The production design was created by Mathias Kuhn and included 80 x Robe moving lights and LED fixtures – 36 x MegaPointes, 30 x BMFL Spots, 4 x BMFL FollowSpots, 10 x FOOTSIE2 LED footlights and four RoboSpot remote follow systems – all supplied by rental company, Bandit Lites out of Nashville.

The initial summer tour played a mix of arenas, theatres and amphitheaters with 10K to 36K capacities and the most recent leg stepped up to arenas, including Madison Square Garden, which were all completely sold out, ramping up the already great vibes and energy surrounding the tour, which is always a brilliant backdrop to any nationwide touring campaign.

Mathias is based in Hamburg, Germany and brings his style and aesthetic to a lot of rock and metal bands, a genre he loves, and that offers plenty of scope for imagination and dramatic lighting.

Mathias talked to the band after being asked onboard, who revealed that they liked the idea of a circular halo-like shape being associated with the stage look.

He took this as a stylistic starting point, basing the essential trussing architecture around two circles, a main 41ft diameter sphere that defined the space, in conjunction with a smaller 21ft diameter ‘supporting’ circle flown inside the big one. Both were scalable to deal with different sized venues.

The concept evolved rapidly, he drew it up, they loved it, and everything else, including the screen design … developed from there.

Naturally, ensuring everyone’s visual expectations could be met whilst fitting into the available budget was a challenge, and Mathias spent considerable time choosing the right fixtures and positioning them where he knew meticulous programming could help maximize the looks.

The fragmented LED screens were part of the look he crafted to avoid the “big TV” syndrome, complete with ladder trusses loaded with fixtures in between to further break it up and enhance the depth of the performance area.

He controlled the screen outputs via his Resolume video server, triggered by the lighting desk, which ensured there could be a carefully blended mix of playback content and IMAG footage from 7 cameras. Having control of all the visual entities is a great way to ensure continuity and a harmonious integrated look.

Robe MegaPointes are consistently Mathias’s first choice of moving light. “They are the first piece of kit that goes on the plot,” he confirmed when chatting about the design. This is because of their “compact size, big output, excellent gobo selection and quality beams” and the fact that “they look amazing even in the largest arenas!”

Eighteen of the 36 x MegaPointes were rigged on ladders in between LED screens at the left and right upstage corners of the rig, hung vertically in a line of nine each side, with the other 18 deployed on the floor on rolling Tyler GT truss, located directly underneath the LED screens.

BMFLs were chosen for their incredible power and punch and their status as “a great workhorse fixture,” noted Mathias, who has used these luminaires on numerous projects. He loves the brightness, the gobos and the zoom functionality.

Eighteen BMFLs were rigged on the downstage half of the large circle, with 4 on each side of the stage on subs to extend the overall stage look.

Four standard BMFL Spots were also part of the follow spotting system together with 4 x BMFL FollowSpots (with the integral camera).

Fixture placement was key to optimizing the look and ‘virtual’ size of the rig, so much diligence went into this aspect of the design.

It was Mathias’ first time out with the FOOTSIES, which he thought were “Great! A nice flat field beam that really assists key lighting”. Especially so when running in combination with the  4-way RoboSpot system controlling the eight BMFLs as described above. These were rigged four per side on two small truss sections flown downstage left and right.

Having the follow spots at this very steep angle to the stage ensured they had an extremely neat trajectory and minimized unsightly spillage.

Also on the rig were some other hard-edged fixtures, strobes, blinders and FX units with LED floodlights on the large halo, plus a few wash lights on the floor – Mathias is not a fan of wash lights in conventional contexts!

Different shades, textures and variations of white dominated the show making it a lot more interesting, raw and contrasty, with color mainly introduced via the video content, and Mathias’ personal presence is generally to avoid distracting gawdy or ‘candy colored’ scenes and keep it stark with the focus on the band and music.

The principal idea was always to keep the band front and center of the action and at the epicenter of the picture. “It’s a live rock show, not a YouTube stream,” he reminds everyone.

Video content was commissioned by Creed and delivered by Wayne Joyner and Dave Letelier with a lot of discussion between them and Mathias as it was imperative for the two medias to dovetail. “They did a great job,” commented Mathias. Content was shaped for each song, leaving enough black and dark spaces for him to mix and apply IMAG feeds and effects as he felt appropriate.

Mathias set up, programmed lighting and ran the show for half of the first leg of the “Summer of 99” tour before leaving due to other commitments, with lighting crew member Brian Bogovic operating for the remaining dates.

Bandit’s lighting crew chief was Cheyan DeBrower who was joined by Haley Elliott and Lucas Gamez making up a brilliant touring team, with Kenneth Ackermann working as video crew chief for this department which had equipment supplied by PRG.

The post Arms Wide Open for Robe on Creed Tour appeared first on A1 Lighting Magazine.

All three companies are well respected for service and experts in their regions, and also have a reputation for proactivity and innovation.

