Tag Archive: MAC Aura XB

1. White Light is Simply the Best for TINA – The Tina Turner Musical

   10 July 2018 09:03 Leave a Comment

   

   One of the best-selling artists of all time, Tina Turner’s fascinating life story has now been turned into a stage show with TINA – The Tina Turner Musical. Written by Olivier Award-winning playwright Katori Hall, the show charts Tina’s humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennesee to her transformation into the global Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll. The show is playing at the Aldwych Theatre in London’s West End and as a leading lighting supplier to some of the biggest shows in the country, White Light was called upon to provide the lighting equipment.

   

   TINA – The Tina Turner Musical is directed by the internationally-acclaimed Phyllida Lloyd and features a lighting design by Bruno Poet. Bruno comments: “My brief for the show was to help tell this extraordinary story and make the performers come alive within Mark Thompson’s elegant design. The set frames the actors beautifully and is very stripped back, with the focus being on the characters’ emotional journeys. There are also around 40 scenes in different locations, and the lighting needs to support that sense of time and place. Added to this were several concert scenes so I had to create a design that matched this energy”.

   To achieve this, Bruno approached WL in order to draw on his ideal rig. He explains: “It was a combination of experimenting with new units that I felt might be useful in combination with tried and tested favourites. I was really keen to move away from discharge light sources and more towards the latest LED fixtures. I also needed a really flexible rig that could offer a full-on concert experience at the end of the show, but also work with the more nuanced, delicate scenes.  I was also determined to have a very quiet rig. Even a musical has quiet moments and hearing fan noise is a personal pet hate of mine!”.

   The equipment Bruno drew on included the MAC Encore Performance CLD, the VL550, the MAC Aura XB, GLP X4 Battens and the ETC Source 4 Lustr 2s. He explains: “With the MAC Encore CLD, this is the first LED source I’ve found that gives the cold discharge look of something like a MAC Viper but can also do a convincing tungsten warm. With the Auras, these have great zoom range, brilliant colours and can be used for punchy, beamy looks. The set design cried out for curtains of light and the GLP X4 Battens allowed me to achieve this, while taking up virtually no space on the grid.  I also drew on Portman P2s for the big concert finale, along with Clay Paky Sharpys. The desk I drew on was an EOS which I often use for theatre productions”.

   The decision as to what type of lighting equipment should be used was much discussed in the show’s pre-production stages. Bruno explains: “As the musical spans several decades, we did contemplate using equipment and styles that would be accurate from certain points along that timeline. However, looking at this in detail, we realised that this could be very dull for a modern audience! That said, I did make myself some ground rules. For instance, you don’t see moving lights move until we get to the late 1980s”.

   TINA – The Tina Turner Musical has now opened to critical acclaim and has already been extended to February 2019. Bruno comments: “This was a fantastic production to be a part of. I was supported by an amazing team which included Max Narula as Associate, Warren Letton as Programmer and Sam Floyd as Production Electrician. I really enjoyed collaborating with Jeff Sugg, the Video and Projection Designer, as this was one of those shows where lights and projection worked as one. Similarly, I was surrounded by a brilliant stage management team, especially Sarah Seymour our DSM whose calling of the finale is poetic and a masterclass in timing”.

   Photos courtesy of Manuel Harlan.

2. White Lights Goes Into The Woods with UCL

   1 March 2018 16:28 Comments Off on White Lights Goes Into The Woods with UCL

   The UCL Musical Theatre Society offers top-quality performance, production, volunteering and social opportunities for the students of UCL. Every academic year the society puts on a variety of shows, including two large-scale productions. This year, one of these was Into the Woods which was performed at the Shaw Theatre as part of the Union’s Performance Season. With a strong history of supporting student productions, White Light was called upon to provide the lighting equipment.

   The lighting designer for the show was Alex Forey. He comments: “I became involved with the production as I am part of the UCL Stage Crew which is responsible for everything technical that happens on every UCL Show. The director’s vision for the show was for it to be set in a post-apocalyptic world. The set design was very industrial with lots of exposed aluminium and barbed wire so it was my job to support that vision with lighting, creating a magical environment”.

   Alex designed the rig for UCL’s whole four-week season at the Shaw. As a result, it had to be very versatile. He explains: “Due to the required versatility, the rig is very mover and LED heavy. I picked the VL1100TS for its versatility as a front-of-house workhorse; with the tungsten dimming curve and shutters being particularly important for Into the Woods. Similarly, the gobos and rich colour mixing was also helpful for the live music and dance. I also drew on MAC Quantum Washes for their zoom range, brightness and saturated colours, along with MAC Aura XBs to add some versatility in terms of focus positions and specials.

