Tag Archive: Royal Albert Hall

1. White Light Provides Royal Albert Hall with LED Upgrade

   14 January 2020 11:18 Leave a Comment

   

   White Light recently supplied the Royal Albert Hall with a range of Martin MAC Encore fixtures, continuing the phased upgrade of the in-house lighting rig.

   Located in South Kensington, the Royal Albert Hall is one of the world’s most iconic concert halls. Founded in 1871, it has played host to some of the biggest artists of all time and seats over 5,000 audience members.

   As it hosts concerts on an almost nightly basis, the venue possesses its own in-house kit which is used by incoming shows. The rig has to be extremely flexible in order to adapt to such a varied programme, as well as needing to be energy efficient and sympathetic to the needs and requirements of a wide range of different lighting designers and productions. The existing fixtures, whilst having served their time very well, were due for upgrading in line with the Hall’s ongoing replacement program. As a result, the venue approached WL in order to invest in some LED alternatives.

   

   WL’s Business Development Manager Jonathan Haynes explains: “I met up with the Royal Albert Hall’s Lighting Design Manager Richard Thomas who told me about their existing set up and what he was looking for to replace the ageing fixtures. The main priority was that the new fixtures were LED and provided a tungsten colour match that was at least as bright as the fixtures they were replacing. They also needed to be quiet, as well as have the ability to provide a high output in cool white to cut through the rest of the rig for aerial work.”

   WL put forward a range of options and held an on-site demonstration at the Royal Albert Hall for the lighting team to see each one in situ. Jonathan explains: “It is so important to shoot out fixtures in the venue for which they are intended, to see how they react to the conditions, throw distance etc. After discussing suggestions with Richard and his team, it became obvious that the Martin MAC Encore Performance CLD was the best option”.

   The Martin Mac Performance CLD integrates cutting-edge LED technology with a proprietary and innovative light engine carefully engineered to generate pristine, full spectrum light with ultra-high colour rendition. The feature-packed moving head offers unparalleled 6000K crisp, neutral daylight. Its advanced colour mixing system delivers the full palette from smooth and subtle pastels to rich and vibrant saturated colours.

   

   Richard comments: “Integrating the Encores into the rig has revolutionised the way we are able to light certain areas of the Hall, as well as offering a whole new palette of gobos, colour potential and framing options that previously did not exist. Added to that the increase in reliability in the rig means less maintenance time required over a typically busy week. We have received many positive comments from a whole host of lighting designers in just the few week after their install”.

   

   Jonathan adds: “The Encore is an extremely popular fixture, used right across the industry. It’s one we’ve invested in heavily for our rental stock to meet the demands of some of the UK’s biggest touring and West End shows that we continue to supply. The small form factor, combined with high output and whisper quiet performance meant it was a no brainer for this application. Ultimately, it was the right product for the right location”.

   The Royal Albert Hall invested a total of 18 fixtures which have all been successfully delivered and are now in pretty much constant use. The investment reinforces the continued relationship between WL and the concert hall, and adds to a large stock of Martin MAC Viper Wash DX fixtures that were purchased last year, along with ETC Lustr Series 2 LED Profiles and ROBE MegaPointes. The venue also recently replaced its stock of Robert Juliat Cyrano Followspots; again all purchased through WL.

   Jonathan concludes: “We have a very close relationship with the Royal Albert Hall and it is great to be involved in yet another project for this iconic venue. As a company, we relish being able to work closely with the team and offer them technical solutions that are bespoke to their exact needs; something we were able to do one again on this occasion”.

   Photos courtesy of Richard Thomas.

2. White Light Hits Right Notes for First Night of the Proms

   3 August 2018 14:41 Leave a Comment

   

   BBC’s signature First Night of the Proms recently took place at the Royal Albert Hall, opening with the world premiere of Five Telegrams by Anna Meredith and 59 Productions. This was commissioned by BBC Proms, Edinburgh International Festival and 14-18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary, in collaboration with the Royal Albert Hall.

   The First Night of the Proms was preceded by the Proms Free Curtain Raiser, a BBC Proms first that gave 5,000 people the opportunity to witness the Royal Albert Hall as it has never been seen before as 59 Productions’ extraordinary visuals were projected-mapped onto the external façade of the building whilst a brand new score by composer Anna Meredith was transmitted live from within the Hall. Following its previous work on similar projects, White Light was approached to the provide the production support.

   For WL, the project was overseen by Senior Account Manager Dominic Yates. Dominic comments: “We were contracted by the BBC and worked in conjunction with 59 Productions, who we have previously collaborated with on the Guggenheim 20^th Anniversary event in Bilbao along with the recent Barbican Tunnel project so have a great working relationship. During the pre-production stages, I worked closely with both 59 and the BBC in order to create something unforgettable which celebrated the opening of such an important occasion. The idea was to completely transform the exterior of the Royal Albert Hall through the use of lighting, projection and sound”.

