Tag Archive: Charlie Morgan Jones

1. White Light Works Its Magic on Derren Brown’s Showman

   5 October 2021 15:46 Leave a Comment

   

   Often regarded as the master of mind control and psychological illusion, Derren Brown is known across the globe for his ability to astonish and amaze audiences; whether that’s to millions through his television series or live on stage in his award-winning touring shows. He is now back touring theatres with his first new stage show in six years: Showman. Having supplied the lighting on several of Derren Brown’s previous production, White Light (WL) was called upon to do so again on this occasion. 

   As with any Derren Brown show, the contents of Showman remain a closely-guarded secret but as the mysterious man himself promises: ‘It will ultimately be about you, the audience member, because that’s what I find most interesting’. The lighting designer for the show is Charlie Morgan Jones, who has lit Derren’s previous West End and touring production, Underground. He comments: ‘Underground was essentially a ‘Best of’ Derren Brown show, so the directors Andrew O’Connor and Andy Nyman had worked most of the routines before and I was essentially just throwing new light on them. As such, Showman is the first brand-new Derren Brown show I’ve worked on and what a show it is. Like all of Derren’s work, and the reason he’s a master of his craft, the show isn’t just spectacle and ‘how did he do that’. Rather, there’s a beautiful emotional arc throughout and so there is a real pathos that comes with the humour and spectacle; resulting in a truly theatrical experience”. 

   So how does a lighting designer approach a show as unique as this? Does it differ greatly from a more traditional play/musical? According to Charlie, the answer is no: “As a designer, I always see my role as enhancing the mood and emotion that appears on stage. It’s almost like being an editor of the film where your job is to point the audience in the right direction and it’s no different for Showman”.

   

   As with any production he works on, Charlie always tries to ensure that he is in the rehearsal room as much as possible. This proved slightly tricky though with Showman: “I was double booked for this show but truly double booked in the sense that I wouldn’t even be in the same country! I had accepted a job as lighting designer on the Copenhagen Opera Festival and due to dates being moved because of certain global pandemics, both this and Showman ended up crossing at the same time. Thankfully, we were able to bring on an amazing Associate Lighting Designer in Clancy Flynn who steered the show through tech to opening night before I returned. Prior to this, we both spent two days at WL’s Visualisation Suite looking at lights and potential cues for the show. Thankfully, both Andrew and Andy are two of the most giving directors you could ask for and really allow you to experiment freely; something that is vital as any brand-new show will evolve through the rehearsal and tech process.” 

   Following this, Charlie approached WL’s Customer Service team to provide him with the fixtures he needed for his design. He explains: “My (current) favourite moving light is the VL2600.  It’s versatile, bright, fast and quiet and so was the natural choice to become the work horse of this rig, with 13 units positioned overhead and four out front.  We also use the Rush Par 2, which is beamy when it needs to be beamy, and zoomy when it needs to be zoomy (those are the accurate technical terms FYI).  The preset, where they really show off, is one of my favourite ‘looks’ of the show and we use this at least a couple of times. Topping off the rig is the ever–excellent ETC Source Four Lustr 2, which provides the depth of colour a show like this needs”. 

   The show opened just over a month at the Theatre Royal Plymouth and is now visiting over 30 venues across the UK, touring all the way through to October 2022.  

   Charlie comments: “After perhaps not the easiest year for those working in our industry, we had just the best time making this show, with one of the most generous teams out there.  My heart goes out to the brilliant lighting team, which included Clancy Flynn, our wonderful Production Electrician, Andy Murrell and Matt Shraga. the lighting programmer who’s only just graduated from Guildhall. As ever, a big thanks to everyone at WL too. The constant support I received throughout this production was so valuable and something that was massively appreciated”.  

   Photos courtesy of Charlie Morgan Jones and Greenbeanz Photography.

    

2. Charlie Morgan Jones: When in Lockdown…

   4 June 2020 08:40 Leave a Comment

   

   When WL asked me to write this blog, I wasn’t exactly sure what it should be or, how honest I would be!  What crazy times.  Right now I should be sat in the opera house at Longborough with my favourite collaborators and friends creating the beautiful worlds of Wagner’s Die Walküre.  Instead, I’m sitting on my bed (which is now my office space) listening to High School Musical – yes ladies and gentlemen, it’s reached ‘that stage’ of Lockdown.

   All of us in the theatre industry (and countless others too) are in the same boat.  No.  Different boats.  But the same sh**ty sea.  As I type, another friend has had their tour (due to continue post-Covid) cancelled.  It’s devastating.

   BUT.  Whilst the best minds in our industry are working out how to get us out of this mess, I thought I’d tell you a little of what I’ve been trying to do in Lockdown to keep myself occupied and sane.  I’ve by no means mastered it, and can now officially recite every episode of Friends and Frasier by heart, but I’m doing what we’re all doing…our best.

   Those of you who know me will know that – asides from theatre, which runs in my veins – I have a couple of…how shall we say…obsessions.  Namely, planes and music.  Let’s start there!

