the brilliant productions they are. The last twelve months have been a really exciting and innovative time for London theatre and to play a small part in bringing these ground-breaking shows to life is a privilege. We’d like to say congratulations to all of the winners on the evening”.

   Alongside sponsoring the Best Lighting Design Award, WL provided the lighting equipment for the actual ceremony itself, working closely with Lighting Designer Ben Cracknell. WL also supplied the complete technical production for the post show party that took place at the Natural History Museum.

   Bryan concludes: “The Olivier Awards are an all-encompassing event for us; whether it’s from our sponsorship, supplying the winning shows or providing the technical solutions across the evening. To be part of an event that celebrates theatre and recognises the hard efforts of those involved is a real honour and we look forward to continue supporting the event and SOLT for many years to come”.

   Photos courtesy of Julian Bird and SOLT.

2. White Light Brings Young Frankenstein to Life

   11 October 2017 08:57 Comments Off on White Light Brings Young Frankenstein to Life

   Written by legendary comedian Mel Brooks, Young Frankenstein is the musical comedy based on the Oscar-nominated smash hit film of the same name. Following a run on Broadway in 2007, this hilarious show has now made its way to London and opened last night at the Garrick Theatre. As one of the leading lighting suppliers to the West End, White Light was called upon to provide the lighting equipment.

   The lighting designer for the show is Ben Cracknell, who comments: “I have always been a huge fan of Mel Brooks’ films so was thrilled when I was approached to light this. Both Susan Stroman, the Director and Choreographer, and Mel felt that the humour of the show would work much better in a more intimate Vaudeville style so the show was designed around this concept”.

   Young Frankenstein features a set design by Beowulf Boritt that is centred around a series of painted cloths depicting the locations from a Medical School to a Deserted Railway Station. I wanted my lighting style to pick out the beauty in what, in essence, is a series of paintings. I also wanted to flavour my lighting style with the zaniness that seems to pervade throughout all of Mel’s work!”.

   To achieve this, Ben visited WL in order to draw on the company’s extensive hire inventory. He comments: “The Vaudeville style of the show with its four portals and painted cloths shaped my design significantly. On stage, the biggest challenge was to light the numerous painted cloths in what is a very small amount of space. The cloths have both opaque sections to front light (such as solid buildings and ships) and translucent sections to back light (windows, water, the sky). As a result, I visited WL HQ where I spent a lot of time experimenting with different types of cloth lighting battens”.

   Ben eventually decided to draw on the Robert Juliat DALIS 860. He comments: “I was extremely impressed with the colour and even intensity output from these units, when lighting cloth as close as 50cm and as far away as 2m”. To ensure that all of the intricate details of the cloths were highlighted, Ben drew on four Philips VL 3500s. He explains: “I loaded these with a series of custom ‘mask’ gobos which picked out scenic detail from trees to windows to signs; meaning I could be incredibly selective in how the cloths were lit”.

   Ben also drew on a row of Martin MAC Aura XBs to backlight the cloths along with ColourForce 72s for the furthest upstage and downstage cloths. Ben adds: “The stage layout of portals and cloths meant I divided the stage into horizontal bays of lighting. These were cross-lit by ladders of ETC Source Four Lustr 2s then top-lit by Viper DXs and VL3500 Spots. And, of course, a show like this would not be complete without a fine array of strobes for lighting effects – hence the Martin Atomic 3000s!”.

   The show has now opened to rave reviews and will run in the capital until next February. Ben adds: “This was a fantastic show to work on. I really enjoyed my time at the Garrick, especially working with the Chief Electrician Matt Watling and his team. I would also like to thank my own team, Chris Winn (Programmer), Charlotte Burton (Assistant LD) and Theo Chadha (Production Electrician), along with the team at WL”.

   WL’s Managing Director, Bryan Raven, comments: “We are delighted to supply Young Frankenstein as it embarks on its first ever West End run. We have also supplied Heisenberg which opened on Monday at the Wyndham’s, Ink which recently opened at the Duke of York’s and Venus in Fur which opens at Theatre Royal Haymarket later this month. Our constant investment in the very latest technology, coupled with our renowned customer service, means we are able to provide lighting designers with the support they need on any show”.

   Photos courtesy of Manuel Harlan.

3. White Light Dragged in for La Cage Aux Folles

   24 January 2017 09:51 Comments Off on White Light Dragged in for La Cage Aux Folles

   With the original Broadway and West End productions winning 11 Tony and 2 Olivier Awards respectively, La Cage Aux Folles is back for what will be its first ever UK tour. Produced by Bill Kenwright Ltd, this classic stage show stars John Partridge and Adrian Zmed and is currently visiting venues up and down the country. As a leading supplier of nationwide theatre tours, White Light was approached to provide the lighting on this occasion.

   La Cage Aux Folles tells the story of Georges and his partner, dazzling drag artiste Albin, who live an idyllic life in St Tropez. Yet when Georges’ son Jean-Michel invites his future parent-in-laws over to dinner, Georges and Albin must try and conceal their vibrant lifestyle for an entire evening… The lighting designer for the production is Ben Cracknell. He comments: “From the offset, I knew this show would require two very clear lighting styles: the action taking place ‘onstage’ within La Cage Aux Folles Club and the action taking place in the other locations. It was important for the storytelling to differentiate between the musical and the show within the musical.

   He adds: “For the scenes away from the club, I utilised a clear dramatic lighting style, approaching it as I would a play. As the drama developed into song, this was subsequently heightened using soft follow spots and a more saturated colour palette. At the other end of the spectrum, when lighting the club scenes, these were more akin to a Vegas-style cabaret show! With such a dynamic range of numbers, combined with Gary McCann’s incredible set, I wanted to make these sequences as thrilling and vibrant as possible”.

   To create his perfect design, Ben drew on WL’s unparalleled lighting range. He comments: “With there often being only one overhead position available when lighting scenes in the various venues, it was crucial that the fixtures offered enough flexibility. I chose Martin MAC Viper Performances for their shuttering and gobo capabilities. These were arrayed in groups of seven to work with the choreography of the La Cage Aux Folles Club onstage numbers. With this arrangement I could pick out the company individually in tableau creating crisp and clean looks. These were also adaptable enough to work for the numerous naturalistic scenes”.

   To enhance the shows taking place within the club scenes, Ben used footlights which consisted of GLP X Bar 20s rigged from the front edge of stage onto a Howard Eaton custom-made shelf which also facilitated positions for sound foldback and front fills. To light the individual performers, he relied heavily on Martin MAC Aura XBs rigged on custom Howard Eaton ladders in the wings. The low crosslight was provided by ETC Source Four Series 2 Lustr Profiles and further Martin MAC Vipers were deployed for front of house coverage.

   Alongside this marking the first time La Cage Aux Folles has played outside of London in the UK, it also marks the first time that Ben has worked on the show. He comments: “Prior to this tour, I had never even seen the show so I was able to approach it with a completely fresh perspective – allowing me to implement my own style”.

    La Cage Aux Folles is currently at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury and will travel across the UK until late August, with more dates set to be announced.

   Ben adds: “This is a thrilling, extremely flamboyant touring show and I’ve had a brilliant team behind me who have helped make it happen. I’m also very grateful to WL for supplying the equipment and being so helpful”.

   Photos courtesy of Pamela Raith.