Tag Archive: lighting fixtures hire

1. White Light Supplies Kipps and Ragtime at ArtsEd

   21 April 2021 08:48 Leave a Comment

   

   ArtsEd is one of the UK’s leading drama schools and for over a century has offered a range of Acting and Musical Theatre courses at a variety of levels. As part of its training, third year students take part in their renowned Graduate Shows, with two of this year’s productions being Kipps: The Half a Sixpence Musical and Ragtime. The lighting designer for both was Nic Farman, who approached White Light (WL) to supply the lighting equipment. 

   The Graduate Shows at ArtsEd were a much-welcomed return to theatre for Nic who, like so many other designers, had most of his work either cancelled or postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He comments: “I  really enjoy working with the team at ArtsEd so was pleased to be asked back for these shows. Their response to the Covid situation has been really transparent and encouraging and they’ve allowed us to continue making work throughout the restrictions, such as the creative team and cast forming a working bubble for production week, as well as ensuring that we are all regularly being tested. When I found out I was lighting the shows, I immediately got in touch with WL who I have worked with on many occasions now, including when I lit Disney’s Newsies at ArtsEd back in 2019, and who I knew could provide what I needed”. 

   As Nic was lighting two shows that are stylistically very different, this meant he had to use the same rig in different ways. He explains: “Kipps was bright and sculpted for all the dance  ensemble numbers, whereas Ragtime was darker and  asymmetrical, often using only one section of sidelight to give us clean shadows and an imposing scale. ArtsEd operates on a semi-fixed rig basis which covers a lot of what I would put into it (I also have the added advantage of having a hand in designing the  fixed rig so it includes some of my stalwarts!). Because the shows play one after the other as opposed to in rep, the fixed rig gives us some flexibility, with time  to change gel and minor refocuses between productions. ArtsEd also have a good stock of ETC Lustr lanterns which means I can have an overhead wash and  sidelight that is completely flexible”. 

   He continues: “When it comes to dressing the set, I try to pair lanterns up across the productions. For example, on Kipps, we had a number of flown set pieces  which were lit from the low slips. Those lanterns were then repurposed to dress the girders in the set for Ragtime. On both shows we had a  beautiful layered cyc, courtesy of the designer, Frankie Bradshaw. It had two layers: a flat white cyc upstage which we lit from the bottom to give an  infinite skyline and a second, textured gauze downstage which took light scraping across it from all angles wonderfully. So as a team we  were able to create a vast number of looks with the cloths, from more realistic skylines for Kipps to abstract painting of colour across what almost  felt like a solid rock face for Ragtime”. 

   

   Nic then approached the Customer Service team at WL and worked closely with Andy Cullen and Louise Houlihan to supplement the existing fixtures. He explains: “ArtsEd has a great stock of ETC Lustr Series 2 fixtures, with both profile lenses and the fresnel adapter, and I used these for sidelight and overhead fill. This is then supplemented by four High End Solaframe 1000 Profiles which give me flexible spot specials. We also hired units to light the layered cyc, which included the ETC Colorsource which l’m a  huge fan of due to how well they blend, along with their punchy output. We also brought in extra Lustr Series 2 fixtures with Fresnel adapters to light across the front of the  textured cloth with their barn doors giving me control of the abstract streaks of light we were after. For a project like this where you are working across two shows, having infinite colour options is vital as it allows you that much needed  flexibility”. 
   
   Following two months of online rehearsals, this year’s ArtsEd Third Year Graduate Show took place last month and played to a socially-distanced audience of staff and students. For many of the graduates, it was the first time they had performed in over a year and offered them the vital opportunity to showcase their skills before they embark on their professional careers. 

   Nic concludes: “It was great to be back in a theatre, making work in what hopefully marks a gradual return to normality. I’d like to say a massive thanks to the team at ArtsEd (Di, Phil, Chris, Molly, Alex, Roo, Joe, Caitlin and Russel) for facilitating a smooth and safe production. I’d also like to thank WL as always for their support throughout the entire process”.  

