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.

The post White Light is So In Love with Kiss Me, Kate appeared first on A1 Lighting Magazine.

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.

The post Goldensea acquires SGM appeared first on A1 Lighting Magazine.

Routhier’s original tour design launched in 2022 in support of the “Music of the Spheres” album, and the band is continuing the current stadium tour with the same design. For this summer’s European leg, which launched on June 8 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, she was looking for the most effective way to add a searchlight-type effect to the show without using a heavy, power-consuming fixture. “We wanted to add lighting to the seats to expand the overall image of the rig without adding a ton of structure,” she said.

Consequently, Elation’s John Dunn and Chuck Dillingham from Freed Sales brought Elation’s new PROTEUS ATLAS to Clear All Visuals in Nashville for Routhier to look at. “It was actually an amazing and fun experience,” she said. “We had the fixture on the rooftop deck of the office and pointed it in the direction of a rooftop bar down the street. We were able to see the beam shooting across the night sky from over two blocks away!”

The designer found what she sought in the powerful IP66-rated PROTEUS ATLAS beam FX moving head, which debuted on the “Music of the Spheres” tour. “We placed them in the seats behind the stage to add some extra firepower to the rig,” she stated. “Music of the Spheres is a hazeless show, yet even without haze, the fixtures are able to provide amazing beam effects without the use of unnatural atmospherics!”

The PROTEUS ATLAS projects a powerful and razor-thin 0.6° beam comparable to 7K Xenon searchlights yet offers various design features and operates at a fraction of the power. Compact enough to be incorporated into virtually any lighting setup, the beam projects from a mammoth 320mm (12.5″) front lens, a great look for a large-scale show like “Music of the Spheres.” Routhier’s design includes 48 units lined above and behind the stage in groups of four, all exposed to the elements.

Tour lighting director and programmer Shaheem Litchmore has been with Coldplay for 3 ½ years and manages the day-to-day handling of the fixtures on the road. “They allow the show to feel massive at moments,” he says, “and because they sit around the stage, they create an intimate, immersive experience. It’s like they give the room a hug that brings it all together!” Referencing the unit’s massive column of light, he says they “feel big but not disconnected. It’s massive but you also feel like you can reach out and touch it.”

The ATLAS creates dynamic beam looks at times, and gobo/prism looks at others to add texture to specific songs. “We love the look of the beams punching through the stadium and touching the clouds; however, it’s also cool to have a softer look from such a powerful fixture,” Shaheem remarked. “They expand the depth of our show and push our creativity.” He adds that they look forward to exploring more of the effects package as the tour continues, especially the continuous pan movement.

A Coldplay show naturally includes a lot of wow moments, one of which occurs right at the top of the show when the lights go down. “One of the first lighting cues involves the ATLAS beams hitting on vertically, touching the sky then falling to the floor of the stadium,” Shaheem describes. “It’s an unexpected and impactful way to introduce the new PROTEUS ATLAS to our show.”

Sooner adds that the fixtures look “incredible” doing a rainbow chase for “Adventure of a Lifetime.” In the song “A Sky Full of Stars,” one of her favorites, massive white beams explode from behind the stage, creating a “lighting firework.” In the hit “Paradise,” the softer side of the fixture is displayed with bold gobo/prism looks.

One of the highlight moments in the show, according to Shaheem, is in a song called “Clocks” with no front light and the band silhouetted. “There is a big laser moment in that number, and the ATLAS add a lot of beams on top of it all. It’s an impactful moment in the show and they punch right through,” he said, adding that “the reaction from the crowd during those moments is why we do this.”

One of the highest-attended and biggest-grossing tours of all time, Coldplay’s environmental efforts on “Music of the Spheres” are highly commendable. Stages were developed with a team of sustainability experts and built from reusable materials, displays, lasers, lighting, and PA are all low energy, and many more ecological initiatives. With its efficient 500W Solid State Phosphor-Converted (SSPC) light engine, the PROTEUS ATLAS aligns with the green ethos of the tour as it operates at a fraction of the power of 7000W Xenon fixtures for a much smaller footprint.

The European leg of Coldplay’s “Music of the Spheres” world tour is scheduled to wrap on 2^ndSeptember in Dublin, the final show in a successful debut outing for the PROTEUS ATLAS.

“Every time I visit the show, I’m in awe at the dynamics they add to it!” Sooner concludes. “They were definitely the perfect addition to the lighting rig.”

Photos: Kai Kuczera.

The post Sooner Routhier debuts PROTEUS ATLAS on Coldplay’s “Music of the Spheres” Tour appeared first on A1 Lighting Magazine.

“It needed to be bright, versatile, bold and strong,” says the designer, one of three partners at Woodroffe Bassett Design (WBD). And so Ridgway recommended GLP’s impression X5 IP Maxx, promptly arranging a shoot-out. Terry Cook’s conclusion: “It brought meanness, real character and was unapologetically angry. It was definitely an AC/DC light,” he exclaims unequivocally. “We have history of embracing new technology on AC/DC tours and the Power Up tour was no different.”