   

   Since I can remember I’ve loved airplanes; travelling on them, being in airports, the smell, the sound, but most of all – flying them.  I was an Air Cadet (CORPORAL JONES WOULD YOU BELIEVE?!), and was lucky enough to pilot light aircraft regularly for many years when I was younger.  After Uni, I focussed on my career and let flying slide (apart from all the trips for work), but during this pause-of-the-world I’ve spent many a day flying ‘shorthaul’ routes in bigger planes on a wonderful iPhone app called Infinite Flight.  If you’ve no interest in aviation it must sound like THE most boring pastime, but it’s made me very happy.  Setting it all up takes FOREVER – serious new respect for pilots – but forever passes the time.  I use a website to give me a flightplan and everything – very professional*.

   *Never let me fly a real plane with actual fare paying passengers – tea and coffee everywhere.

   

   When I’m not busy ‘flying’ between Gatwick and Copenhagen (wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen!) I’ve spent more time at my piano than ever before.  I’ve always dabbled…poorly…but it turns out practicing an instrument really does make you better.  (I owe a thousand apologies to my school cello teacher for that.)  My sight reading has always been okay, but now I can confidently sit down at the keys and, as long as it’s in C or F, bash out some semblance of a tune!  Lucky [read tolerant] neighbours that I have, eh!?

   Before ETC released Augment3d for Eos on Mac (thank you for that – it’s a joy!) I had to try and get my creative fix elsewhere, so I turned to making silly videos that I hoped would make other people laugh…they mostly made me laugh, and that was good enough.  I’ve become what I can modestly describe as a whizz on iMovie – honestly – Spielberg, give my agent a buzz – I’m available for your next editing gig!

   Asides from keeping myself busy (I’m an only child, I’ve had practice!) it’s been really important to stay in touch with my family and friends.  Zoom has been a godsend, as well as Skype, FaceTime, WhatsApp Video and Teams…gosh…I didn’t ever think I’d become tech savvy!  LOOK AT ME NOW!  I miss being in a room with my best friends and larking around, but this video malarkey is a good substitute…for now.  It’s important for me to remember that this isn’t the ‘new normal’, it’s the ‘new temporary’.  We will all be together again.

   It sounds like I’m winning at lockdown…I’ve taken my German learning more seriously, I’m exercising, I’m drinking less and I’m excitedly planning future operas…but it would be a bare faced lie if I said it was easy.  I miss other humans terribly.  I miss the looks you can share with someone over a table of 10 that you can’t in a video conference.  I could list an infinite number of things I miss – but we’d all end up on a Zoom crying into (and ultimately short circuiting) our laptops.

   

   Hardest of all, my Mum is incredibly high risk, so I haven’t been able to see my parents for quite some time.  I miss them like I can’t express.  But twice a week we have ‘Skype Supper’, and eat at the same time and talk nonsense.  It’s saved me.

   Some days are really tough, and motivation is not to be found.  It’s like I just can’t be bothered and there’s a big ol’ cloud seemingly hovering just above my flat.  Fortunately they’re few and far between.

   Last weekend I ‘unplugged’ for a couple of days – turned off all social media and put my phone down for 48hrs.  I didn’t believe it could help, but actually, it was just nice to be away from all this nonsense for a short while.  I heartily recommend it.

   Right…well…quick…someone tell a joke!

   I’m off to finish filming and editing a new silly video that has made me chuckle…a lot.  This one has props (I’m well and truly pushing the boat out…

   There’s no right way or wrong way to do Lockdown…but all this has certainly worked for me.

   How I can’t wait for the next time we all get to meet again.  Until then, stay safe, stay sensible, and be creative however you can be.​

   To view our news, please click here. Follow our social media channels for regular updates @WhiteLightLtd | @WhiteLightEvent

3. White Light Sees REDD at the Barbican

   1 October 2019 09:54 Leave a Comment

   

   White Light has recently supplied the lighting equipment for REDD; a brand-new dance show at the Barbican Theatre.

   Devised by the Olivier Award-winning hip-hop partnership Boy Blue, REDD is a piece of dance surrounding the five stages of grief. Told through the movements of nine dancers, it offers an introspective journey into loss and examines how we are affected by those irreversible moments in our lives. It features a lighting design by Charlie Morgan Jones.

   Charlie comments: “REDD is a beautiful show which takes its audience on an unforgettable emotional journey. In terms of lighting, it’s an interesting piece as there is no actual set! With that in mind, my main brief was to create the five distinct ‘worlds’ of grief – the solitude of depression, the featureless denial, the sharpness of anger, the bold bargaining and the brightness and hope of acceptance”.

   

   This was the first time that Charlie had lit a dance piece, although he emphasises how he “approached this show as I would any other – although I do appreciate the importance of side light in dance pieces”.

   Creatively, the team decided that the lighting rig would be on display throughout the entire show, becoming an extra character in itself. As a result, Charlie had to draw on equipment that would be artistically appropriate as well as aesthetically attractive.

   Charlie contacted Jonathan Haynes at WL in order to draw on his perfect rig. He explains: “The bulk of the work on REDD was done with 48 Par Cans with long top hats. I absolutely loved playing with different intensities in order to create the five worlds. It always amazes me quite how different a Par at 60% looks in colour compared to a Par at 30% and I was able to use this variety to create the feel that the show needed.

   He continues: “I also draw on 10 ETC Lustrs to bring very occasional colour to the piece and 11 Vipers to highlight moments which demanded a crisper look”.