Avolites’ Managing Director, Paul Wong, commented, “We have been working hard to boost our distributor network with new strategic partnerships worldwide and are thrilled to warmly welcome these three new distributor partners in Austria, Norway & Serbia and The Balkans. They will enhance our commitment to users in Europe and the Balkans and continue our strategy to strengthen the Avolites brand’s global presence.”

Austria

Signal – which has been a top-performing Robe distributor for several years – is delighted to take on the Avolites distributorship. “Distributing Avolites really makes sense regarding turnkey solutions where before we could only offer lighting fixtures,” commented Signal’s sales manager, Markus Rathmair, alluding to the natural synergy between the Avolites and Robe brands.

He elucidates that while Avolites is already a famous industry brand, it has not been so visible in Austria, but all that is going to change.

“We want to bring Avolites back to the market with the great new products they are launching,” he confirmed, adding that they also see massive potential for the greater integration of lighting and video control utilising Avolites’ media servers in conjunction with their consoles.

He thinks the new and highly portable D7 console is a great product offering “top performance with a small and handy footprint” that will be ideal for installations as well as concert and touring applications.

Signal already has two lighting salespeople working on the Avolites brand, and customers will also enjoy all the benefits of their excellent after-sales service and support.

Norway

Prostage, based in Oslo, became a Robe distributor in the last 12 months. The enterprise is one of the most successful professional lighting sales companies in Norway.

The company considers Avolites a great addition to strengthen its already impressive portfolio of quality brands. Their sales manager Carl August Tidemann thinks the ‘co-branding’ with Robe is a great bonus that will enable a full package of leading lighting products to be offered to their client base. He echoes the belief that Avolites products will be an equally great option for installations or touring and rental / staging worlds.

“The products are innovative and well-designed,” he confirms, stating that they are very enthusiastic about the new D7-215 in particular. He believes that Norway will be excited by the prospect of Avolites and the partnership with Prostage, a company well known for delivering outstanding support from their highly qualified and experienced technical teams.

The Prostage team also sees a growing convergence between lighting and video control and the need to tap into quick and powerful intuitive control for both. They will also have a combined sales department dedicated to both Avolites and Robe.

Serbia & More

Belgrade, Serbia-based sales company Light and Sound Design D.O.O. (LSD) became Robe’s exclusive distributor for Serbia and Kosovo in 2023 and will now also be distributing Avolites in these territories plus Montenegro, and – with new agreements made – North Macedonia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina basically covering a large portion of the dynamic and vibrant Balkans region.

LSD’s initiative and proactivity in introducing premium brands and technology to this lively, emerging and fast-developing market was one of many aspects uniting LSD and Robe in business and spirit, and now there is great enthusiasm for Avolites being added to that equation.

“It is vital for us to offer a complete range of solutions for professional users from all lighting sectors, and now we can offer both premium fixtures and control systems,” stated LSD’s Milan Scepanovic.

He notes that they have already received much positive feedback regarding the Avolites and Robe partnership and “expect more integration and developments in the future”. There is the added bonus that customers coming to check out one brand can always discover something they like with the other.

Milan feels that Avo’s rep is as one of the most reliable and stable control systems on the market, and he knows that many customers from the Balkans are already acquainted with the OS.

“Built like a tank with the performance of a sports car” is how he describes his general impression of Avolites as a brand.

Milan thinks the volume of innovations being presented with each new software release is “impressive” and demonstrates a proper focus on pushing boundaries and providing customers with the best ROI.

LSD has already had great success with Arena, Tiger Touch 2, Quartz and T3. “And customers totally get the potential of having access to Titan, Synergy, Prism and Capture software packages through investment in extremely cost effective T2 and T1 dongles,” he enthuses.

He sees Avo as a “great fit for freelance lighting and video designers, rental companies, TV studios, theatres, clubs, production companies and even bands with their own lighting equipment.

The post Avolites announces three new key distributors in Europe appeared first on A1 Lighting Magazine.

All technical elements – lighting, sound, video, trussing, cable infrastructure, automation and the control systems – for the main auditorium and performance area was supplied by Dnipro-based Sound House, one of Robe’s Ukrainian distributors, with Robe LEDWash 300s and ParFect 150s on the lighting rig.

Sound House won the tender and undertook the technical design, specification, installation, commissioning and delivery of all Jam Factory’s technical production components.

The Jam Factory project started in 2015 when the then derelict building was acquired by the organisation of cultural entrepreneur, Harald Binder. Construction work commenced in 2019, and the Art Center was opened in late 2023 despite Ukraine being engaged in a full-scale war with its neighbour, which invaded in February 2022.

For the main stage lighting installation, the LEDWash 300s and ParFect 150s were chosen based on Jam Factory’s multipurpose needs to be able to stage anything from a concert to a seminar, a choir or a rock show, a dance piece to a wide variety of different events and theatre productions, plus laboratories and experimental workshops for trialling new concepts.

There are many reasons for people to come and utilise and enjoy Jam Factory’s spaces and appreciate the stylish architectural and interior design that skilfully combines heritage with modernity.

Sound House’s Andrii Garkavy has also worked on many similar installations, both in the Lviv area and around Ukraine, he and his team’s experience played a role in winning the job. They were initially contacted in 2021, a year ahead of the projected opening, but the onset of war made its own adjustments to the deadlines!

