Tag Archive: Martin MAC Aura XBs

1. White Light is a Certain Choice for Heisenberg

   16 October 2017 08:27 Comments Off on White Light is a Certain Choice for Heisenberg

   Following its acclaimed run on Broadway in 2016, Heisenberg: The Uncertainty Principle made its West End premiere last week. Opening at the Wyndham’s Theatre, the show marks the inaugural production for Elliot and Harper Productions. It is written by Tony and Olivier-Award winning playwright Simon Stephens and stars Kenneth Cranham and Anne-Marie Duff. White Light has been called upon the supply the lighting equipment.

   Heisenberg: The Uncertainty Principle tells the story of two strangers who meet by chance at a crowded London train station and whose lives are changed forever. The show is lit by the award-winning Paule Constable. She comments: “I read the play and was immediately fascinated by what it had to say about relationships and people in general. The director Marianne Elliot and the Designer Bunny Christie developed a visual concept that drew parallels to the uncertainty principle. What they created was something not at all naturalistic but almost reflecting an arts installation/science experiment”.

   Once the set design was established, Paule created a lighting design that would work alongside this as well as tell the play’s story. Paule explains: “It’s a very stripped back show and feels very exposed. Sometimes this can be quite risky but it worked extremely well for this production. As it’s only two actors on stage throughout, my role was to ensure that their actions resonated and that we used the lighting to pinpoint certain moments”.

   Bunny Christie’s set means that the action is played against what is a huge backlight at the back of stage. Paule comments: “To achieve this effect, I drew on EvenLED panels. Despite it being released almost a decade ago, I don’t think there’s another product out there that can achieve the looks of an EvenLED. For a backdrop of this size, if we didn’t have the EvenLED, then we would have had to build hundreds of LED light bulbs which is obviously not very practical!”.

   

   The unique set design also meant that Paule had very limited positions in which to hang the lighting. She comments: “There are essentially only four places within the theatre in which you can position fixtures. As a result, I have to draw on a range of moving lights. These include ETC Revolutions, Martin MAC Aura XBs, Martin MAC Vipers, Vari*Lite VL1000 and ETC Source 4 Series 2 Lustrs”.

   Paule also drew on the GLP Impression X4 Bar 20s and the show was programmed on an ETC Gio Console.

   Heisenberg: The Uncertainty Principle has now opened in the West End and will run until January 2018.

   Paule states: “This is a very unique show and a brilliant production to be a part of. I’m proud of what we’ve managed to achieve with such a unique set, especially through the use of EvenLED, and I’m grateful to WL for their support throughout”.

   Photos courtesy of Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.

2. White Light Supplies The Goat, or Who is Silvia?

   5 April 2017 08:11 Comments Off on White Light Supplies The Goat, or Who is Silvia?

   Opening tonight at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, The Goat, or Who is Silvia? is a revival of Edward Albee’s Tony Award-winning masterpiece. Starring Damian Lewis and Sophie Okonedo, the play is directed by the former Artistic Director at the Royal Court Ian Rickson. As one of the leading lighting suppliers to West End theatre, WL was called upon to provide the equipment.

   Winner of the 2002 Tony Award for Best Play, The Goat, or Who is Silvia? tells the story of Martin, a middle-aged, hugely successful architect whose seemingly perfect life is thrown into complete turmoil when he confides in his best friend that he has fallen in love with a goat named Silvia… The lighting design was created by Neil Austin, who is nominated for an Olivier Award for his work on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

   

   Neil comments: “The Goat is a funny, poignant and thought-provoking play which the cast really get the most out of. The brief for my design was to portray a successful architect’s Chelsea Brownstone House in New York. The first two acts are treated naturalistically as they are set on a sunny Spring afternoon. However, act three is much more expressionistic as the protagonist’s life begins to fall apart”.

   To achieve his design, Neil drew on WL’s extensive inventory. This includes the ETC Revolutions, ETC Source Four Series Two Lustrs, ADB Fresnels and Martin MAC Aura XBs, all of which were controlled by an ETC Ion 2K Console.

   

   Neil adds: “The Haymarket is one of the most beautiful theatres in London but, having been built in 1820, it lacks a comprehensive array of front of house lighting positions.  So, I positioned a series of ETC Revolutions on the Proscenium Boom to get the most out of the positions that existed. I drew on a range of other equipment to serve the show including large banks of par cans outside the windows to recreate the sunlight and daylight during the naturalistic scenes”.

   The play opens this evening and will run until 24th June 2017.

   Neil adds: “This has been a great play to work on with a fantastic crew and cast.  My Production Electrician Martin Chisnall, my programmer, Dan Haggerty and I would like to thank WL for their help throughout and providing us with the exact equipment we needed”.

   Photos courtesy of Johan Persson.

3. White Light Dragged in for La Cage Aux Folles

   24 January 2017 09:51 Comments Off on White Light Dragged in for La Cage Aux Folles

   With the original Broadway and West End productions winning 11 Tony and 2 Olivier Awards respectively, La Cage Aux Folles is back for what will be its first ever UK tour. Produced by Bill Kenwright Ltd, this classic stage show stars John Partridge and Adrian Zmed and is currently visiting venues up and down the country. As a leading supplier of nationwide theatre tours, White Light was approached to provide the lighting on this occasion.

