Tag Archive: Olivier Award

1. Congrats to the Olivier Awards 2018 Winners

   9 April 2018 09:15 Comments Off on Congrats to the Olivier Awards 2018 Winners

   

   Established in 1976, the Olivier Awards celebrate the world-class status of London theatre and are recognised as Britain’s most prestigious stage honours. The Olivier Awards 2018 with Mastercard ceremony took place on Sunday 8^th April and were hosted by Catherine Tate. White Light not only supplied the lighting equipment for both the main ceremony and after party but also sponsored the prestigious Best Lighting Design Award, which was won by Howell Binkley for Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theatre.

   The other nominees for Best Lighting Design included Jan Versweyveld for Network at the National Theatre and Paule Constable for Follies and Angels in America; both also at the National Theatre. WL’s Managing Director Bryan Raven comments: “It’s a privilege to sponsor the Best Lighting Design Award once again. It’s important that, as an industry, we recognise the fantastic work across all disciplines; with lighting design being one of these.  As always, the standard was unbelievably high this year and all four shows featured magnificent designs. We are delighted for Howell for his brilliant work on what has now become an iconic show”.

   Hamilton was the biggest winner on the night and took the accolades for Best Sound Design, Outstanding Achievement in Music, Best Theatre Choreographer, Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical, Best Actor in a Musical and Best New Musical.

   Other winners on the night included:

   BEST NEW COMEDY
   Labour Of Love at Noël Coward Theatre

   BEST NEW DANCE PRODUCTION
   Flight Pattern by Crystal Pite for The Royal Ballet at Royal Opera House

   OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE
   Francesca Velicu for her performance in English National Ballet’s production of Pina Bausch’s Le Sacre Du Printemps at Sadler’s Wells

   BEST ENTERTAINMENT AND FAMILY
   Dick Whittington at London Palladium

   BEST COSTUME DESIGN 
   Vicki Mortimer for Follies at National Theatre, Olivier

   BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
   Bertie Carvel for Ink at Almeida Theatre and Duke of York’s Theatre

   BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
   Denise Gough for Angels In America at National Theatre – Lyttelton

   OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN AFFILIATE THEATRE
   Killology at Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre, a co-production with Sherman Theatre Cardiff

   BEST SET DESIGN
   Bob Crowley and 59 Productions for An American In Paris at Dominion Theatre

   BEST ACTOR
   Bryan Cranston for Network at National Theatre – Lyttelton

   BEST ACTRESS 
   Laura Donnelly for The Ferryman at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court Theatre and Gielgud Theatre

   BEST DIRECTOR
   Sam Mendes for The Ferryman at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court Theatre and Gielgud Theatre

   BEST NEW OPERA PRODUCTION 
   Semiramide at Royal Opera House

   OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN OPERA
   Joyce DiDonato and Daniela Barcellona for their performances in Semiramide at Royal Opera House

   BEST REVIVAL
   Angels In America at National Theatre – Lyttelton

   BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL
   Follies at National Theatre – Olivier

   BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL 
   Sheila Atim for Girl From The North Country at The Old Vic and the Noël Coward Theatre

   BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
   Shirley Henderson for Girl From The North Country at The Old Vic and the Noël Coward Theatre

   SPECIAL AWARD
   David Lan

   The awards ceremony was lit by Ben Cracknell who worked closely with a team which included Cy Dodimead and Lee Batty.  WL also oversaw the technical productions for the after party which took place at the National History Museum and was attended by almost 2000 guests.

2. White Light Goes Underground with Alice’s Adventures Once Again

   10 May 2017 16:33 Comments Off on White Light Goes Underground with Alice’s Adventures Once Again

   Currently running at The Vaults beneath London’s Waterloo Station, Alice’s Adventures Underground is an immersive theatrical retelling of the classic Alice in Wonderland story. Presented by renowned theatre company Les Enfants Terribles, the play originally ran last year at the same venue and was nominated for an Olivier Award. White Light originally supplied the lighting equipment and have done so once again on this occasion.