Despite the obvious challenges of being in a warzone, everyone had the determination, commitment and foresight to press ahead and finish. While not a huge installation project in terms of physical size, the realisation of Jam Factory is a massive achievement in these adverse circumstances.

When Andrii assessed their needs for lighting, he considered the size of the auditorium space and the incoming natural light as well as the venue’s comprehensive music programme curated by Ivanka Tarnavska which encompasses a vibrant range of classical, jazz and electronic performances.

Compact sizing of equipment was important, and quietness was also an issue especially for classical and jazz music and some of the physical theatre and performance concepts. Every piece of kit specified needed to be versatile, multipurpose and capable of being worked hard, plus easy to use, for scenarios where there may only be one technician to deal with all technical.

The Robe LEDWash 300 and the ParFect 100 both ticked all these boxes.

“Small, unobtrusive, easy to rig, programme and operate, quite running and yet powerful enough to cover multiple different lighting scenarios,” explained Andrii, mentioning in particular the wide zoom range and colour temperatures from 2700K to 8000K in the LEDWash 300X were real winners.

ParFect 150 was picked as “an excellent static companion to the LEDWashes, with similar colour and colour temperature characteristics, super-smooth dimming and 3.8 – 60 degree zoom range.”

It’s a combination that Sound House has used before very successfully and will continue to do so. Andrii notes that the “good design and quality engineering” of the Robe products mean that even a few lights will make a substantial difference to how effectively a space can be lit.

These are the first batch of Robe fixtures for Jam Factory, and while it is planned to add more to the rig as the project develops, everything is completely fluid during the current situation.

The kit is looked after day to day by technical manager Dmytro Chyryk, Jam Factory’s chief AV engineer who is from the frontline city of Kharkiv in the east of the country, Ukraine’s second city.

He was delighted to discover that he would have Robe lights when offered the job at Jam Factory, as he had previously worked as both a lighting designer and engineer at Kharkiv Philharmonia which has Robe Pointes, LEDWash 600s and ParFect 150s plus LED PARs.

“I like Robe fixtures very much, they are fast, robust and reliable and offer many creative options,” he stated, “I have had only positive experiences with Robe products!”

Dmytro and Jam Factory operations and executive director Tetyana Fedoruk explained how they all worked as a team on defining the required details of the technical tender. They consulted with various specialists in relation to the process and made decisions based on available budget as well as the brands and equipment that they thought offered the most breadth and value to enhance Jam Factory’s repertoire.

The installation also included an Electro-Voice/Dynacord sound system with Midas control desk and MILOS trussing, the latter also a Czech brand.

The main challenges for the installation were “fulfilling the obligations you are bound by as a contractor in the unpredictability that comes with wartime, from delivery times through to the cost of logistics, and the skills shortages which are particularly acute in the technical production industry as so many have joined the armed forces and are defending the country.

“Any technical challenges with any project right now are absolutely dwarfed by these wider and overarching ones,” noted Andrii, adding that the actual physical installation went super-smoothly on site for them.

“It an honour to be involved in such a brilliant project that is dedicated to bringing creativity alive and into touch with people of all backgrounds, experiences and ages in entertaining ways. It was a pleasure to work with the team there on site and share their enthusiasm and zest for the project, which is like a beacon of positivity for the future.”

The Jam Factory Art Center, Lviv is living proof of resilience and vibrance as much as the importance of art and expression anywhere anytime whatever the circumstances. It is actively hosting an array of exhibitions, theatrical performances, music events, educational initiatives, and community-oriented projects that are inspiring dialogue, interaction and entertainment.

Image credit: Nazar Parkhomyk.

The post Robe lights up Jam Factory Arts Centre in Lviv appeared first on A1 Lighting Magazine.

Also known for its world-class performances and high production values, the venue has recently invested in 43 Robe FORTE moving lights, which are rigged in its 1,070-capacity main stage venue. These were supplied by Robe’s Polish distributor, Prolight, who won a competitive tender to supply the new tech.

Bartosz Wolak has worked at the Theatre for the last 11 years as chief LX and head of lighting, a multiplexing role that also encompasses designing and operating the lights for their own productions. He and his lighting team of eight were instrumental in choosing Robe for this major technical upgrade that ensures Theatre Muzyczny will continue presenting the very best-looking shows, including frequent licenced productions coming hot from London’s West End.

The FORTES replace the previous moving lights – from another brand – which were installed in another major modernisation in 2013 which included the addition of the new Nova Theatre space plus some structural changes to the main auditorium.

The previous fixtures were becoming costly and time-consuming to maintain, and “apart from that, we needed more up-to-date technology and more flexible lighting to keep pace with increasingly demanding productions,” Bartosz explained.

Some of their shows are ‘full length theatrical dramas with music’ and can last up to three and a half hours, while others are a more traditional musical format which go in and out or run in repertoire with 2-day changeovers in between, a programme also benefitting from more adaptable lighting.