   James Roxburgh, Production Manager at 59 Productions, comments: “Five Telegrams is an ambitious collaboration between Anna Meredith and 59 Productions, commissioned by the BBC, Edinburgh International Festival and 14-18NOW. We presented it for the first time on the exterior of the Royal Albert Hall, then inside the Royal Albert Hall on two consecutive nights to open the BBC Proms 2018 season. We wanted to make sure as many different audiences got to see it as possible in person, broadcast and online. The big challenge was to load in the full site infrastructure, projector towers and video system in a single day, so I needed a trusted and experienced team to deliver the project on such an important site, in the Royal Park adjacent to the Albert Memorial. WL was my first choice as we had such productive collaborations in the past. Delivering a projection-mapping event with a live Symphony Orchestra, with only one show, is a high-risk project, so required special technical considerations throughout design and planning; something we knew WL could offer”.

   For the evening, WL supplied a range of technical services. Dominic explains: “One of our main roles was to supply the lighting, which was predominately Aqua Beams and Strobes on the Albert Hall roof. We also supplied rigging across the entire site, which included two custom designed projection and PA towers”.

   Alongside this, WL supplied site lighting across the whole site, mains distribution and generators and production site services including Portacabins, furniture, access equipment and forklifts. WL’s on-site team of 14 technicians were led by Senior Project Manager Martin Strods. The video equipment was supplied by Blue-i Theatre Technology and the audio by Delta Live.

   Dominic adds: “With an audience of 5,000 in attendance and millions watching across the globe, we knew we had to deliver something spectacular. By drawing on our previous experience, coupled with our expert teams alongside us, we were able to create an unforgettable First Night of the Proms – something we’re extremely proud of”.

   James comments: “Despite being a very time tight on site, the load in and load out were very smoothly managed. We hit every one of our critical deadlines, and the teams from BBC, Royal Parks and Westminster Council were complimentary of all of the site work completed. The event itself was the first time the Royal Albert Hall has been transformed in this way, and we were all thrilled with the result. The real pleasure for me was to be able to keep the creative team focused on making the show better, and to be able to trust the team from WL who were dealing with all of the practical production requirements on our behalf”.

   Following the First Night of the Proms, Five Telegrams will also open the Edinburgh International Festival this evening at 10:30pm in Festival Square, sponsored by Aberdeen Standard Investments.

   Five Telegrams is commissioned by BBC Proms, Edinburgh International Festival and 14-18 NOW.

   More info: https://www.eif.co.uk/whats-on/2018/fivetelegrams

   Photography credit: 

   Five Telegrams by Anna Meredith and 59 Productions opens the BBC Proms 2018. Commissioned by BBC Proms, Edinburgh International Festival and 14-18 NOW, in collaboration with the Royal Albert Hall. Photo by Justin Sutcliffe. 

    

3. 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.

4. White Light Provides New Followspots to Royal Albert Hall

   22 January 2018 09:24 Comments Off on White Light Provides New Followspots to Royal Albert Hall

   The Royal Albert Hall is one of the world’s most historic concert halls. It has housed over 155,000 live performances and has a capacity of up to 6,000. The iconic main hall plays host to a range of events to over 1.7 million visitors annually, whether it’s live concerts, the BBC Proms, tennis tournaments, Films in Concert promoted by the RAH,  Cirque du Soleil and many more. The venue recently decided to invest in a range of Robert Juliat Cyrano 2500W HMI Followspots and approached White Light to make the purchase.

   The Lighting Design Manager at the Royal Albert Hall is Richard Rhys Thomas. He comments: “My role covers a few broad areas, namely overseeing the running of the lighting department as well as delivering a high-quality lighting service to incoming as well as internally produced shows. I also have to oversee the upkeep and maintenance of the systems and installations, specifying new lighting equipment and improving the design of the lighting rig as needs change”.

   It was Richard who decided that the previous rig required an upgrade of its existing followspots. He comments: “We wanted to replace our followspot provision with up-to-date and more efficient technology. Having used the Robert Juliat Cyrano magnetic version for years, we decided to upgrade and invest in the 2500W HMI electronic version”.

   The Robert Juliat Cyrano 2500W HMI has a narrower beam angle making it perfect for really long throw distances found in large venues such as the Royal Albert Hall. Its glass progressive frost filter and dark blue dichroic filter offers even more subtle design possibilities. It also has an optional DMX-control of motorised dimmer shutter, progressive frost and lamp ignition.