   Show Credits:

   Kipps

   Director – Joesph Pitcher
   Choreographer – Ashley Nottingham
   Musical Director – Nigel Lilley
   Set Designer – Frankie Bradshaw
   Costume Designer – Gregor Donnelly
   Lighting Designer – Nic Farman
   Sound Designer – Adam Fisher

   Ragtime

   Director – Stephen Whitson
   Choreographer – Stuart Winter
   Musical Director – James McKeon/Ben Cox
   Set Designer – Frankie Bradshaw
   Costume Designer – Natalie Pryce
   Lighting Designer – Nic Farman
   Sound Designer – Adam Fisher

2. White Light is Part of the Family for Uncle Vanya

   19 February 2020 12:17 Leave a Comment

   

   White Light has supplied the lighting equipment for Uncle Vanya which has opened at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London’s West End.

   Written by Anton Checkov, Uncle Vanya is possibly one of theatre’s most iconic plays, with thousands of productions since its Moscow premiere in 1899. This latest production has been directed by Ian Rickson and features a lighting design by Bruno Poet. Bruno comments: “What’s great about this translation is that it doesn’t reinvent the original but actually gives it a modern edge, using contemporary and accessible language which makes it moving, clear and very funny. Whilst it is set in the 19^th century, the themes feel completely relevant to today”.

   Bruno’s brief on the show was to move the story forward and support the character’s emotional journeys. He explains: “The script calls for a sense of the time of day, and the weather. We start in summer sunshine, move to a hot, but stormy night, then enter an autumnal afternoon that slowly travels through sunset to dusk and night time. The production all happens in the same space, so the lighting needed to give each act a distinctive feel while belonging within Rae Smith’s elegant design.  Although we are guided by the script, Ian and I wanted the feel to be bold and expressionistic, sculpting the air and supporting the focus of the performers; with all the characters trapped in the misery of loneliness and unrequited love”.

   

   As such, Bruno started designing his rig and choosing the fixtures that would be most suitable. He comments: “I knew I wanted tungsten light through the big windows that make up most of the stage right wall. I needed the rich warms across the wooden floor, and the beautiful colour shift as the lights fade. I wanted the flexibility of a few moving lights to allow me to put specials wherever I needed to frame and focus the storytelling. Also, I had to have an incredibly quiet rig. Ian warned me that he is obsessed with eliminating even the smallest fan noise – and rightly so. The delicacy and intimacy of the spoken word, powerfully supported by Stephen Warbeck’s music and Ian Dickinson’s sound design, should not be destroyed by the background hum of fans”.

   Bruno approached the Hire Team at WL to acquire the fixtures he needed. He explains: “The main feel of the play is driven by 24 par cans with scrollers outside the SR window. These gave me the bold directional light source I wanted. These are balanced with an area cover of ETC Source 4 Series 2 Lustrs from Front of House. I had 4 Martin MAC TW1s overhead for specials and 4 Martin MAC Encore Performances front of house for the same. Offstage of the SR window, Rae designed a forest that slowly grows into the house. This was lit by 4 Ayrton Ghiblis, chosen for their punch and wide angle (and quietness). The Ghiblis gave me the ability to show single shadow moonlight through the windows, compared to the pars that were a softer more expressionist source. A bunch of candles, lit by the cast and some tungsten practicals delivered the contrast in the night-time scenes. More Ghiblis high in the USR and USL corners gave me cold directional light for the night-time scenes. A very light haze was provided by an MDG ATMOSPHERE  – just to give a sense of dust hanging in the air”.

   

   As always with shows like this, Bruno’s design had to alter slightly during the rehearsal and preview period. He explains: “Ensuring the rig stayed quiet was quite hard and we had to experiment with how low we could turn down the scroller fans before we melted the gel strings. Thankfully, we found a level where they could not be heard and where the gel survives. We also had to work out where to place the foliage outside the windows without it impeding the shots of the par cans. One morning the crew looked more like gardeners than technicians!”.

   Uncle Vanya has now opened to rave reviews, receiving five stars in The Guardian, WhatsOnStage and The I. It runs until 2^nd May 2020.

   Bruno comments: “I really enjoyed lighting such a delicate and nuanced play. Having recently worked on a lot of musicals, concerts and operas, this was a big (but welcomed!) contrast. There was a fantastic team on this show – everyone from the cast, creatives, stage management and the team at the Pinter – and so it was an absolute joy to work together and carefully build our version of Checkov’s story. I’d like to say particular thanks to Warren Letton, my Associate and Programmer for the show who was a huge support. Also, a big thanks to WL for supplying the equipment I needed”.

   Photos courtesy of Johan Persson.