Bartosz and his team wanted FORTES for several reasons, including “the power, the beautiful colours and the stunning effects,” and with 43 in the rig, they can be used for both beams and spot lights, so with all that power and versatility on hand, they physically need less fixtures to light a show well.

They all love the frost filter and have a 30 percent frost implemented here, which effectively allows the FORTES to also become an excellent wash light.

“This is a really magical transformation,” notes Bartosz. Critically, it allows them to light a wider range of shows – from complex musicals to typical dramas – with ease.

The animation wheel and the fantastic dynamic effects that can be produced using it also made an impression with everyone, and silent mode was important, as low noise is essential for musical theatre environments, especially for the orchestras. The original moving lights had too often made their presence felt in the auditorium!

High CRI was also a factor, an aspect making the transition from tungsten to LED easier for the actors, who also must get used to working with new LED light sources and their different texture and feel. And of course, that is related to attaining those gorgeous rich flesh tones that allow the makeup to glow and enhance faces with depth and texture. “The actors have noticed that it’s different and are now enjoying working with the FORTES,” he confirmed.

Robe’s TRANSFERABLE ENGINE (TE) technology was something the team also considered could be useful to Theatre Muzyczny as its production schedule is intense and involves a lot of lamp-hours. “The option to replace the lightsource of an LED fixture was definitely interesting to us,” Bartosz said.

The stage is 16 metres wide and 20 metres deep – also the largest musical stage in Poland – complete with high side wings and a double revolve. It is both a producing and a receiving house and their own shows are specifically tailored and designed to fit their space. Theatre Muzyczny is frequently licenced to replicate West End shows, underlining the standards of the productions.

For Calendar Girls The Musical by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth, the show was scaled up from its Leeds Grand Theatre premiere in the UK and subsequent London Phoenix Theatre run, and most of the musicals contain plenty of WOW factors.

There is some history of Robe fixtures in the house – eight ColorSpot 700E ATs were acquired for Shrek The Musical in 2012 – which have been well looked after and are still in use on the small stage!

This lighting upgrade and the FORTE investment is also part of the ongoing switch to LED lighting.

The choice of FORTES was partly driven by visiting production riders, including those of Polish TV who cover a large annual film festival hosted by the theatre and some other events, and the house receives several international ballet and dance shows and music concerts.

The FORTES were integrated into all the main stage lighting productions – new and revivals – over a 3-month period as soon as they arrived.

The original part of the Main stage – remaining from before the 2013 refit – has only 3 lighting bridges, so some of the lighting positions are limited, but as the FORTES are so useful and multifunctional, Bartosz reckons that 43 fixtures can easily do the job of many more profiles, spots, beams and washes – with just one unit instead of 4 of different types of light!

Photos: Show shots from the 2024 production of “Quo Vardis” by Rzemieslnik Swiatla and  courtesy of Teatr Muzyczny.

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He turned to 48 of Astera’s powerful and handy NYX Bulb products to help produce this smart, eye-catching, and highly individual aesthetic which packed neatly into a Pele case.

The NYX Bulbs were purchased by the band for the tour and for future use. They pack into a bespoke moulded tray for transit which is fitted into a Pele type 1607 case, weighing around 20kg when full, which is “great for freight” as well as being super-sustainable!

The NYX Bulb lighting concept is built around a theatre show set up. Onstage, 30 NYX Bulbs are (typically) hung on four LX bars over the stage and covered by diamond-shaped paper lanterns. Gordo has four cable looms that are run out for their quick connection, each terminating in a single plug. The rest of the NYX Bulbs are positioned on the deck attached to various hanging stands, also covered by the same paper shades, so these are dotted all over around the stage at different heights, and look highly effective.

The paper shades pack down flat, so it is literally a “lighting rig in a box” – exceptionally easy to tour, run out, connect and have patched into the control console in around 30 minutes. This speedy set up was essential as Gordo is tech’ing the lights on his own, integrating with the local top rigs each day in the different venues as supplied by the local promoter.

Gordo had really wanted this scenic lighting to help audiences imagine that cosy, intimate loungey vibe onstage for the shows, which have been a massive success. “The audience members should all ideally feel like they are the only person in the room,” he commented.

A major reason for choosing NYX Bulbs was their smooth colour changing properties which are controlled from Godro’s Hog 4 console which is also on the tour with them, together with the high CRI. Several of the NYX Bulbs are in close proximity to the artists, so they can assist in nicely illuminating the faces of the brother and sister duo, something that’s particularly pertinent for audience photos that then get posted on SoMe channels.

This also reflects an additional pressure on LDs. In addition to ensuring everything looks great live and for any IMAG video on the tour, it also needs to work for cell phone images, and the flicker-free feature of the NYX Bulb was essential for when the show was recorded or streamed. Gordo is super-fussy about how anything he is lighting looks on camera, and very aware of how lighting affects the shot.

The fixtures’ auto-switching power supply also mean they can be used in the US with no problems.

Gordo thought of having the lampshades as he wanted a WOW moment at the start of the show as the curtain lifts after the band start in front of the stage curtain. He wanted something high-impact that accentuated the depth and spatiality of the full space and the twinkling lanterns “always get a great reaction,” he noted.