   

   Due to the nature of the piece, this meant that Charlie had to be very adaptable with his design. He explains: “The music and choreography were changing right up until press night due to the enormously creative process. As such, it meant that the LX team had to be completely on the ball – aided by the wonderful CSM, Carly Hook. Similarly, the entire show is run off time code (a new experience for me in a proscenium arch environment), so I spent a great deal of time working out the timings of each of the 400 light cues!”.

   REDD has now opened and will run until Saturday 5^th October.

   Charlie concludes: “This was my first experience of working with Boy Blue and at the Barbican and it was a brilliant process. The in-house lighting team were excellent and enormously helpful and supportive; as was my Associate Lighting Designer, Clancy Flynn. Similarly, the Hire team at WL were once again extremely helpful during the process and only ever a phone call away; support that’s invaluable for any designer”.

   Photos courtesy of Carl Fox.

4. Charlie Morgan Jones and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire – 5 Years in the Making…

   20 June 2019 14:20 Leave a Comment

   

    Mansfield Park (2019)

   For the past five years, lighting designer Charlie Morgan Jones has lit the bi-annual opera at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. This year marks the final one in which the original creative team will work together, having formed a formidable relationship in 2014. As White Light has supplied the lighting for most of the shows, we thought we’d look back on the history of the opera and speak to Charlie about how it has evolved over the years.

   The Beginning 

   The story starts back in 2014 when Charlie, not long out of Rose Bruford and still finding his feet in the real world, applied for a job in Birmingham. He recalls: “There’s a website called StageJobsPro which a lot of people within the industry use to advertise jobs. I’d seen a post about lighting a show called Dialogues des Carmelites at the Birmingham Conservatoire. It was quite well paid so I imagine every person who saw it applied! I was astonished then when I received a phone call from the director Michael Barry just a few days later”. Little did Charlie know that the  call would forever change both his personal and professional life.

   He explains: “Speaking to Michael, we hit it off straight away. It was a case of something just clicking and he asked me to come up to Birmingham and work on the show. I didn’t hesitate and accepted immediately!”. Charlie made his way up to Birmingham and, more specifically, The Crescent Theatre where the show was being performed. He recalls: “At this point, I was still extremely young at only 24. I hadn’t lit Avenue Q nor had I done Cool Rider in the West End. Walking into that space and meeting Michael and the team was the first time I thought to myself: actually, this is something I can do. I also saw viably how this could be my career”.

   

    A Little Night Music (2014)

   The initial rig for Dialogues des Carmelites was somewhat elementary, with Charlie hiring only 10 fresnels. He explains: “It might not have been the most extensive rig but it was perfect for this show. There was virtually no stage depth within the space and we had, maybe twelve profiles overhead doing most of the work. Thanks to brilliant work of all of the creative team, we managed to create something very special and I remember being really impressed by what I saw, from every department”.

   It has always been the same team that Charlie has worked with at the Conservatoire. This consists of director Michael Barry, set designer Colin Judges, and costume designers Jennet and Alan Marshall. Charlie comments: “We were such a good team. We all just gelled and understood how one another worked and managed to do so holistically. I believe this is the reason we’ve collaborated so successfully over all of these years”.

   Forever Growing…

   Since the first show in 2014, it would be fair to say that each production has grown significantly. That said, Charlie is keen to emphasise how this happened organically. He states: “The show has gotten bigger yet this is all down to Michael and his vision. He’s allowed us to evolve by experimenting and constantly trying out new things. We’ve never, ever jumped into anything without thinking and, each year, the design comes about in a natural, cohesive way”.

   

    Venis and Adonis (2015)

   The team have created some memorable shows over the past five years; so much so that it’s difficult for Charlie to pick a favourite – although he does have a few highlights: “One of the shows in 2016 was Riders to the Sea which was part of a triple bill. It offered a completely new experience for me as it was lit it in neutral colours with no saturation whatsoever. The story was set in an Irish village where fishermen would go out to sea and potentially not return.  The music and setting demanded that we had no colour. This was a complete departure for me as I had always used highly saturated colours so it really challenged me to go out of my comfort zone and experiment”.

   Another memorable show includes A Little Night Music. Charlie recalls: “This was a large, Sondheim musical which I loved. Not only was it a fairly big rig but the first time I’d ever used a Viper! I was able to try a lot out on this show too and take some ridiculous ideas which were then turned into a reality”.

   This year is set to be just as memorable with the main show being an operatic version of Mansfield Park. Charlie explains: “Mansfield Park is a genuinely beautiful show composed by Jonathan Dove. It may also be the most interesting of all the rigs I’ve used at the Conservatoire. This year, we’re in traverse in the studio space. As a result, I’ve literally had to position lights everywhere in order to light the singers. It’s also an almost entirely LED rig, whereas back in 2014 it was all tungsten”.

   

    The Magic Flute (2019)

   Supplied by WL once again, the rig consists of 12 ETC Lustr Source Fours, 8 par cans and 3 VL2600 profiles, which Charlie describes as his ‘favourite light in the whole world’. The VLs will be working along two ends of the space as well as providing a centre special. Par Cans will be positioned as booms down the side, with four on each end and a Lustr at the bottom. The remaining Lustrs will be offering general cover.

