Tag Archive: Theatre lighting install

1. White Light on The Deck at the National Theatre

   22 October 2018 11:48 Leave a Comment

   

   The National Theatre is one of the world’s most iconic theatres, with its various stages having hosted some of the biggest names in theatrical history. Alongside its numerous productions, the venue is also frequently used as an events space; due to both its fantastic location and unique spaces. One of these is the recently re-opened rooftop venue The Deck. The space offers uninterrupted panoramic views across the Thames, providing a stunning backdrop for any occasion. With a reputation for supplying the technical solutions in event spaces across the UK, White Light was called upon to provide the lighting equipment for The Deck.

   Prior to The Deck being opened, the National Theatre had a temporary events space venue that was initially planned to only be open for five years. Due to its overwhelming popularity, the National Theatre decided to make it a permanent fixture and appointed Lighting Resources Manager Paul Hornsby to oversee the lighting specifications. Speaking about the lighting requirements for the space, Paul comments: “My role was to specify all of the lighting infrastructure and equipment in order to meet the requirements of the range of the events that take place in The Deck; whether it’s a conference, a sit down dinner or a wedding disco”. To achieve this, Paul worked closely with his Lighting Resources Team and Lighting Control Team, led by Dan Murfin.

   Together they looked at a range of the latest lighting and control equipment currently available on the market and, reflecting the existing control systems that are already in place at the National Theatre, decided to keep with the ETC Paradigm controlling the whole system. Paul explains: “This system triggers 8 universes of ETC Mosaic of which there are various day, night and disco lighting timeline states already pre-programmed for use. That said, in regards to choosing the actual lighting fixtures for The Deck, this was a process of visiting a number of trade shows to find equipment that was compact, yet bright and quiet which would fulfil our needs in The Deck. Everything needed to be as multi functioning as possible with the ability to change colour quickly at the touch of a button in order to satisfy client needs in The Deck”.

   Once they had a list of equipment, the team came down to WL’s state-of-the-art Studio15 where WL had created a truss rigged at the same height of The Deck. The truss then allowed Paul and his team to evaluate what worked best on its own and together with other fixtures. Paul explains: “After the demonstration, we decided on a mixture of Martin MAC Aura XBs, Clay Paky Axcor Spot 300s, Ayrton MAGICDOT-SXs and Ayrton COSMOPIX-Rs. These all serve different purposes from colour washes to podium lighting and table highlights, depending on the event configuration. The main houselight fixture of the space is the Chroma Q Inspire which provides an even wash over the whole space from warm to cold whites, pastel shades and saturated colours. On the exterior of the building, we opted for the new Martin Quad Graze fitting to highlight the glass sides of the building in a stunning array of colour”.

   The technology supplied by WL will be used to elevate the existing space as well as have the ability to quickly change the look of The Deck with light levels and colour to suit any client’s needs. The high-tech system is controlled via a Paradigm touchscreen which is operated by the Hospitality and Events Team, allowing them to trigger pre-programmed states or take control of any fixture and change the live colour to suit the event.

   The Deck has now officially re-opened and has already facilitated a range of events. Paul concludes: “Ensuring the space was equipped with the correct lighting equipment was very much a collaborative affair; with myself, Dan, Huw, Clara, Chris from the NT along with Tom McGuire from ETC. We were also very grateful to WL, in particular Jonathan Haynes and Ally DeCourcy, for their support and guidance throughout”.

   Photos courtesy of James Bellorini.

2. White Light Goes Above The Stag with Lighting Installation

   31 July 2018 10:39 Leave a Comment

   

   Based in Vauxhall, Above The Stag Theatre is an award-winning theatre which focuses specifically on producing LGBT+ themed work, including new writing, musicals and revivals. The only full-time professional LGBT+ theatre in the UK, Above The Stag recently moved to a brand-new space in Vauxhall. Having supplied many of Above The Stag’s productions over the years, along with its reputation for providing state-of-the-art theatre installations, White Light was called upon to oversee the lighting installation within this new space.