Using NYX Bulbs also enabled him to add layers of effects to the pictures with soft colour and liquid intensity chases introducing subtleties and kinetic movement, and the fixtures are used throughout the show in numerous different ways with variable colours, CTs and pixel chases used to evoke numerous moods.

Gordo is delighted with the “highly effective and versatile results.”

He first encountered Astera products during the Covid period whilst lighting some reality TV shows, where they were constantly present, and he also got to know of Astera’s Australian distributor, ULA Group around the same period.

Initially, Titan Tubes were the products he was using the most – they are a staple of so many TV productions.

Beforehand he was slightly concerned that the NYX bulbs would not be bright enough for what he had in mind, but when it came to the reality, he had to reduce them to around 40% output and “they were still bright and effective as ever!”

He has worked with Angus & Julia Stone for about 6 years, and “The Living Room Sessions” is the first major international tour they have undertaken, kicking off in Australia, and then hitting the road extensively across Europe. The London venue was the Royal Albert Hall and in Paris they also played high profile venues, both the Grand Rex and L’Olympia.

The beauty of the NYX Bulb rig was that no matter where they were playing and what was in the house rig, they had this strong and coherent visual identity and continuity that Gordo had worked closely with the artists – especially Julia – in developing.

Photos: Jarrad Seng.

The post NYX Bulb moments for Angus & Julia Stone Tour appeared first on A1 Lighting Magazine.

“When you know what you’re looking for and you are lucky enough to have a great team, the full trust of your management board, and of course the means, all you have to do is find the right fixtures,” he reflected. “The new LED lighting from Elation has allowed us to create more visually attractive productions and has enhanced the entire theatrical experience.”

The path to finding those ‘right fixtures’ had its own story. Following several not-entirely satisfactory fixture demos, Ronald was contacted by Bert Schmeits, Key Account Manager Benelux for Elation Europe, who believed that Elation’s offerings could meet the needs of the Rijswijkse Schouwburg.

Bert arranged a demonstration at the theater and took along Elation’s Fuze Profile LED framing fixture. As the demo progressed, Ronald and his crew became increasingly enthusiastic.

“After an extensive comparison, they were convinced they were dealing with a serious candidate that could fulfill all their wishes, whereby light quality was the most important factor,” Bert recalled. “At Ronald’s request, I left the Fuze Profile with them, allowing them to get to know the product and also ask visiting companies their opinion.”

After 14 days of extensive testing, Ronald and his team agreed that the FUZE PROFILE was the foundation they wanted to build on. According to Bert, the only critique was that in certain instances, from the lighting position on the hall bridge, they wished for a bit more power.

“The beauty of the FUZE series is that in addition to the Fuze Profile with an output of 10,000 lumens, we can also offer its bigger brother, the Fuze Max Profile,” Bert commented. “This LED spotlight has the same high-quality light and feature set as the Fuze Profile but with an output of 21,000 lumens.”

The fixtures sold themselves, said Ronald, and the choice for Elation was made there and then with great confidence. “Their RGBMA LED engines can create a near-exact color match to the Lee standard, the dimming is quite smooth, and there is no distortion in shape when using the framing shutters, all of which impressed us. The extra output we get with the FUZE MAX PROFILE at the FOH position is a great benefit, and the size and weight of both fixtures are manageable.”

The first phase of the project occurred in September 2023 with the installation of 21 Fuze Max Profile and six Fuze Profile fixtures supplied through Elation’s Dutch distributor Rolight. “After six months in operation at front of house, we received 100 percent satisfied feedback from visiting lighting operators, old school pros as well as the new generation of Dutch and foreign professionals,” Ronald commented, adding that they were especially impressed with the colors and output.

Ronald said the positive response was better than he dared imagine, giving them the confidence to move forward with phase two of the project. Phase two concerned the installation of 47 Fuze Profile on the manteaus of the portal bridge, and 8 Rayzor 760, a powerful RGBW wash fixture with extremely wide zoom, as stage lights, and was executed in July 2024.

“The project was a lot more ambitious than just making the transition to ‘green’ LED lighting,” Ronald said. “A demo of the Rayzor 760 wash fixture convinced us that an additional order would take the transition project to an even higher level.”

The Rijswijkse Schouwburg Theater will use its new Elation LED lighting system across a diverse program of 200 performances yearly. “I have seldom seen a chief lighting technician with such a well-thought-out plan that was worked out in such detail and in which it was known exactly what they had in mind,” Bert concluded. “It makes me proud that we were able to fully realize his plan with Elation.”

The post Elation FUZE takes Rijswijkse Schouwburg Theater from static to dynamic appeared first on A1 Lighting Magazine.

The 2024 event sees Assembly – one of the largest venue operators at the Fringe – operating 26 pulsating venues featuring over 240 diverse shows embracing multiple entertainment genres, with lighting managed by Martin McLachlan, Assembly’s Festival Fringe head of lighting since 2018.

This year Martin specified an abundance of Robe moving lights for several of Assembly’s key venues.