   Richard states: “The Cyrano is ideal for our needs for a number of reasons. Its output is great with a very flat field, the throw is ideal and the noise is generally very low. It has also proved to be very reliable in an environment where followspots are moved around on a day-to-day basis. We don’t have set followspot positions due to the nature of the building and the shows that we host here, so we need something that had some adaptability”.

   The decision behind purchasing the Cyranos was also influenced by a demand from incoming designers. Richard adds: “The Cyranos are a long-standing favourite for internal and visiting lighting designers due to their consistency, brightness and colour. They also look great on camera which, for us, is very important due to the number of televised events that are hosted in the venue”.

   The followspots have already been used on numerous shows including the BBC Proms, Later with Jools Holland and many more.

   Richard adds: “We are delighted with the Cyranos. We have a long-standing relationship with WL, who also have an annual lighting service contract with us and replaced the houselights in our iconic mushroom-shaped acoustic diffusers, as well as installed new LED houselights back in 2016. We can always rely on their excellent support, experience and guidance for any project”.

   Photos courtesy of Paul Karalius, Richard Thomas and Royal Albert Hall.

5. White Light Installs New Audio System at Royal Albert Hall’s North Circle Bar

   31 January 2017 10:52 Comments Off on White Light Installs New Audio System at Royal Albert Hall’s North Circle Bar

   The Royal Albert Hall is one of Europe’s most historic concert halls. It has housed over 150,000 live performances and has a capacity of up to 6,000. Alongside the main hall itself, the building boasts a series of several other unique spaces including the North Circle Bar. Whereas the Bar was traditionally used as a drinking area prior to performances in the main space, the venue wanted to transform it into a live music environment with a purposely designed audio system. They approached White Light to provide the complete technical solutions.

   The decision to renovate the North Circle Bar came as part of a wider development within the Royal Albert Hall. Steph Baldwin, Technical Project Manager at the Royal Albert Hall, comments: “We strive to ensure that all of our spaces are being used to their full potential. The North Circle Bar overlooks the Albert Memorial and is the perfect size for intimate performances. Working alongside the venue’s Project Manager Matt Mann, we wanted to have the capability to use the space as a live music environment on occasion – which was why we contacted WL”.

   WL’s Lee Dennison comments: “When we were approached by the venue, they gave us a very specific, clear brief: they wanted the room to have a discrete audio set-up with very simple controls. It was important that the audio could provide the very best support for any live performance yet not be overly complicated”.

   Lee made several visits to the Bar in order to fully assess the space and its requirements. This was then followed by a demonstration with some of the venue’s main stakeholders, in which Lee showcased some of the very latest audio equipment taken from WL’s inventory.

   Lee adds: “After much discussion between ourselves and the venue, we decided that a K-array system would fulfil the brief due its powerful amplification and clear acoustics”.

   The system used was a K-array KK102 Mark I. This is a passive speaker system comprised of sixteen 2” neodymium magnet transducers housed in an elegant and sturdy stainless steel chassis. The system provides specific vertical coverage to keep bounce and reflection to a minimum but greater horizontal dispersion to allow for the coverage required for patrons attending the bar and live events.  This is then supplemented by a K-array sub to provide a full range and extremely dynamic system for spoken word through to full live band amplification.

   Another one of the factors when deciding the system was the aesthetics. Lee comments: “We had to ensure that the installation was as discrete as possible. The K-array speakers have long, slim features meaning they are naturally unobtrusive and fit into any room. That said, to ensure that they completely blended into the Bar space, we wrapped them in acoustically transparent vinyl which matched the room’s colour scheme”.

   Alongside the K-array equipment, WL also drew on the Yamaha TF1 Mixer in order to control all of the live elements within the space coupled with a WiFi access point to allow for iPad operation. An installed Yamaha MRX7D acts as both system management and interface to allow for system use with the mixer as well as EVAC services connection. Shure QLXD radio microphones are also used within the space.

   WL installed the audio system over a three-week period and also oversaw the lighting installation within the space. The North Circle Bar is now being used as a live performance venue, with every act assured that they will receive the greatest audio support possible.

   Steph states: “What was great about working with WL was their knowledge and resources. We were able to tell them exactly what we required and they were able to offer a technical solution that would fulfil this”.

   Lee adds: “The North Circle Bar is a great example of us working closely with a venue and providing technical solutions that are tailored precisely to their exact needs. As recently seen with our work at The Hospital Club and Central Hall Westminster, we have the technology and expertise to help transform any space and relish the opportunity to do so”.

   Photos courtesy of Paul Karalius/Royal Albert Hall and Paul Karalius/Royal Albert Hall.