Tag Archive: ETC Source 4 Lustr 2

1. White Light Supplies Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

   1 August 2019 13:52 Leave a Comment

   

   White Light has supplied the lighting equipment for the recent West End transfer of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin following its critically-acclaimed UK tour.

   Based on Louis de Bernières’ best-selling novel, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin is the world-famous story of romance in the face of the Second World War set on the idyllic Greek island of Cephallonia. The production marks the novel’s first major theatrical adaptation along with the 25^th anniversary since its original publication. For both the UK tour and West End run, the lighting design was by Malcolm Rippeth.

   Malcolm comments: “As a creative team, one of our main aims was to find the look and feel of Cephalonia and the other spaces featured across the story; the key one being the Italian soldiers fighting their way through the country. In that sense, it was creating a space of peace and beauty in pre-invasion Cephalonia, contrasting with a space imbued with the anticipation of violence. There were also the ‘psychological spaces’ that certain characters experienced during the clashes of warfare”.

   

   With Captain Corelli’s Mandolin being such an epic story, the creative team had to ensure they did this justice in only two and a half hours of stage time. Malcolm explains: “There are lots of jump-cuts and montages of years passing throughout the play, which are devices we’re used to in the cinema. That said, we were keen to make this show as theatrical as possible and embrace the medium. As a result, we stripped the aesthetic back which immediately allowed this. Given that the limited set never changes, lighting was actually key in giving the audience a clear sense of the different spaces and which world they were in at certain points of the piece”.

   Once Malcolm had created a design which brought the world of Cephalonia to life, he approached WL to provide the lighting for both the UK tour and the ultimate West End transfer. He explains: “We had a side light cover of ETC Source 4 Lustr 2s to give us immediate control of colour and temperature across wide ensemble scenes, whilst enhancing the movement and choreography. Overhead we had 12 Martin MAC Encore CLDs, which gave us maximum punch for the cold scenes and images of warfare, but which were then able to have a beautiful warm quality, at perfectly adequate intensities”.

   Malcolm also drew on Martin MAC Aura XBs, Unique 2.1 Haze Machines and an ETC Ion Console.

   

   The show initially opened at the Curve Theatre, Leicester before visiting Rose Theatre Kingston, Theatre Royal Bath, Birmingham Rep, Kings Theatre Edinburgh and the Glasgow Theatre Royal. Following critical acclaim and sell-out shows, the West End transfer was soon announced and will play at the Harold Pinter Theatre until 31^st August 2019.

   Malcolm concludes:  “This is a brilliant show and I’m glad to see audiences across the country and now in the West End responding so well to it. I’d like to thank Tom Mulliner for being fantastic in his role as relighter, production electrician and programmer and helping the show run smoothly every time we visited a new venue. I’d also like to say thanks to WL for their support once again on this production”.

   Photos courtesy of Marc Brenner.

    

2. White Light Supplies Rothschild and Sons Musical

   7 February 2018 09:59 Comments Off on White Light Supplies Rothschild and Sons Musical

   Based on the Tony Award-winning musical The Rothschilds (1970), Rothschild and Sons tells the remarkable story of the Rothschild family and how their influence would eventually change the world. It recently opened at London’s Park Theatre and marks the musical’s UK premiere. The lighting designer is Jack Weir and the equipment was supplied by White Light.

   Jack comments: “For my design, I worked closely with the director, Jeff B.Moss, who was very keen for characters to appear out of nowhere, with a key sense of darkness constantly surrounding them. Traditionally, a lot of musicals are more suited to the look of vivid and saturated pictures with light beams cutting through haze in the air for sensory excitement. However, this differed slightly with this show due to a back wall”.

   The back wall, which was covered entirely in gauze, not only had to disappear when it wasn’t required during the show but also used as a projection surface throughout the show; meaning Jack had to avoid any form of light spill on it, whilst still achieving a sense of backlight to provide depth in each scene. He explains: “By trying to draw attention away from the back wall, alongside a predominately dark costume design, the show ultimately required a muted pallet of pastel colours, playing mostly with the use of black and white. Another practical aspect of my design was, owing to the Park Theatre’s thrust configuration space, there were only three main lighting positions, meaning everything was either on the circle front or overhead”.

   To bring his design to life, Jack approached WL, along with SGM, to supply him with the exact equipment he required. He explains: “I drew on a range of SGM units as they were small enough to position on the circle front, meaning that I had a moving light position, with zoom and full colour control in front of stage. This proved vital for cross lighting the cast in scenes which used full floor and wall projection. They also deliver a brilliant white, which nicely matched the look and feel of the video design by Louise Rhodes-Brown”.