The Assembly Festival Fringe operation involves over 90 technical staff (covering sound and stage management in addition to lighting) over a six-week period which includes two weeks of build and rehearsal before the three-and-a-half-week festival. Martin, together with a small team of four, oversees the house stage lighting and crew across all venues as well as the lighting needs of all incoming productions.

The venues range in size from 60 up to 840 seats, each with a house lighting rig, designed and chosen to deal with all performances in their respective schedule. The larger ones each feature between 4 and 24 moving lights, many of them Robe, adding up to a total of 72 Robe LEDBeam 150s, 18 Robe PAINTES and 7 x Robe T1 Profiles, mostly supplied via rental specialist, Encore.

In addition to these Robe luminaires, Assembly utilises 7 Avolites – A Robe Business – ART2000 dimmers and 8 Avolites Powercube PD units.

For Martin, the LEDBeam 150 is a perfect fixture for the house rigs in many of these spaces for its “great colours and zoom, small size and general versatility”. LEDBeam 150s have been on the Assembly spec lists since Martin assumed the head of lighting position in 2018.

It is a project entailing around 6 months of detailed planning, logistics and delivery, the final 3 months up to and including the event being seriously full time!

New this year are 18 Robe PAINTES, the smallest fixture in Robe’s current TE range of multipurpose spotlights.

All the incoming companies playing Assembly venues use the house lighting rigs to the max, and in many cases additional specials are hired.  “Assembly’s needs are very much driven by flexibility, and smaller sized lights are also an asset,” he commented, saying that they were very excited to have PAINTES this year, with 10 in the largest venue space, the 840-capacity Assembly Hall.

“This is another brilliant small fixture,” enthuses Martin about the PAINTE. “It is great for this style of work with its shuttering capabilities and plenty bright enough without being overpowering in some of these rooms.”

The most confined performance area this year to feature Robe moving lights was the 100-capacity Dancebase3 with 5 LEDBeam 150s.

Martin has worked with various Robe products on different projects for the last 15 years, and generally thinks they are well engineered and reliable. He particularly likes the T1 series and noted that it’s good to see a manufacturer taking the needs of the theatre world “seriously”.

His biggest challenge at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the relentless pace of the installation and production schedule during which all the production elements must be rigged, tech’d and used continuously for the period, coupled with finding solutions to satisfy the demands of multiple shows and theatre companies.

The entire process takes stamina and energy in addition to good organisation, technical awareness, imagination and finding the right lights to work in all scenarios.

Working in temporary and site-specific environments, as almost all of these venues are, can also be galvanising, and of course there are budget parameters that also must be met as well as co-ordinating with many different people and personalities with different levels of experience.

Martin underlines the importance of having reliable fixtures to minimise time consumed with maintenance or repair, and there is little margin for this with some venues having up to a staggering 10 back-to-back shows in a day.

All these elements are also part of the unique vitality, fun and buzz of working on the Fringe, where you can get the chance to stage some outstanding shows that showcase rising talent and capture the spirit of creativity, boldness and adventure that is still at the essence of Edinburgh Fringe.

He comments that it’s also a great chance for technicians to grow their experience and hone their skills, and part of his job as Assembly head of lighting is also to ensure that this can be actively facilitated.

The house lighting rig at Assembly’s 500-seat Gordon Aikman Theatre (GAT) this year was augmented with 7 x Robe T1 Profiles, part of a sponsorship package agreed with Robe UK. The GAT lineup included an animated mix of comedy, dance, theatre and music shows, from Dizney in Drag, to Mythos: Ragnarok, to Murder She Didn’t Write, to Russell Howard’s Wonderbox: Live.

Robe’s show truck was present on site in Edinburgh for two weeks, offering training seminars, demonstrations, and product awareness sessions, all co-ordinated by Chris Purnell, product application specialist from Robe UK. This highlighted the Robe, Avolites and Artistic Licence – also a Robe Business – support of the event, whilst providing invaluable insights for technicians and others interested in the dynamic range of relevant products and solutions.

Images courtesy of Martin McLachlan William Burdett-Coutts.

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This latest production of Hello, Dolly! has been several years in the making. Initially intended to open in July 2020, it was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and has only reached this summer the London stage. Talking about his role on the show, Jon comments: “Surprisingly, I’d never actually seen any previous reincarnations of Hello, Dolly!. As such, this meant I could approach this production with a fresh pair of eyes and almost treat it as a brand-new show; albeit one filled with classic showtunes which were immediately familiar! When discussing the look and feel of the piece initially, Dominic, the director, was really interested in exploring the notion of momentum. Dolly is a widow, tentatively returning to the real world, following the death of her husband. Each protagonist is essentially on a journey and looking to move forwards in life. As such, this theme of momentum informed the visual aspects of the production too.

