Tag Archive: Simon Arnold

1. White Light Goes Gently Down the Stream

   28 February 2019 14:58 Leave a Comment

   

   White Light recently provided the lighting equipment for Gently Down the Stream which has opened to rave reviews at London’s Park Theatre.

   Set at the turn of the 21st century, Gently Down the Stream is a delicate examination of the relationship between Beau; a 62 year old piano accompanist from New Orleans, and Rufus; a 28 year old bi-polar lawyer, set over the course of thirteen years in Beau’s London flat. It is written by Martin Sherman, directed by Sean Mathias and features a lighting design by Jamie Platt.

   Jamie comments: “The majority of the show is set in Beau’s apartment which is beautifully designed by Lee Newby. We wanted this to feel as real as possible so, as a result, most of the lighting for these scenes was committed to creating a totally naturalistic world. That said, Sean was very keen to make the monologues that are dotted throughout the play feel incredibly poignant and sentimental as they tell us of Beau’s history in dealing with homophobia, AIDS, loss and heartbreak. Therefore, the aim of these moments was to focus on Beau and try to make the flat disappear into the background”.

   

   Having supplied a range of Jamie’s shows throughout 2018, he approached WL once again to provide the lighting on this production. He explains: “I knew I wanted to use the expansive back wall of the Park Theatre as a blank canvas for the monologues. It lends itself so well to washes of colour, and WL offered me the PixelLine 1044 LED battens. These fitted perfectly into the rig and their multi-cell function also allowed me to close down gently to the exact areas I wanted to highlight.

   He adds: “I also knew that each monologue was likely to be in a different position on the set so I spec’d two Martin MAC TW1s with narrow lenses. I love the tungsten quality these offer, and the ability to perform a subtle live colour change over a five minute speech was a big plus for me. Finally, I put two Vari*Lite VL1000s into the rig, and I was able to use them to perform live shutter moves to close in on various characters over the show. The lack of fans on the tungsten VLs and the TW1s was of supreme importance from a noise perspective, on such a delicate play”.

   

   This marks the European premiere of the production, with Sean Mathias having also directed the show’s premiere on Broadway in 2017. Jamie comments: “We really wanted to make this version not feel like a copy of the previous production. The Park 200 space offered a vastly different setting (thrust vs pros. arch) and I was keen to use colour in a much bolder way to differentiate the monologues from the naturalistic world in the scenes”.

   The show was now opened to rave reviews and will run until 16^th March.

   Jamie comments: “This has been a fantastic show to work on and we’re proud of the response we’ve received from both critics and audiences alike. I’d like to thank our Production Manager Patrick Molony for doing such as great job as well as Bryan Raven and Simon Arnold at WL for their continued support”.

   Photos courtesy of Marc Brenner.

2. White Light Goes into the Cockpit with Sankara

   18 June 2018 12:57 Leave a Comment

   Sankara is a new play telling the story of African hero and former President of Burkina Faso Thomas Sankara. Written and directed by Ricky Dujany, it recently ran at London’s Cockpit Theatre and featured a live music performance by Levi Roots. As a leading lighting supplier to London theatre, White Light was called upon to provide the equipment.

   The Lighting and Set Designer for the show was Salomé Bazin. She comments: “Sankara is a very powerful play and paints an ambiguous portrait of a revolutionary leader and his complicated relationship with Africa and the rest of the world. I was involved in the very early stages of the creative process with Ricky. We had several conversations about the epic story we were telling and wanted to find the most appropriate way in which to do this. By having the play in the round, we were able to create a much more intimate feel for both the audience and actors. Similarly, as the play is almost told in a documentary-style, we wanted to use a range of mixed medias which included video projection, a specific use of lights as well as a minimal set”.

   To achieve this, Salomé approached the Hire Team at WL. She explains: “I wanted to recreate an immersive and quite naturalistic look, taking inspiration from my travels in West Africa. As a result, I decided to go for a bare stage with sand on the floor, with only a couple of props, and use light as the most important scenic element. The biggest challenge was to create an all-round projection which I managed to achieve by hanging vertical cycloramas in three points around the stage: two of them being an entrance for the actors. This created a strong parallel between the words of the actors and the real footage.

   She continues: “Regarding the lighting equipment, I decided to use a mix of traditional equipment such as par cans and fresnels for environmental and face lighting, as well as LED sources to give control of the environment colour. I then chose the SGM P5 for the quality of colour mixing and compactness. It was important to have versatile equipment, and the P5 proved to be a great tool to change the mood. Additional profiles and Source Fours were selected for effects in particular scenes whereas the use of strobes and smoke added a particularly dramatic tone”.

   The fact that the play was in the round meant that Salomé had to configure her design accordingly. She comments: “Lighting in the round is challenging, especially with a dynamic play such as this which is rich with movement and effects. In addition, I had to ensure that the actors were well lit throughout whilst sustaining the dramatic urgency. That said, I decided to use this intimacy to my advantage and actually drew on the house lights for one scene in which Sankara delivers a heartfelt monologue”.

   The show ran earlier this year to critical acclaim and is likely to return later in 2018.

   Salomé comments: “This is a very special show and it was fantastic to be able to play a part in it. I am also very grateful to Simon Arnold and the rest of the WL team for their support throughout”.

   Photos courtesy of Cristina CriS.

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.

4. White Light Goes on Summer Holiday with Wyvern Theatre

   5 September 2017 15:20 Comments Off on White Light Goes on Summer Holiday with Wyvern Theatre

   Every year the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon runs its own Summer Youth Project. The aim of the Project is to provide up to 200 youngsters aged 9 – 21 with the opportunity of working in a professional theatre. The two-week project culminates in five performances of a full-scale musical under the supervision of a professional creative team. Having supplied last year’s production of Grease, White Light was called upon to provide the lighting equipment on this year’s production of Summer Holiday.