   Jack also drew on the ETC Source 4 Lustr 2s and the Philips VL1100s. He adds: “The VL1100s are in constant use throughout the show, either as specials to define areas on the stage with the framing and diffusion features or as gobo washes. The Lustrs provided  a huge amount of pastel colour in a position which is as close to crosslight as I could get; particularly the minty green hue used in the number ‘Everything’. I also drew on an old favourite, the MAC TW1, which are still my favourite fixture and provided an invaluable injection of warm tungsten light in a defined and controlled way”.

   The show has now opened and will run until 17^th February.

   Jack comments: “This is a really great show and I’m proud of the look we’ve managed to achieve. I’d like to thank SGM for their generous support of this production. I’d also like to thank WL’s Jonathan Haynes and Jim Dewhurst for their continued support, not only when delivering the kit but throughout the entire production period”.

   Follow Jack on Twitter – @weirdLX

   Photos courtesy of Pamela Raith.

3. White Light Supplies Venus in Fur in West End

   30 October 2017 10:06 Comments Off on White Light Supplies Venus in Fur in West End

   Following a Tony Award-winning run on Broadway, Venus in Fur has now made its London debut, opening at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. Starring Natalie Dormer and David Oakes, the critically-acclaimed two -hander follows a meeting between enigmatic actress Vanda Jordan and director Thomas Novachek, with Vanda determined to land the leading role in Thomas’ latest production. As a leading supplier to West End theatre, White Light was called upon to provide the lighting equipment.

   The lighting designer for the show is Hugh Vanstone, who comments: “The play itself dictates a lot about the setting and lighting as the action takes place in a  New York rehearsal room whilst a thunderstorm rages outside. The room is initially lit with fluorescent strip lights but also has a small improvised lighting rig  which the mysterious Vanda commandeers to soften the mood in her attempts to win over Thomas”.

   

   This meant that Hugh had to implement two clear distinctions with his design: “The way I approached this play was to ensure there was a marked contrast between the blandly lit fluorescent room and the more atmospheric theatrical lighting. The first thing I did was install a version of the  ‘rehearsal lighting rig’ in the actual rehearsal room which Natalie could use to set the mood”.

   Hugh also worked alongside set and costume designer Rob Howell. He states: “It’s quite a striking set design featuring a raked floor pushing through the proscenium into the house with a steeply-angled ceiling overhead. As a result, there was no opportunity for overhead lighting; something I had to work around”.

   Hugh drew on the Martin MAC Viper Washes to provide bright lightning effects along with a range of ETC Source 4 Lustr 2s, conventional Source 4s, fresnels and birdies. Perhaps most significantly, the rig also contained the recently launched Philips VL1100 LED; making Venus in Fur the first West End production to utilise this highly-anticipated product.

   Hugh explains: “When I was designing the rig, I spoke to WL’s Technical Director Dave Isherwood who informed me that WL had become one of the first companies to invest in the VL1100s. I asked if I could try them for this show and he said yes. I used these fixtures to provide the tightly focused highlights for the actors during key moments – something they delivered with superb precision.

   

   He adds: “Overall, I was really impressed with the VL1100s. It’s a great improvement on the conventional tungsten version as it’s brighter and the colour mixing and frost function are both improved. Because of the LED engine the beam intensity and consistency is much better. They are also virtually silent, making them perfect for a play like this, and I can see them becoming a very popular fixture for many lighting designers”.

   Directed by Patrick Marber, Venus in Fur has now opened and will run until 9^th December.

   Hugh concludes: “I had a great experience working on Venus in Fur. The play gives the lighting designer carte blanche to really show off and WL once again proved to be the perfect choice to allow my design to shine”.

   Photos courtesy of Darren Bell and Tristram Kenton.

4. Miss Saigon Takes off on UK Tour with White Light

   16 August 2017 09:38 Comments Off on Miss Saigon Takes off on UK Tour with White Light

   Considered to be one of the greatest musicals of modern times, Miss Saigon tells the epic love story of young bar girl Kim who falls for American GI Chris during the fall of Saigon. Cameron Mackintosh’s acclaimed production of Boubil and Schonberg’s classic embarked on a record-breaking run in the West End and is now touring the UK. Having supplied the most recent revival, along with the original run thirty years ago, White Light has been called upon to provide the lighting equipment for this latest UK tour.