He continues: “The set features a travellator which occupies the full width of the Palladium stage and is seamlessly integrated into the choreography and movement of the musical. There is also a large, high definition LED screen upstage, with images scrolling across the screen that are synchronised with the travellator; reinforcing this sense of movement. I collaborated closely with set designer Rae Smith and video designer Finn Ross and, between us, found a language with which to blend the three dimensional world onstage with Finn’s brilliant kinetic photographic collage on the screen. This is an old musical which we’re bringing to a new audience. As such, it’s packed with amazing numbers and so the lighting needed to make these moments feel as emphatic as possible. That said, the overall approach was to keep the lighting strong but simple – to celebrate the colours and forms of Rae’s fantastic costume and set design”.

Knowing what he wanted to achieve with his lighting design, Jon contacted WL and worked with the Hire Department to choose his fixtures. He explains: “I wanted to contrast the exterior world, backed by the LED screen and largely lit with LED lighting fixtures, against some warmer and more human, tungsten sources. As a result, a large portion of the rig is made up of an overhead grid of Par 64s interspersed with Martin MAC TW1s. We drew on 58 x TW1s in total; overhead and on the lighting ladders at the side of the stage. The tungsten bring a thickness and warmth, whilst the overhead Pars come to life in Act Two for the iconic Harmonia Garden restaurant scene, especially for Bill Deamer’s breath-taking choreography for ‘The Waiter’s Gallop’.

He adds: “We also drew on ETC Halcyon Titaniums, Martin MAC Encore CLDs and WRMs FOH and overhead, with four overhead bars of Chauvet COLORado PXL Bars and GLP XBar 20s; the latter used mostly for the wider external scenes which provided a comprehensive base to fill the negative space”.

Jon concludes: “The response from the audience has also been fantastic and I’m very proud of this show and everyone involved. It was a huge honour to light such a significant musical in such an iconic venue. We had a stellar lighting team, led by Production Electrician Ben Nichols, Associate LD Lucia Sanchez Rondan and Programmer Vic Brennan. The Palladium’s lighting department led by Mark Smith were first class and really made us incredibly welcome. When lighting a show like this, it’s not necessarily a case of defaulting to the very latest equipment but rather drawing on what is most suitable for the production. I am delighted to say that once again, Stuart Porter, Louise Houlihan and the WL Hire Department played a huge part in successfully achieving exactly that”.

Hello, Dolly! opened earlier this summer at the London Palladium and ran until 14th September.

Photo courtesy of Hello Dolly © Manuel Harlan.

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Having originally been performed on Broadway back in 1948, Kiss Me, Kate first appeared in the West End in 1951 and has subsequently been revived countless times over the years. One of the most recent revivals was the Drama Desk Award-winning 2019 Broadway revival – a show which Don also lit. Despite having worked so recently on another production, Don insists this had no bearing on the latest London show. He explains: “From our earliest creative conversations, I knew that Director Bart Sher and his creative team would be bringing a very different vision, so the lighting needed to follow suit. For starters, there’s an overriding meta-theatrical element that didn’t exist in the Broadway production, which completely shifted the visual paradigm. Bart also understood it was important to address the rather ‘old fashioned’ gender politics of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, which is at the core of the show’s narrative, filtered through a 1940’s lens. He worked with the writer Bob Martin (with the consent of the Cole Porter and Spewack estates) to re-examine selected sections of the book; which, as a result, allows the entire show to feel more relatable to a contemporary audience”.

Explaining further his creative approach to the show, Don explains: “Kiss Me, Kate moves fluidly between the backstage environs of a theatre in 1940’s Baltimore and onstage, in mid-performance of a musical version of The Taming of the Shrew. The full breadth of the Barbican’s performance space is revealed and in-play throughout the evening.  We tried to evoke a backstage environment that you might encounter if you actually walked into that Baltimore theatre almost 80 years ago. The light was crafted with a nod toward film noir: high contrast, sharp angles and deep shadows. In terms of the set, The Shrew’s scenic design felt very much like what you might encounter in a 1940’s era musical. It was largely composed of cream-coloured soft canvas flats, carried on and off by stagehands in the audience’s peripheral view. In contrast to the backstage world, the light in The Shrew is bright, colorful, kinetic and in no way attempts to fall in line with 1940’s production values. Given the meta-theatrical nature of this production, I felt we had permission to expand our vocabulary well beyond what would be considered ‘period’ lighting.

He adds: “Although I tried to work with a limited palette and scrupulously avoided movement effects, chases, and other more contemporary gestures in The Shrew musical numbers, I wasn’t shy about acknowledging the numerous brass stings, buttons, and other flourishes in Cole Porter’s amazing score.  I’ll also admit there were some iconic numbers in the show that were so spectacularly scored, choreographed and performed  (such as the Act Two opener “Too Darn Hot” and Bianca’s “Always True to You” ) that I felt compelled to depart from my self-imposed constraints and completely ‘let loose’. These were the moments that felt really satisfying for me and seemed to land most successfully with the audience”.