   Charlie explains: “These shows have allowed me to realise who I am as a designer. Michael has been absolutely fantastic in letting me light the shows ‘my way’, which has meant a lot of experimenting and testing what works and what doesn’t. To have such an opportunity in a professional environment is extremely rare and I feel blessed that I was given the chance to grow and develop in this way”.

   Friends for Life 

   Whilst the shows have allowed Charlie to grow as a designer, it is the personal relationships he developed during his time in Birmingham that he is most grateful for. He explains: “Putting it bluntly, Michael Barry is the reason I’m at the point where I am today – he’s totally changed my life. He’s been my mentor and opened doors for me that would otherwise have remained closed. For instance, in 2016, he text me saying he’d recommended me for a job but ‘not to get too excited’ as nothing may come of it. I thought ‘fine’, but then half an hour later received a phone call from Pawel at the Polish National Opera asking if I wanted to light Tristan I Izolda. At the time, I was 26 years old and lighting for the Polish National Opera which has the biggest stage in Europe. I remember walking out onto the stage which was 30m wide and 80m deep and thinking ‘why am I here?’. He’s also responsible for recommending me to the wonderful Amy Lane who I lit Das Rheingold with at Loughborough this year; a role I will continue with the rest of The Ring Cycle until 2023. Essentially, Michael has been incredible to me and none of the above would have happened without him”.

   

   Charlie and Jack on one of their many adventures 

   He continues: “I’ve also met my closest friends through the show. Jack Ramplin was Technical Manager at the theatre at the time and, over the years, he’s become the brother I never had and always wanted…as clichéd as that sounds. We holiday together and hang out during work ‘down time’. We’ve worked together on virtually every show since and he’s currently touring Avenue Q. He’s also my sounding board for every design I draw”.

   This year is the fifth and final Conservatoire show that Charlie has worked on and marks, what he describes as, ‘the end of an era’. He explains: “Michael is now stepping down from the Conservatoire and, as we are such a tight-knit group, we felt it was right we should all do the same and allow a new team to come in with their creative vision. It does feel like a chapter being closed but what an incredible journey it’s been. What’s brilliant is how the shows and I have evolved simultaneously over the years and it’s such an honour to have played a small part in these productions. I can’t wait for audiences to see Mansfield Park and to end this brilliant adventure on a high”.

   Photos by Graeme Braidwood.

5. White Light Takes a Trip Down Avenue Q for UK Tour

   1 February 2019 10:10 1 Comment

   

   White Light has supplied the lighting equipment on the Tony Award-winning musical Avenue Q which is currently embarking on a UK Tour.

   Avenue Q is a laugh-out-loud musical featuring puppets who tell the story of recent college graduate Princeton who moves into a shabby New York apartment on Avenue Q. Here, he meets a range of colourful characters who help him discover his true purpose in life. The production is produced by Selladoor Worldwide and features a lighting design by Charlie Morgan Jones. Charlie comments: “This is the fifth time I’ve lit the show, having worked on previous UK tours and even a Hong Kong run. Whereas this time the show remains just as hilarious, we have in fact completely revamped the lighting rig”.

   Prior to the show, Charlie sat down with Director Cressida Carre and Set Designer Richard Evans to talk about the look and feel of the show. Charlie comments: “Our brief was quite simple – it had to be bright, colourful and comic. Although the production has evolved over the last four years, we have kept the same ethos throughout – which is to provide every audience member with a side-splitting experience”.

   Part of this evolution includes the lighting rig itself, which has undergone a large revamp with this latest version of the show. Charlie explains: “Technology has moved forward a lot in the past few years and I wanted this to be reflected in the design. Now, for the first time, we have an entirely LED rig overhead”.

   

   For his ideal rig, Charlie approached WL and worked closely with Business Development Manager Jonathan Haynes and Senior Account Handler Dan Last. He comments: “We replaced the fresnels that we previously had with brand-new ETC Lustr 2s. These are used for the set dressing at front of house and backlighting for the whole stage. They also give us far more options than a standard fresnel would. For instance, in the song ‘If You Were Gay’, where we had only two colours before, we are now able to use every colour from the pride rainbow flag. Similarly, as the day gets longer, we’re able to move through the entire colours of the day, from sunrise to sunset and everything in between; with these fixtures giving us the scope to do that”.

   Charlie has also drawn heavily on the Vari*Lite 2600s which are a new fixture that WL recently invested in and were used for the first time on Charlie’s previous show, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Unmasked at The Other Palace. Charlie comments: “When I used the 2600s, I was simply blown away by them. They are a fantastic fixture that really allow me to achieve the crisp brightness and colour I’m constantly striving for. Once I’d used them for the first time, I literally redrew the lighting plans for Avenue Q to include them in the rig!”.

   Whilst Charlie has drawn on a range of new fixtures, the show still relies heavily on followspotting; something he had to incorporate during his design and the tech period. He comments: “The set design is nothing short of beautiful but it is only four meters up stage so is very present! However, there are times in the show when you want to lose the street setting and focus solely on the puppets. Therefore, I had to combat this through some very intricate positioning. The lighting also controls the automation of the set doors on this version so I’ve had to ensure all the different elements work in unison!