   Summer Holiday is the theatre adaptation of the classic British film starring Sir Cliff Richard. The show first ran at the Apollo Theatre in the West End in 1997 and has undergone constant revivals ever since. The Lighting Designer for the Wyvern Theatre production was Will Burgher. He comments: “I’d never seen the show before but it’s a really fun piece filled with a very upbeat Swinging Sixties soundtrack. There is a lot of travelling in the show – hence the reason why we used three double decker buses!”.

   With the show taking place in a variety of locations, this was something that Will had to incorporate into his design. He comments: “David Ashley, the director, and I really wanted to create a sense of travelling and use the light to signify the various locations which the characters travel to. For instance, the show starts in a rather rainy London before moving through to France, Switzerland, Italy and Greece. I also had to create the sensation of movement for the bus driving along as well as provide the classic hits with a colourful rock ‘n’ roll feel”.

   To achieve this, Will approached WL and worked closely with WL’s Customer Services Co-ordinator Simon Arnold in order to obtain the fixtures necessary for his design. He explains: “The main profile fixture was the ever-trusty Martin Professional MAC 700. This fixture is an absolute workhorse and was used to its full potential on this show, working on both the animation wheel for rain effects as well as backlighting the bus windows. I also used 8 x Colour Kinetics Colour Blaze 48s which did a superb job of evenly washing the upstage gauze.

   He continues: “The main washlight was provided by 10 x GLP X4 Washes. They had a phenomenal zoom range and for the sidelight weather it has a brilliant saturated colour. Similarly, their soft pastel allowed for extremely smooth transitions between the various locations used throughout. I also drew on around 50 x par cans for cross lighting which created a sunlight effect along with 40 x ETC Source Fours for the main front lighting”.

   

   The show took place from 24^th – 26^th August and sold out during its three day run.  The Summer Youth Project at Wyvern Theatre marks one of several similar projects that WL has supported over the summer months.

   Simon Arnold comments: “While we are still a leading lighting supplier to the biggest West End and UK touring productions, we are passionate about supporting shows at all levels. Projects such as the Summer Youth Group offer a fantastic opportunity for local youngsters to get involved with a professional theatre and this is something we’re delighted to be involved with”.

   Will concludes: “I have used WL for several years now and the level of service and quality of equipment has always been exceptional. They were extremely helpful on this production and I am very grateful”.

   Photos courtesy of Elmar Rubio.

5. White Light Over the Rainbow at Yvonne Arnaud

   13 July 2017 14:07 Comments Off on White Light Over the Rainbow at Yvonne Arnaud

   The Yvonne Arnaud Youth Theatre is the largest in Surrey. It offers classes and workshops in order to inspire and develop creative minds within the region. Throughout the year, the group produces a range of plays and musical which are performed in The Mill, which is Yvonne Arnaud’s studio space. Once a year, the company produces a large-scale musical in its main theatre with a cast of 50 Youth Theatre members. The show this year was The Wizard of Oz and White Light was asked to provide the lighting equipment.
   The lighting designer for the show was Sarah Sage. She comments: “This is the second year I have lit the summer production for the Youth Theatre, having previously worked on Oliver. It was the first time I’d lit The Wizard of Oz and, having not seen any stage adaptations, I was able to approach in with a fresh pair of eyes”.

   As part of her preparation for the show, Sarah attended all of the initial design meetings where she was able to get an insight into the show’s themes and overall concept. She states: “Being part of the early discussions gave me and Set Designer Dan Gent enough time to design the big front portal that would be used in Oz. I was asked to light Kansas in sepia colours and really go wild with the colours in Oz; which is when the cync and portal became very useful to me”.
   Having a set-up which would allow such a change in tone was an important aspect of Sarah’s rig. She comments: “I drew on the ETC Colour Source Spots as my front and side light. Their colour mixing is fantastic and gave me versatile face light. To counter this, I drew on the Martin MAC Auras to provide colourful backlight, as these would match my portal and help create the magic of Oz. In terms of the effects, SFX Wheels were positioned on the circle front in order to cover the whole stage with moving storm clouds. I also drew on the Martin MAC 700 Profiles which we used as overhead units to offer enough options for all the effects and specials during the course of the show”.

   Following on from her initial talks with Dan, Sarah also approached WL to help create her version of Oz. She states: “For the big front portal which was supplied by Junction Inc, we used 40m of LED tape which was controlled across six LED drivers. This wouldn’t have previously been possible on other Youth Theatre productions but thankfully WL provided a solution that was achievable and within budget”.

   An integral part of any production of The Wizard of Oz is the iconic yellow brick road. One of Sarah’s tasks as lighting designer was to create this. She states: “I knew that a generic gobo wash wouldn’t give me the versatility I needed. Therefore I called WL and spoke to Simon Arnold to discuss other options. I knew that the best chance on creating this would be through moving lights. Therefore, drawing on the Martin MAC 700s, Simon helped me find 12 matching gobos which could resemble the brick texture. When it came to plotting, I was able to put each moving light in the correct position with the young cast and build up the opening sequence for the Yellow Brick Road opening number. It took a lot of programming work but the final result looked fantastic!”.

   The show recently closed after a week’s worth of performances.

   Sarah adds: “I was really proud of this show. I had a fantastic team surrounding me, from the programmer Jon Stacey to the Deputy Stage Manager Vicky Jules to the amazing cast who were able to showcase their brilliant talents to friends and family alike. I am also very grateful to Simon and the rest of the WL team for their guidance throughout”.

   Photos courtesy of Yvonne Arnaud Youth Theatre.