   Alice’s Adventures Underground allows audience members to meet some of Wonderland’s most famous and curious inhabitants, take tea at the biggest unbirthday party with the maddest of hatters and even join the underground movement to rise against the fearsome Queen of Hearts. The Lighting Designer is Mike Gunning, who comments: “I have worked on shows similar in the past such as Punchdrunk’s The Drowned Man. My brief on this production was to create the correct aesthetic to tell the story”.

   To achieve this, Mike worked closely alongside Set Designer Sam Wyer.  Mike adds: “With this show, it is part theatrical and part installation. The audience experience it from every single angle which is something we needed to consider; along with the story flow. As the show is run on recurring loops with audience members being continuously taken around in groups, the design is actually ten running concurrently as opposed to a single one”.

   Mike approached WL to provide him with a range of fixtures to achieve his design. This included Pulsar ChromaFlood 200 UV LEDs, Chroma-Q Colour Forces, ETC ColourSource Spot LEDs, Philips SL PAR155 Zoom Washes, CORE Point30s, Birdie XLRs and Minuette Zooms. These were all controlled via an ETC Ion 2K Console. There was also a Unique 2.1 Haze Machine, a Viper 2.6 Smoke Machine and a Little Blizzard SP DMX Smoke Machine.

   Mike adds: “For this production, I tried to draw on a predominantly LED rig. This was in order to keep the heat to a minimum within that underground space. The equipment I used not only allowed me to achieve this but also gave me the flexibility on colour that this production really needed”.

   The show has now opened and, once again, achieved rave reviews with audiences and critics alike.

   Mike states: “It’s a privilege to work on a show as innovative as this as it truly offers a unique theatrical experience for all ages. I am grateful to all of the team and WL for their support throughout”.

   Photos courtesy of Rah Petherbridge Photography.

3. White Light Provides Lighting for The Philanthropist

   28 April 2017 09:09 Comments Off on White Light Provides Lighting for The Philanthropist

   The Philanthropist has been delighting audiences across the globe since it first premiered at the Royal Court in 1970. It is now making a welcome return to the West End in a brand-new production at the Trafalgar Studios. Directed by Simon Callow, this latest version stars some of television’s brightest stars, including Matt Berry, Simon Bird, Lily Cole and Tom Rosenthal. Having already supplied shows at the Trafalgar Studios this year, White Light was called upon once again to provide the lights for The Philanthropist.

   Written by Christopher Hampton, the play tells the story of Philip, a floundering professor of philology, who hosts a series of visitors with whom he discusses marriage, sex, anagrams and the meaning of life. Little do they realise that in the outside world the Prime Minister and his entire cabinet have been assassinated…The lighting designer is Olivier Award-winner Mike Robertson. He comments: “I remember seeing The Philanthropist many moons ago and being struck by the extraordinary coup de théâtre at the beginning of the play. For this version, Simon has approached it with a really fresh vibrancy; whether it’s the younger cast or the set. It feels like a very modern take on what is now a classic piece”.

   

   This reinvention had an impact on Mike’s design and he worked closely with set designer Libby Watson. He states: “What’s brilliant about this set is that there is not a bad seat in the house and each one sees it from a different perspective. There is also a lot of clever trickery that occurs throughout. Therefore, my approach was to create a style of heightened naturalism. Whereas everything appears to represent reality in the theatrical sense, there is a slight change in the colour and quality of the source which hopefully makes the audience question what is the truth”.

   Similarly, as the play is set in one room, Mike had to work alongside the practicalities of this. He states: “As there is a roof over the set, there’s actually not that many places to put lights. Also it is white so if you are not careful it can become a giant mirror. Similarly, the stage is pushed out into the auditorium meaning this limited the space for units even further. That said, my main consideration when choosing the rig was ensuring that it could colour mix, frame and make as little noise as possible”.

   Mike drew on a mixture of ETC Revolutions, Martin MAC TW1s, ETC Source Fours and Philips Vari*Lite VL3500Q Spots for his rig. He also added additional house lighting within the Trafalgar in order to further the fresh feeling of the performance.

   The show has now opened and will run until July 22^nd.

   Mike adds: “I’ve had a great time working on this revival alongside the warm staff at Trafalgar, particularly Michael Corcoran who is the venue’s Head of Lighting. I am also grateful, as ever, to WL for providing top quality service once again and supplying brilliant equipment in record time”.

   Photos courtesy of Manual Harlan.