   

   He adds: “I am absolutely delighted with the rig we’ve put together for Avenue Q and know this will look the best it’s ever been. Fortunately, for all my recent shows I’ve had a brilliant team with me every step of the way, which includes Programmer Paul Walmsley, Production Electricians Toby Cartmell and Chris Gunnell, Chief LX Jack Ramplin, LX2 Dan Chalk and the original Avenue Q Associate LD George Smith”.

   The show marks an extremely busy few weeks for Charlie, who in the past two months has also worked on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Unmasked (The Other Palace Theatre) and The Lady Vanishes (UK Tour). He is also preparing for his latest tour, The Shy Manifesto. For all of these productions, WL has supplied the lighting equipment.

   Charlie concludes: “I am extremely grateful with the brilliant service I have received once again from WL on all four shows I’ve recently lit. Nothing is ever too much and they are always on the end of the phone, eager to help in any situation. I look forward to continue working with them throughout the year”.

   Photos courtesy of Matt Martin.

6. It’s a Happy New Theatre Year for White Light

   14 January 2019 09:26 Leave a Comment

   

   White Light is welcoming in 2019 by supplying a range of theatre shows in London’s West End as well as touring productions across the country.

   Over the course of 2018, WL supplied the lighting for a variety of smash-hit shows including the critically-acclaimed Company, The Inheritance, Young Frankenstein, The Jungle, The Pinter Season, The King and I, True West and the Oscar Wilde Season. The company also continued to supply long-running hits including Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Matilda, Aladdin, Tina – The Musical, 42^nd Street and Les Misérables.

   WL’s Managing Director Bryan Raven comments: “We had a fantastic 2018 which marked one of our busiest years yet. As we progress into 2019, we have hit the ground running and are looking to repeat the success of the previous twelve months. Our expert Customer Service teams continue to work with designers, both established and emerging, to help achieve their vision”.

    

   In January alone, WL has supplied the lighting for Songs for Nobodies at the Ambassadors Theatre; with the company providing the lights for every single show at the venue last year. Over the next few weeks, WL will also supply All About Eve at the Noel Coward Theatre, The American Clock at the Old Vic and The Price at the Wyndham’s.

   Away from the West End, WL is also supplying a range of tours. Shows that have loaded out already this month include Rain Man, The Lady Vanishes, Abigail’s Party, Wise Children, Ghost, Art and Avenue Q.

   The company is also supplying shows within London’s OffWestEnd including Leave to Remain at the Lyric Hammersmith, Aisha at the Old Red Lion Theatre and The Unreturning at Stratford East Theatre Royal. WL is also sponsoring the Best Lighting Design Award at both the WhatsOnStage and OffWestEnd Awards and will also be providing the complete lighting solutions for the VAULT Festival which returns for its seventh year later this month.

   Bryan comments: “We continue to invest up to £3 million in brand-new equipment each year, meaning we are able to work on such a large range of shows, both in the West End and across the country. To see our kit being used in venues throughout the UK is a fantastic feeling and we’re delighted that designers return to us year-on-year in order to offer them a service they won’t receive anywhere else”.

    

7. Oh Yes It is Panto Season for White Light

   13 December 2018 11:36 Leave a Comment

   

   With the festive season now upon us, theatre stages up and down the country are being filled with dames, beanstalks, flying carpets and glass slippers. As a leading lighting supplier to West End and UK touring theatre, White Light is once again suppyling a range of pantomimes this Christmas.

   Pantomimes are many venue’s biggest production of the year, with these classic childhood stories often starring household names. An all-time favourite is Aladdin and, this year, WL is supplying several versions of the show, including one at Hackney Empire which is lit by David Howe. He comments: “Hackney Empire’s Aladdin evolved a lot in the rehearsal process, with a lot new music being written specifically for this production. My brief, as ever, was to enhance the whole look of the show and help the audience focus on each story-telling moment. When it comes to equipment, it’s not actually about the flashiest new kit or what’s just arrived on the shelf. Rather, it’s about drawing on fixtures that you know will be reliable and able to cope with 12 performances a week – something WL has in abundance”.

   WL is also supplying Aladdin in Cambridge, Crawley, Norwich, Yeovil and Swindon, with the Wyvern Theatre production starring EastEnders legend Adam Woodyatt. The Lighting Programmer for the show is Eden Thornton, who comments: “I’ve now worked on ten pantos over the last six years. They can often be hard work as you’re trying to create a big show in what’s not a great amount of time. That said, it’s very exhilarating. It’s also important to have a good team around you as well as the services of a reliable hire company; hence we try and use WL whenever we can”.

   Other popular titles that WL is supplying include Snow White in Bolton and Malvern, along with The Wizard of Oz at the Birmingham Rep and Bolton Octagon. Cinderella is going to the ball in Canterbury, Eastbourne, Guildford and Portsmouth whereas Jack and the Beanstalk is sprouting on stage in both Epsom and Watford. Peter Pan is also flying into Theatre Royal Portsmouth as well as the Park Theatre, London, where Nic Farman is the lighting designer. Nic comments: “I’ve worked on a couple of pantos now and, from my experience, you can really be bold and create beautiful, colourful stage pictures which captivate the audience’s imagination. Peter Pan at the Park Theatre is actually a more traditional version of the play and my role is to use light to create the locations that appear throughout the course of the show. We rely heavily on saturated colour and texture from gobo washes to help transform the relatively small stage for each part of the play. The team at WL have been great in providing me with the fixtures I need to take the audience to places such as Neverland, Mermaids Lagoon and Captain Hook’s Pirate Ship”.