   La Cage Aux Folles tells the story of Georges and his partner, dazzling drag artiste Albin, who live an idyllic life in St Tropez. Yet when Georges’ son Jean-Michel invites his future parent-in-laws over to dinner, Georges and Albin must try and conceal their vibrant lifestyle for an entire evening… The lighting designer for the production is Ben Cracknell. He comments: “From the offset, I knew this show would require two very clear lighting styles: the action taking place ‘onstage’ within La Cage Aux Folles Club and the action taking place in the other locations. It was important for the storytelling to differentiate between the musical and the show within the musical.

   He adds: “For the scenes away from the club, I utilised a clear dramatic lighting style, approaching it as I would a play. As the drama developed into song, this was subsequently heightened using soft follow spots and a more saturated colour palette. At the other end of the spectrum, when lighting the club scenes, these were more akin to a Vegas-style cabaret show! With such a dynamic range of numbers, combined with Gary McCann’s incredible set, I wanted to make these sequences as thrilling and vibrant as possible”.

   To create his perfect design, Ben drew on WL’s unparalleled lighting range. He comments: “With there often being only one overhead position available when lighting scenes in the various venues, it was crucial that the fixtures offered enough flexibility. I chose Martin MAC Viper Performances for their shuttering and gobo capabilities. These were arrayed in groups of seven to work with the choreography of the La Cage Aux Folles Club onstage numbers. With this arrangement I could pick out the company individually in tableau creating crisp and clean looks. These were also adaptable enough to work for the numerous naturalistic scenes”.

   To enhance the shows taking place within the club scenes, Ben used footlights which consisted of GLP X Bar 20s rigged from the front edge of stage onto a Howard Eaton custom-made shelf which also facilitated positions for sound foldback and front fills. To light the individual performers, he relied heavily on Martin MAC Aura XBs rigged on custom Howard Eaton ladders in the wings. The low crosslight was provided by ETC Source Four Series 2 Lustr Profiles and further Martin MAC Vipers were deployed for front of house coverage.

   Alongside this marking the first time La Cage Aux Folles has played outside of London in the UK, it also marks the first time that Ben has worked on the show. He comments: “Prior to this tour, I had never even seen the show so I was able to approach it with a completely fresh perspective – allowing me to implement my own style”.

    La Cage Aux Folles is currently at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury and will travel across the UK until late August, with more dates set to be announced.

   Ben adds: “This is a thrilling, extremely flamboyant touring show and I’ve had a brilliant team behind me who have helped make it happen. I’m also very grateful to WL for supplying the equipment and being so helpful”.

   Photos courtesy of Pamela Raith.

4. Rag'n'Bone Man Goes on Tour with White Light

   11 January 2017 09:33 Comments Off on Rag'n'Bone Man Goes on Tour with White Light

   Following a year which featured a number one single and winning the Brits Critics’ Choice Award, Rag’n’Bone Man has now established himself as one of the most exciting artists in the UK. As his popularity continues to soar, the soul singer has just finished a nationwide tour in which he visited venues across the country. With a strong reputation in concert touring, White Light provided the lighting equipment.

   The lighting designer for the tour was Louisa Smurthwaite. She comments: “My role is to look after the visual aesthetics of the show. I have worked with Rag’n’Bone Man from his initial festival and one off performances. This tour has developed from these and it’s been great to finally create a full length touring show that as many fans as possible can see”.

   Louisa worked closely with Rag’n’Bone Man, real name Rory Graham, to create a set-up that was suited for the tour. Louisa comments: “I wanted my design to work with the set and be personal to Rory. Therefore we designed some skull light boxes, created by Howard Eaton, which were based on the Mexican Dias De Muertos masks that Rory has tattooed on his hands. We also drew on a red velour drape. We wanted a modern take on a classical feel and the juxtaposition of the red drape and the skull lights helped to achieve this”.

   To light the show, Louisa drew on WL’s unparalleled range of lighting equipment. This included Martin MAC Aura XBs, ETC Source Fours, an LSC e24 Dimmer along with a Unique 2.1 Haze Machine.

   Throughout the tour, the show has visited a range of venues all of which vary in size. Louisa adds: “Space has been somewhat of an issue with this tour! The skull light boxes are almost a metre high which meant having to pick and choose what we could actually present on stage at some of the smaller venues. As a result the rig had to constantly change to fit the venue’s requirements. Thankfully the equipment I used from WL was able to adapt to any change in circumstance”.

   The Rag’n’Bone Man tour will be back on the road in March when it embarks on a European leg, visiting venues in France, Luxembourg, Italy and Austria.

   Louisa states: “So far the tour has been a huge success. WL was great as always – I was actually flying in from another tour when this one started and they delivered a great tourable system before overlaying a larger rig for our bigger shows. I really appreciate everything they’ve done”.

   Photos courtesy of Louisa Smurthwaite.