   The lighting designer for the tour is Olivier Award-winning Bruno Poet who also lit the West End revival. He comments: “When Cameron asked me to light the 2014 production for the West End,  it was daunting to start work on a production with so much history, yet thrilling to be asked to approach it with fresh ideas. I treated it as a completely new show. After the successful West End run, and revisiting the show for Broadway, the UK tour has been an opportunity to revisit my design and hone it for touring.

   He adds: “It’s a challenging show to light – extremely fast-paced, with many changes of mood and location, from the smoky sleaze of Dreamland, to the bleakness of the refugee camp, to the military formality of The Morning of the Dragon and the fantasy of the American Dream. At times it needs to be as epic as an opera, and at others as intimate as a play. A lot of my job would be as much directing the darkness as directing the light. Many moments of the show rely on hiding things with darkness and smoke”.

   In terms of feel, the touring production still remains very similar to the West End. Bruno comments: “The main difference with the rig is that the touring version uses far less conventional fixtures and a few more moving lights. We’ve also replaced all of the scrollers with ETC Source 4 Lustr 2 units which are great touring fixtures”.

   For the tour, Bruno once again approached WL to provide him with the exact fixtures needed for this ambitious show. He states: “We have 36 x Martin MAC Viper Performances on the rig which are fantastic for creating directional keylight and beams through the haze.  Working closely with Vicky Fairall at Goboplus, we created custom-made gobos which helped the lighting blend in with the set and projection. For instance, the set features scenic borders that have a bamboo criss-cross pattern. We created a gobo which reflected this so the shadows feel like a part of the set.  Similarly, during American Dream, we use custom Dollar Bill artwork to match the projection and the themes of the song. They also make a great air look”.

   Bruno also drew on 52 x Martin MAC Auras. He states: “I packed the Auras close together so that they worked parallel with one another, creating almost light curtains. These offer big backlight looks and proved ideal for the big numbers. I also used the Auras at the side of the stage for sidelight; due to the fact they are so compact and can be hidden within the scenery”. Bruno also used the GLP X4 Battens for the other big number sequences, in particular American Dream.

   Bruno’s lighting design worked alongside the award-winning set design by Totie Driver and Matt Kinley. He states: “At the back of the set is a skycloth made with layers of painted BP screen and gauze. I wanted to create many different looks in the sky so, to work with these layers, I chose EvenLED Panels.  They can be pixel mapped with detailed video content and are therefore extremely flexible. We also had very limited space – only 300mm between the BP and the back of the theatre in some venues.  It would never have been possible to light the cyc in a conventional way.”  Chroma Q ColourForce 12 LED Battens are also used to skim across the gauzes.

   Another significant fixture on the rig was the ETC Revolution. Bruno adds: “I still prefer the quality of tungsten light on faces. The Revolutions are used mainly in the warmer scenes and give a good contrast to the rest of the rig which is so LED and HMI heavy”. Bruno also utilised the Leader Light Stage Beam 6-06D Battens on the floor upstage during the This is the Hour sequence to backlight rows of soldiers. He explains: “Their super bright beam cuts well through the haze, and is so narrow that it can terminate on the circle fronts and avoid blinding the audience”. He also drew on Martin MAC Viper Washes and five followspots for punchier washlight effects; including three Robert Juliat Cyranos out front and Source 4 Lustr 2s positioned on the side towers.

   It’s not just lights that play a significant role in Bruno’s design. He adds: “This show has a lot of smoke machines in it. We have nine Look Solutions Unique Hazers positioned so that the haze can be pumped  through lines of holes drilled through the floor  There are four more Unique Hazers above the ground along with five Look Solution Viper 2.6 Smoke Machines.  We also have two MDG ATMe Haze Generators that WL invested in specifically for this production. These create the best fine haze which allow beams of light to be seen without obscuring the action of stage. For low lying fog we have two Cryofogs and real dry ice is built into the Cadillac which is featured in the show”.

   Miss Saigon is currently in Birmingham where it has achieved critical acclaim from critics and audience members alike. It will stay at the Hippodrome until 23^rd September before visiting venues in Dublin, Edinburgh, Manchester and finally concluding at Norwich Theatre Royal in August next year.

   Bruno states: “This is a stunning show and it’s great to take it on a UK tour for the first time in over a decade. I’m extremely proud of my design and playing a part in telling this now iconic story. I have been brilliantly supported by my associate Warren Letton and programmer Dave Totaro as well as the dedicated touring electricians Jim Bristow, Stuart Moorhouse and Leoni Withers. I am also grateful to Jedd Hamilton and everyone at WL for their support throughout”.

   Photographs by Johan Persson © Cameron Mackintosh Ltd