   WL also supplied the lighting for Sinbad at the Beck Theatre for BACCES: the British Airways Cabin Crew Entertainment Society which puts on a yearly panto, and in its history has raised over £1M for worthy causes. The Lighting Designer was Jonathan Haynes, who states: “Compared to a traditional play, panto is generally very flashy and colourful, jam packed with fun where anything goes! Basically nothing is off limits, so long as it also helps to tell the story! With this show in particular, as the cast are full-time cabin crew for British Airways, there were only a limited number of rehearsals so I had to have a design that was flexible and could change. For instance, the first tech run was the first time I actually saw the characters’ lavish costumes and so I very quickly had to tune the colours to compliment these; hence it was vital I had equipment that offered versatility”.

   The busy panto season is a fitting conclusion to what’s been an extremely busy 2018 for WL, who have supplied the lighting on a range of theatre smashes including Company, The Band, Tina – The Musical, The Inheritance, The Pinter Season alongside long-running hits such as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Aladdin, Matilda and Les Misérables.

   WL’s Managing Director Bryan Raven comments: “It’s been another great year in which we’ve continued working on shows of all sizes all across the country. We are now looking forward to 2019 where we will continue our investment in both the latest technology and expert staff in order to offer lighting professionals the level of service they’ve come to expect from us”.

8. White Light in the Picture for Canon Camera Launch

   18 October 2018 10:16 Leave a Comment

   

   Canon recently held the launch of its new camera the EOS R at Shoreditch Electric Light Station, London. The camera giants invited journalists along to take part in an experiential experience in which they were transported to a utopian land 400 years in the future. The experience was produced by award-winning theatre company Les Enfants Terribles, known for their work on Alice’s Adventures Underground. Having provided the lighting on a range of immersive projects, White Light was called upon to supply the equipment for this particular launch.

   The lighting designer for the event was Charlie Morgan Jones, who comments: “Canon wanted to launch their new camera yet do so in a way that was interactive and provided the journalists in attendance with an unforgettable experience. Les Enfants came up with the concept that a Canon ambassador was lost in the future and it was down to the invited journalists to ‘find her’. The set design team created a variety of spaces, including the Lab, Missing Persons Room, Museum of Curiosity, Worker’s Space and the Gym; each of which contained clues and potential pointers as to where the ambassador might be. The finale is that they find her in a space named Utopia and she does a beautiful aerial act which they photograph using the new Canon camera, thus allowing them to try out this latest model and all of its settings”.

   Charlie’s own brief was to create a lighting design that not only helped tell the story and add to the immersive experience but was also allow the camera to take the best photos possible. Charlie comments: “I’ve never done an event like this before where the lighting had to be so precise in terms of hitting certain lighting levels whilst at the same time retain my own aesthetic for the live audience. The team from Canon actually came round with a light meter to ensure we were hitting the exact levels and we often had to adjust our lighting brightness accordingly”.

   When Charlie first visited the site, it was a complete empty space. Using only the renderings and drawings he had, he approached the WL team and worked closely with Jonathan Haynes and Jim Dewhirst to obtain the exact fixtures he required. He explains: “This was a very unique project in the sense that it was very ‘theatrical’ yet wasn’t taking place in a theatre space as it were. After speaking with WL, I decided to draw on the ETC Source Four Minis which proved invaluable for the smaller spaces where we simply didn’t have the space for a large rig. A lot of the rooms required powerful lighting yet for this to be done discretely and I feel the Minis are the only fixture that are able to achieve this”.

   The largest space used in the experience was the Utopia area. It was here where the entire launch would culminate, with an aerial performance from the ambassador. Charlie explains: “The biggest feature in Utopia was the sun, which was a monster to create. It comprised of 19 par cans, 32 pin spots and a lot of LED tape (although I suspect my Chief LX Paul Walmsley and his masterful electrics team secretly loved making it!). The space also utilised 8 x MAC III Performance, 3 x MAC TW1s and a range of Robert Juliat DALIS”. Over the main acting space, 14 x ETC Lustr 2s provided general coverage, acting as a ‘big light’ to ensure the cast could be seen clearly by the camera.

   As with a lot of events taking place in bespoke environments, the set up time for the project was extremely tight. Charlie explains: “We had three days to set everything up and we were working alongside the construction team who were simultaneously building the set. Also, due to the fact that there was very little free space in the main areas, we actually had to position the lighting desk in another room, meaning all the programming was blind. That said, the Lighting Programmer, Shane Button, was fantastic and it often involved a lot of trial and error with me speaking down a radio to him, acting as his eyes. I was really lucky to be surrounded by a brilliant team, including my right hand man LX Paul Walmsley as well as Charlie Hayday, Gareth Clough, Clancy Flynn and Paul Salmon who were all equally fantastic!”.

   The launch was a huge success, attracting journalists from across the globe. It also marks yet another example of WL working with Charlie. Charlie comments: “This was a fantastic project to work on and unlike anything I’ve ever lit before. I want to say a huge thanks to all the WL team for being so accommodating and for offering guidance from the initial planning stages, all the way through to final delivery”.