As is often the case with shows as ambitious as this, the design did change slightly once technical rehearsals and previews began. Don explains: “Whilst Bart was interested in rendering a dark, gritty, and atmospheric backstage environment for Kiss Me, Kate, once we began previews, it became clear that we needed to shift the dynamic toward a brighter, less ominous-feeling space. It was a welcome change of course and not too difficult to address. What proved to be more challenging was the late arrival of The Shrew set, both in pre-production and onstage at the Barbican. I had no pre-lighting time to develop a clear visual vocabulary before we were pressed to move very quickly through the show in what was a rather abbreviated (one week!) tech process. The Shrew scenes were definitely a work-in-progress,  and the lighting design continued to evolve over the course of the preview period. It was a hard slog, but I think we eventually arrived at a very good place”.

Knowing what he needed to achieve with his design, Don spoke to the Hire Team at WL to put together his lighting rig. He explains: “We used a variety of equipment to bring this production to life, ranging from the Barbican’s tungsten ellipsoidal inventory (for high-side light systems that delivered an ‘incandescent’ feel for the backstage scenes), to ETC Lustr 2 and Lustr 3 Series Profiles, which were crucial in expanding our high and low sidelight colour palette. There was also a variety of automated fixtures, including MAC Encore and MAC Ultra Profiles, MAC Quantum and MAC Aura XB Washlights, and ETC High End SolaFrame 2000s.

He continues: “The scenic design featured a large (roughly 15m diameter) revolve that contained three rather elaborate two-tiered settings, including dressing rooms, a backstage corridor, and the actual ‘stage’ space, that was seen in bare bones ‘rehearsal mode’ with the theatre walls exposed, or in ‘performance mode’, with The Shrew set in full play. Many scenes, musical numbers and transitions (the action is continuous) were performed with the turntable continually in motion. The automated lighting rig was crucial in addressing the multiple challenges that this cinematic staging presented”.

In regards to the continually revolving turntable on stage, this feature made Don realise early on into the design process that he would need to incorporate a large amount of onboard lighting to reveal these spaces and carve out the action. He comments: “We installed numerous set mounted practical sources, along with a variety of low-profile theatrical fixtures, such as Rosco Pica Cube 4Cs and MR16 Birdies, tucked into ceiling coves and hidden recesses. We also rigged several ‘overhead electrics’ which spanned the revolving ‘stage’ space, fitted with a variety of automated LED fixtures, including GLP Impression XBar 20s, MAC Aura XBs and SolaFrame 2000s. Given the limited amount of power available via a central commutator, I restricted all set-integrated and set-mounted theatrical lighting to LED based sources”.

Don concludes: “For Kiss Me, Kate, I’d like to acknowledge the great work of Lighting Programmer Nick Simmons, Production Electrician Pete Lambert and the Barbican Lighting Team, UK Associate LD Hector Murray and Associate LD Karen Spahn. I’m very proud of the work we were all able to put onstage, due in no small part to the stellar support we received from Andy Cullen and the WL team. They went above and beyond to deliver the tools we needed despite the limited budget and fast- track nature of the project.  They also stood right behind us as the design evolved and changes to the rig were required during the technical rehearsal and preview period – something we greatly appreciated”.

Photo courtesy of Kiss Me, Kate 2 © Johan Persson.

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Established in Italy in 1975, and now located in Aarhus, Denmark, SGM is a well-respected lighting manufacturer pioneering the use of IP65 moving lights before, more recently, focusing on architectural lighting. Both these aspects create strong synergies with Goldensea which is investing heavily in both entertainment and architectural IP65 solid state lighting products.

As a globally renowned brand, SGM has always focused on technological innovation, being the first in the industry to launch all-weather waterproof moving head fixtures. It has extremely experienced R&D, creative, operations and sales teams alongside mature sales channels and partners.

SGM’s unique patented technology covers both the architectural and stage lighting portfolios, and its products are well-known in the industry for low maintenance costs, unique design, and consistent performance. SGM’s products are widely used in many projects worldwide, including Louis Vuitton’s Headquarters in Paris, Le Stade de France also in Paris, The Three Sister Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA, Singapore’s Sky Tree Lighting as well as on Adele’s recent record- breaking shows in Munich and Metallica’s European tour.

Recognising the qualities and potential within SGM, Goldensea identified complementary aims and philosophies between the two companies, and the benefits its financial investment can bring to SGM’s product development and growth. “Our investment in SGM aligns with Goldensea’s future strategic and long-term development plans,” says Christopher Agius Ferrante, VP Goldensea. “The purchase of SGM is highly complementary to our existing business, and will help to enrich and strengthen the product range and expertise that we can offer all our clients – for both architectural and stage lighting equipment.”

Goldensea states that all SGM Denmark staff will remain in place. “We strongly value the whole SGM team and are excited to have them on board as we seek to invest and grow in our determination to make SGM sustainably successful,” continues Christopher.

From an operational perspective SGM Lighting has begun the process of reviewing the order book which was existing as of the 1st of September and will be contacting all customers to discuss these orders, advise of new lead times (should there be any) and deliver other pertinent information. Due to the necessary change in legal entity, all customers are advised that new orders will need to be placed in lieu of the existing orders for them to remain valid. We apologise for this inconvenience.

In the coming days, SGM will also be able to accept new orders for all current SGM products.

SGM also announces that all existing warranties which were valid under the old entity are to be honoured going forward.

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