   The new Above The Stag Theatre is located beneath the arches at Vauxhall Station. WL was initially approached by Lighting Designer Jack Weir, acting as lighting consultant on the project, who met with WL’s Business Development Manager Jonathan Haynes. Jonathan comments: “Above The Stag was moving from an intimate venue to a brand-new, much-larger space. It was exciting to hear Jack’s ambitious plans and to work alongside him to turn these into a reality. The arches under Vauxhall are a really unique space to work in, with a huge amount of potential. What I walked into at my first site meeting was essentially an empty shell which would eventually house a theatre and studio. The finished install needed to really tap into this, providing the latest technology to push boundaries and keep up with the creative demands of their productions.”

   

   Jack comments: “I’ve been part of Above The Stag Theatre for a few years now as one of the venue’s regular lighting designers. When the opportunity arose to get involved with the specification of the new theatre lighting installation, I was really keen to do so and ensure the venue’s new lighting resources would allow the production values of the shows to get even better”.

   Following this initial discussion along with various site meetings, WL was then assigned with providing the complete lighting installation. The included a custom floor standing Milos truss structure, ETC ThruPower racks for the theatre and studio as well as power and data distribution with a Wieland cord patch and fully networkable lighting system.

   Jonathan explains: “The first priority was to get a truss structure designed and installed. We then worked through some design ideas for the main bulk of the install. The key priority was maximum flexibility. On site power is limited and so we explored various options to work through the various challenges we were  coming up against. For this, I brought on board WL’s Systems Design Engineer Ian Davies who was able to take Jack’s brief and turn this into a fully workable system. During this initial period, Ian worked on site with the WL team to complete the installation”.

   Not only did WL oversee the entire lighting installation within both spaces, but also did so within a very limited time frame. Jonathan explains: “The opening season of the new venue had been announced so we had essentially a 6 week time frame from being awarded the contract to getting everything in place before the first show. That said, by working closely with our suppliers and manufacturers to manage lead times on kit, along with close collaboration between Jack and our team of expert site technicians, we were able to achieve this tight deadline”.

   Alongside the installation, WL also supplied a range of fixtures. These include ETC Color Source Spots, ETC Color Source Pars, Martin Rush Par 2 RGBW Zooms, Martin MAC Aura XBs, Chauvet Rogue R3 Spots and a cluster of conventional lanterns – all controlled from an ETC Ion XE20.

   Jack explains: “At the forefront of the vision for the new rig was flexibility. Having state-of-the-art LED lighting fixtures from ETC as part of the in-house stock means that we longer rely on the expense of hiring externally. Additionally, we’ve also been quite careful about how power and data is distributed throughout the theatre, ensuring there are few limitations when it comes to designing shows there. We also have Martin MAC Auras and the brand-new Chauvet Rogue R3 Spot as part of the in-house stock. Think of it as an Aladdin’s Cave of lighting!”.

   Jonathan adds: “Above The Stag wanted their lighting inventory to include the latest technology, as well as be industry standard; capable of holding up against the demands of even the most critical lighting designers. There needed to be a broad mix of tools which could support a wide variety of shows”.

   Above The Stag Theatre has now opened in its new home, with the inaugural production being Beautiful Thing which was lit by Jack.

   Jack comments: “I think it’s fair to say that opportunities like this don’t happen often i.e. where a venue you frequently design for allows you to lead on its new state-of-the-art theatre lighting. It’s also my first time providing consultancy on a project of this scale. That said, I’ve been in very safe hands with WL and I’m really pleased with the final outcome. It was a project that took months of planning, meetings and talks; not to mention the hours of hard labour. Thankfully, the end result is very special. I’ve just designed Grindr: The Opera which is running there throughout the summer. This show in particular takes a greater advantage of the new LED and tungsten fixtures, moving lights and flexible infrastructure that rivals anything else in the London OffWestEnd scene and I’m really pleased with what was achieved with the new rig.

   He adds: “It is a really exciting venue to design for because what we can achieve creatively with our in-house tools is so much greater than before. There’s been a significant leap from the old venue to the new premises on all levels, and I’m really excited to see the wealth of shows that are yet to come. It’s a fiercely impressive new venue for London theatre and I’m so pleased to be part of it”.

   Jonathan concludes: “The Above The Stag project was a great example of how we are able to use our years of experience working within theatres, alongside our expert teams, to provide a solution bespoke to their exact needs. It has been great working with Jack in a slightly different capacity than usual and help him realise his design ideas. I very much look forward to seeing how future productions and designs work and develop in Above The Stag’s new home”.

   Photos courtesy of Above The Stag Theatre.