   Photos courtesy of Charlie Morgan Jones and Canon Ambassadors.

9. White Light Works Its Magic on Derren Brown: Underground

   12 June 2018 09:49 Leave a Comment

   

   

   Derren Brown, the multi-award winning master of mind control and psychological illusion, wowed audiences in London last year with his mesmerising show Underground. The show originally ran at the Charing Cross Theatre and then the Playhouse Theatre in the West End. The show has recently returned for a nationwide tour of the UK and Ireland. Having supplied the original London production, White Light was called upon to provide the lighting for this latest tour.

   Derren Brown: Underground is directed by Andrew O’Connor and Andy Nyman and features a lighting design by Charlie Morgan Jones. Charlie comments: “When I was first approached to light Underground, we talked a lot about bold looks. I’m a huge fan of the Great British Backlight so was determined to throw in some epic scenes from the up stage position. The Set Designer Will Bowen had created some beautiful Victorian drapes which I wanted to light in different colours; dependent on the various sections of the show. It was also really important to maintain the focus on Derren so I was conscious of drawing on kit that was able to close in on different sections of the stage with precision and subtly. I was also keen to light it very theatrically, giving the performance an extra texture”.

   To achieve this look, Charlie approached WL to supply him with his ideal rig. He explains: “For the show, I’ve drawn on a range of Martin MAC Auras, which are great units because of their size. A lot of the stages on tour are fairly shallow and the LX bars needed to fly in fairly low without seeing any noses. The show also uses ETC ColourSource Sports and a plethora of ETC Source Four Minis”.

   Whereas a lot of West End shows have to significantly change when embarking on a tour, this wasn’t the case for Derren Brown: Underground. Charlie explains: “The West End version of the show was actually the largest revamp that Underground when through in terms of lighting. We kept the Martin MAC Auras from the previous UK tour but added in ETC ColourSource Spots along with some clam shell footlights. We’ve then gone on to keep all of this for the 2018 tour, which means that audiences across the UK are seeing a carbon copy of the West End version”.

   That said, as with any touring production visiting different venues on a weekly basis, Charlie had to adapt his design slightly for each theatre. He explains: “The main thing that’s different in every venue is the followspots and their operators. They have such an important job as they provide all of Derrren’s key lighting. That said, we’ve been very lucky on the tour as we’ve only encountered really great people”.

   The show opened in Liverpool back in April and has visited Eastbourne, Hull, Nottingham, Cardiff and Dublin to name but a few. It is currently in Bournemouth at the Pavilion Theatre.

   Charlie concludes: “I’ve loved every minute of working on Derren Brown: Underground. It’s not only a fantastic show but I’m surrounded by a brilliant team including Paul Walmsley, my amazing Programmer, and Andy Murrell, the Chief LX and Touring Relighter. Without them the show wouldn’t happen. I also want to thank the WL team for their support on every stage of this production”.

   Photos courtesy of Mark Douet.

10. Leading Light with…Charlie Morgan Jones – Part 1

    5 April 2018 10:38 Comments Off on Leading Light with…Charlie Morgan Jones – Part 1

    

    Lighting Designer Charlie Morgan Jones

    This month’s Leading Light is Charlie Morgan Jones. A previous nominee for the WhatsOnStage Best Lighting Design Award, his work spans the full theatrical spectrum, from multiple musical productions to the West End to immersive theatre to international operas. He’s currently at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool with Derren Brown Underground and has taken the time out to speak to us about his story so far.

    As always with Leading Light, we go back to the very beginning and for Charlie this is Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, which is in South Wales. He comments: “I was born and raised in Barry and lived there till I was 18. It’ll always be home for me. It’s very much a quiet town where the people are nice and everyone knows who you are. My bedroom window opened out onto the Bristol Channel and it really was a blissful place to grow up”. Charlie was an only child and lived with his mum and dad. He explains: “Mum is an English teacher and always took me to the theatre throughout my childhood. Dad is a photographer and my Grandparents loved classical music and I remember going to the Symphony Hall in Birmingham. Therefore I was certainly raised in a very ‘artsy’ family”.

    Having attended theatre from the point where he admits to being “the screaming baby at the back”, Charlie’s personal first memory of theatre comes from when he was aged four. He recalls: “The first thing I remember seeing was a production of Turandot at the Welsh National Opera. It was just incredible. I remember this corrugated set which featured hundreds of heads all across the stage. It was lit by a woman called Heather Carson and I randomly looked back at the production shots a couple of years ago and it still looked spectacular”.

    

    Charlie in his Cathedral School Llandaff uniform

    Despite his mum being an English teacher, Charlie is the first to admit that he was far from academic. He comments: “I went to a lovely school in Llandaff which was about eight miles away in Cardiff. The teachers there were great and really pushed me. That said, I didn’t push back. I literally just wanted to spend every day larking around and making people laugh. I didn’t really put in the energy to apply myself to anything”.

