Tag Archive: London theatre

1. White Light Supplies All My Sons at the Old Vic

   4 June 2019 11:54 Leave a Comment

   

   White Light recently supplied the lighting equipment for the Old Vic’s production of All My Sons, starring Hollywood legends Sally Field and Bill Pullman.

   Written by Arthur Miller, All My Sons is set in 1940s America and tells the story of a family whose lives are shadowed by the losses of war. This latest version is a co-production between the Old Vic and Headlong and features a lighting design by Richard Howell. Richard comments: “Although All My Sons is obviously an iconic play, I had never seen or read it before working on this production. As a result, I was able to approach with it a completely fresh perspective”.

   On the show, Richard worked closely with renowned director Jeremy Herrin to achieve the specific feel required. He explains: “In terms of my design, the main challenge was to create three distinct looks for the three acts but to also manage the progression between them in a way that felt natural. Although this play is rooted in naturalism it also has a great lyrical quality. The lighting initially needed to establish a naturalistic world. As the lives of the main protagonists fractured over the course of the play, the lighting had to shift into a more expressionistic visual language”.

   Having recently supplied the Glengarry Glen Ross tour which Richard lit, he approached WL to supply the equipment once again on this production.

   Richard comments: “The rig mainly utilised MAC TW1s and MAC Viper Performances. The organic, soft quality of light from the TW1 gave a useful sunlight feel for Acts 1 and 2 whilst the colder, harsher quality of light from the Vipers was useful for the more abstract third act. I also use the Robert Juliat DALIS to light the cyc as well as a mixture of ETC Source Series 2 Lustrs”.

   Due to the layout of both the venue and the set, this meant that Richard had to configure his design accordingly. He explains: “Practically, there was very little depth behind the cyc and a big truck was stored where the lights would normally be. Thanks to some clever rigging by the lighting team at the Old Vic, we were able to fly the ground row in after the truck had moved”.

   The play closes this weekend after embarking on a sell-out run which achieved critical acclaim. It is one of several shows that WL has supplied at the Old Vic over the past year, having worked on Wise Children, A Christmas Carol and The American Clock.  The company will also supply the lighting for the upcoming Present Laughter which opens later this month.

   Richard concludes: “Once again a huge thank you to WL who have been invaluable in helping us find the exact equipment needed for this production”.

   Photos courtesy of Johan Persson.

    

2. White Light Goes Back to Beginning in West End

   12 February 2018 10:44 Comments Off on White Light Goes Back to Beginning in West End

   Following a sell-out run at The National Theatre’s Dorfman, Beginning has recently transferred to London’s West End. Written by David Eldridge, the play is now running at the Ambassadors Theatre where it has once again received critical acclaim. It features a lighting design by Jack Knowles and White Light supplied the lighting equipment.

   Beginning tells the story of 40-somethings Danny and Laura, with Danny being the last straggler at Laura’s house party. Despite the flat being a mess and the pair being worse for wear, will he stay for one more drink…? The entire play is told in real time and set in one location. Jack comments: “Beginning was great fun but also a challenge lighting one specific space. The main brief was to be true to the naturalism of the piece. There was a high focus on practical light sources amongst the set, used to create the basis for the environment of the space.  That said, we wanted to keep the feel of a naturalistic world and make everything 100% believable.

   He adds: “As the show is set at night, there really is no progression of time passing from the exterior. Any change in state is brought on from the action of the characters, such as switching on a light in the kitchen, and this was all thoroughly investigated within the rehearsal process. There is no conveniently turning anything on or off as it is all done with an intention and a purpose; something I find brings a huge level of satisfaction and adds to the naturalism within the piece”.

   At the National, Jack’s design consisted of ETC Lustr 2s, used in low angles to mimic the lamps within the room as well as keep the focus low and balanced. This was complemented with the Dorfman’s general rig of MAC TW1s, VL1100TS and VL550s. However, as the show transferred into the West End, certain adjustments needed to be made.

   The transfer was mainly overseen by Jack’s Associate Lighting Designer Michael Harpur, who comments: “Prior to the transfer, Jack had redrawn his plan for the Ambassadors and we discussed the potential problems that may occur when trying to position existing fixtures into a new building. I worked closely with the venue’s Production Electricians and my Programmer Matt Somerville to try and recreate the Dorfman design in the Ambassadors”.

   The main changes for the transfer included the replacement of VL550s to Martin TW1s as well as a range of ETC Source Four Series 2 Lustrs which were changed to Source Four Tungsten 750ws. Michael explains: “When we were fitting the show, we had to make a lot of calls as to what could stay and what needed amending. For instance, due to the height of the Ambassadors, we needed to replace the VL1100s with more fixed Source Fours. Our main goal was to ensure that, whilst we adapted to the venue, we stayed true to the original design.

   Regarding the West End run, Michael adds: “The key on Beginning was to keep the warm intimacy of the play and blend it into the auditorium. We did this by keeping the house light level slightly dimmed and by keeping the levels of the lanterns lighting the stage at a low warm glow throughout. The show should have felt as though there were very few lighting cues by subtly pulling focus to the areas where Justine and Sam were performing; something we were able to achieve in both venues”.

   The show has now opened in the West End and will run until 24^th March.

   Jack adds: “It was fantastic to be working with a very supportive team at the Dorfman who fully bought into the show and the detail of it. It was also exceptionally useful being able to have Michael take the show into town as he not only knew what each fixture was doing but fully understood the aesthetic of the show”.

   Photos courtesy of Manuel Harlan.