   He adds: “The ever-reliable Lustr was used for colour-changing face light whereas the newer ColourSource Spots with Fresnel adaptors were used for colour changing downlight. There were also 30 x Source Fours for general cover front of house along with 2 x LOOK Solutions Unique Hazers and a Viper NT”.

   As with a lot of student productions, one of the biggest challenges facing Alex was time. He states: “As these productions are obviously fitted around our own studies, we have to use time as efficiently as possible! We only had three days to get in, focus, plot and then tech what is a three hour musical. In order to save time when we were at the venue, I visited WL’s warehouse the week before to conduct some gear prep along with colour matching between the various fixture types”.

   The season runs until 10^th March. Alongside Into the Woods, the season includes Electra, a UCL Drama Society Show, and Exhibition, the Dance Society’s big annual showcase. The other shows are lit by a variety of UCL Stage Crew members, including Alex who has lit 4 of the 22 dance pieces.

   Alex comments: “It’s been fantastic to work on Into the Woods along with the whole season; especially in a venue such as The Shaw Theatre. Thanks also to WL, in particular Jim Dewhirst and Jonathan Haynes, for their support throughout”.

   WL’s Business Development Manager Jonathan Haynes comments: “We are delighted to have been able to work closely with Alex and all of the UCL Stage Crew team on this fantastic season. While we still remain the leading lighting supplier to West End theatre, we are also passionate about supporting student shows which often feature the next generation of lighting designers and theatre practitioners”.

   Photos courtesy of Alex Forey.

3. White Light Joins The Band as it Begins UK Tour

   27 September 2017 08:37 Comments Off on White Light Joins The Band as it Begins UK Tour

   Written by Tim Firth and featuring music by Take That, The Band tells the story of five 16-year-old friends in 1992, who idolise their favourite band, and follows them as adults as they try to meet their pop heroes. The production will star the winners of the smash-hit BBC series Let It Shine who will play the singers of the band. The show opened yesterday evening at the Manchester Opera House to rave reviews and will now tour the UK. White Light has been called upon to provide the lighting equipment.

   The Lighting Designer for the show is Patrick Woodroffe and his Associate is Rob Casey. Rob comments: “Working closely with Projection Designer Luke Halls, our role on the show was to aid the storytelling by guiding the audience, in terms of progressing the timeline as well as highlighting moments of particular importance. Similarly, there are two large concerts in each time period so we needed a lighting rig that could easily replicate these”.

   Unlike other musicals, The Band combines classic drama with recreated pop concerts on stage; something which Patrick and Rob were very conscious of when designing their rig. Rob explains: “The overhead LX trusses are deliberately silver as one of them is in view for the concert numbers. We also have two large stadium truss frames, which we use a lot for the 1992 concert, along with an LX bar full of Sharpy Washes that we utilise for the modern-day concert; with the equipment helping to define the separate timelines”.

   To achieve their ideal rig, Patrick and Rob approached WL and drew on the company’s extensive equipment inventory. Rob comments: “The main rig is made up of MAC Viper Wash DXs, MAC Viper Performances, MAC TW1s and Aura XBs. The set design is a series of almost Hockney-esque polaroid frame projection surfaces which are reflected on the floor. The Viper Performances were perfect to form the shape of the rooms used in each scene, cutting out other parts of the stage. The Viper DXs are the workhorse of the rig in terms of general washes and the barn door feature was essential in keeping light off the various projection surfaces.

   He continues: “The Auras were spec’d in order to give thick, saturated colours as a base level during the production numbers. The MAC TW1s do a lot of work in terms of face lighting. We were very conscious that the show needed to be as tourable as possible, which is why we have a minimal front of house rig so that we can replicate the show on each move”.

   As with most touring productions, it was having to adapt to the various venues which would prove an obstacle that Patrick and Rob had to overcome: “With this show in particular, space is at a premium due to the grids being filled with set, scenery and projectors. Therefore, we worked closely with Production Electrician Chris Mence who was fantastic in helping make sure the show was modular whilst still allowing us to achieve the tricky angles and shots required”.

   The show has now opened in Manchester to rave reviews. It will then move onto the Lyceum Theatre in Sheffield before touring the rest of the country, concluding at the Edinburgh Playhouse in July 2018.

   Rob comments: “WL has been great, as always, with this production. They have constantly adapted to any changes in the rig and have been extremely accommodating throughout. This is a brilliant show and we look forward to sharing it with the rest of the UK”.

   Photos courtesy of Matt Crockett.