    During his schooldays, Charlie continued to see a lot of shows. He comments: “With the New Theatre being based in Cardiff, this meant that they had a different show each week and whether it was am dram, musical, farce or panto, mum and dad would always take me”. Charlie also took part in the school plays which were held every summer and Christmas. His first ‘theatrical credit’ was his unforgettable portrayal of a Rabbit in Wind in the Willows at the age of 7. Yet school was to further Charlie’s passion for theatre when a new state-of-the-art theatre was built. Charlie recalls: “I was 13 years old and for some unknown reason, my parents had bought me a smoke machine. I told my Drama teacher who asked me if she could borrow it for a show. I said yes and then she asked if I wanted to light it as well. I didn’t really know what I was agreeing to but I just said yes!”. Charlie ended up making his lighting debut on what he describes as “Stars in Their Eyes extravangza”. He recalls: “I lit the show on a two scene desk so it was literally on off, on off. That said, I had a blast and my teacher let me light lots of other shows. I think I became the only designer in history to light Joseph without any colour! Then again I was just having a good time and enjoyed the whole lighting process”.

    

    Concorde would actually have a big influence on Charlie’s career choice.

    Yet Charlie didn’t want to be a designer just yet. Rather, he had other ambitions: “I wanted to be a pilot – something I wanted to be for as long as I can remember”. And there was one particular plane that Charlie has a somewhat unhealthy obsession with: “I was madly obsessed with Concorde. My aunt lived in Reading which was on the flightpath to Heathrow and at 5:30pm every evening, I would run into the garden as soon as I heard the plane up ahead. I was so obsessed that, when I was ten, I wrote to British Airways saying I love Concorde and they needed to help me. To my amazement, a chap called Claude Freeman wrote back who was then Head of British Airways Maintenance. He asked if I wanted to spend a day at our maintenance facility and I, of course, said yes! I spent the whole day on a Concorde but not just any Concorde – the flagship plane named G-BOAC. I even received a Blue Peter badge”.

    However, Charlie’s dream of flying Concorde was to be quickly dashed when he was just 15. He recalls: “They decommissioned Concorde which was a genuine blow to my piloting dreams. It felt like there was no end goal now as my ultimate ambition was to fly that plane”.

    

    Charlie during his work experience days at Wales Millennium Centre. 

    While his Concorde dream was coming to an end, Charlie was still busy lighting shows at school. He recalls: “My Drama teacher, Claire Morgan, was very supportive. She would let me stand on chairs to rig lights and I even had a key to the drama studio (something I would use when I wanted to skip Chemistry). I used to spend all my time in there, playing with levels and cue timings. It was a very basic desk with 24 channels on top and 24 on bottom but it was my be all and end all”. Charlie soon became the school’s go to lighting designer and began to explore lighting outside of the drama studio. He recalls: “When I was 16, my mum introduced me to Perryn Leech, Welsh National Opera’s Technical Director. I soon embarked on work Experience on WNO Max’s Candide which was a fantastic experience. Perryn would also prove to be extremely supportive of me and introduced me to Dorset Opera – where I did two seasons as Assistant Lighting Designer. I was lucky enough to return in 2014 to light their 40th anniversary season as the fully fledged LD”.

    Charlie passed his GCSEs and continued with his A Levels, which included Drama, Physics, Maths Statistics and Geography. He comments: “I went to a college that was different to my high school and really didn’t enjoy it. The only fond memory I have is spending time in the theatre! I also used to host a show on the local radio station called Spotlight which was all about theatre”.

    During this time, Charlie continued his work experience at the Wales Millennium Centre, which included Acorn Antiques – the Musical.  It was here he met Technical Director Dicky Burgess who said if Charlie wanted a job as a followspotter, he should email Dicky when he was 18. Charlie comments: “The day after my 18^th birthday I emailed him and was offered a job as a followspotter: something I did for five years. The first show I worked on there was White Christmas where I was lucky enough to meet Lighting Designer Ken Billington. I remember he told me: ‘Kid, if they walk and talk, they get a light'”.

    

    Rose Bruford was a life-changing experience for Charlie.

    Yet all this focus on theatre meant Charlie’s studies were neglected and he failed his exams. However, he wasn’t giving up on education just yet: “Whilst I was working at the WMC, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was visiting and the Chief LX was a chap called Chris Vaughn. He told me to apply to drama school as he felt it would be a great experience for me. So, I applied to Rose Bruford in secret – mainly as I didn’t think I’d get in. I was then invited to interview with Rachel Nicholson and to my complete and utter surprise, she offered me a place!”. Charlie soon left Barry and made his way to London; something he describes as “terrifying and great”. And it seems that Rose Bruford was the one educational institution where Charlie really felt at home. He comments: “I had the most incredible three years at Rose Bruford and really honed my craft. The Programme Director Hansjorg Schmidt was the most nurturing man and gave me some incredible support. I took the Lighting Design course although not everyone taking it wanted to be an LD (one is now a Royal Navy Officer!). That said, I knew for a fact that this was what I was going to do and that marked me out slightly”.

    During his time at Rose Bruford, Charlie began to work at the Vaudeville as a Board Operator. He recalls: “Working at the Vaudeville was also an education in itself as I got to see a new lighting designer’s work on a new show every three months. Peter Mumford lit the first show I worked on there (you can read Peter’s Leading Light here) whereas Mark Henderson lit the second one. You essentially had the dons of lighting design coming in and I was behind them in a dress rehearsal. It was at that point when I thought – I could be this guy”.

    Click here to read Part Two.