At the same time he noted a further advantage: the fixture’s IP rating. In fact, its waterproof qualities would prove vital during the tour, even though every fixture would be located under the roof.

Neg Earth had been contracted as tour vendors by the band’s production director, Dale ‘Opie’ Skjerseth. As soon as the designer had greenlighted GLP’s powerful washlight, it wasted no time in ordering 172 of the fixtures – the first rental company in the world to do so. “Dave [Ridgway] knows I take nothing as guaranteed and so we looked at each fixture twice, using light meters to measure it, and to understand what each light could do and how they balanced together,” reports Cook.

Lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe, who originally set up WBD, has an association with both AC/DC and Neg Earth stretching back decades. “The band hadn’t toured for a while for various reasons,” notes Terry Cook. “We were contacted about them returning for a one-off show at Power Trip Festival in California – and they would then try something in Europe.”

WBD immediately witnessed the signature rawness and WBD were soon back at the drawing board once the European tour was confirmed. “There were to be no gimmicks, it was very much about connecting the band, the music and the fanbase,” continues Cook.

The lighting designers worked closely with Stufish, which was responsible for the stage design and size of video screens: “I realised I could replicate the shapes of the video with five large lighting pods, filled with one type of light. Stufish suggested putting a video frame around the pods so we could drag the video off the screens and immerse it into the roof and sides of the stage. Suddenly the idea was born and we knew we had a winning combination.”

Three identical overhead pods – four units wide, eight units high – were offset by two further pods, stage left and right, aligned on the vertical plane. Each contained a matrix of impression X5 IP Maxx – which made up the bulk of the 168 units that toured. The remainder were set on the upstage side of the front truss to illuminate the band’s iconic 8ft high signature wall of Marshall amps, stacked three high.

The challenges in bringing this to fruition were many, not least ensuring the vast inventory of X5 IP Maxx could be shipped in time. “We also had to work out how we were going to build these lights within the trusses, even-spaced in a matrix and at the same time get the correct beam angles. The rig was something of a throwback to a parcan rig of yesteryear, when we were specifying the Molefay,” suggests Cook. As for the trusses, individual custom bracketing had to be produced for each piece, with a custom [load] spreader built into each hang.

The next decision was the DMX programming mode for the X5 IP Maxx. Cook recalls: “When I first turned one cell on, at just 3 percent, I knew immediately it was going to work. We wanted to have cell control so that we could change the shape of these lights and so choosing the correct mode was vital.”

Explaining further, he says:, “There’s one moment in ‘Thunderstruck’, an iconic song, when we wanted 168 linear stripes of light, rather than circles, to loosely represent a lightning bolt delivering real sparkle and flare across that big iconic intro.” After consideration, they opted for the fixture’s Mode 4 Multipix Advanced mode. “This gave us an incredible 141 DMX channels, with two lights per universe. It may have given Neg Earth a heart attack, but we wanted the flexibility to create the pixel effects.”

Terry Cook also knew “from the get-go” that he wanted to integrate the GLP washlight into the Follow-Me follow spot system “and so at a moment we could sweep all 168 lights onto [frontman Angus Young] if we wanted a big guitar moment and pull a vast section of lights down to him.”

And when he needed to perform a fast zoom there is none finer than the impression X5 IP Maxx, with an enormous range from an extremely narrow 3.3° beam out to a wide homogeneous 66° wash.

Terry Cook paid tribute to a number of people for bringing the show to fruition, led by the head of GLP UK, Simon Barrett. “We must have used every fixture in GLP’s catalogue over the years. I can’t tell you how good Simon and GLP’s customer service are. To have direct access to the manufacturer was really useful.

“We worked very closely with the set designer Ray Winkler [of Stufish] and Jeremy Lloyd at Wonderworks, who did the technical design, working out how to rig it safely, putting the engineering side of the pods together. Finally, there was Sam Patterson’s team at Treatment, who do video creation.”

To the many superlatives already levelled at the X5 IP Maxx, Terry Cook adds “reliability”, explaining: “By the halfway stage of the tour the team hadn’t swapped out a single light – despite them getting extremely wet in atrocious weather, particularly at load-in and load-out.

“But they are a great fit for an AC/DC show and the biggest compliment that I can give is I’d spec them on a show in a heartbeat!”

The show itself was naturally piloted by the band’s veteran and ever-present touring lighting director, Cosmo Wilson, while Joe Bay and Michael Hankowsky were brought on through Early Bird to handle the lighting and video programming. The last, and newest, member of the FOH team is WBD’s own Fraser Walker who, like Cosmo, runs the video screens live each show, with no timecode used, “it’s lovely to see Cosmo and Fraser operate this show,” remarks Cook.

One final footnote: Opie and WBD made the decision that, having been so impressed with the young crew appointed by Upstaging on a recent American show, to request similar from Neg Earth. The rental company delivered, providing another young, fastidiously professional team with an average age of just 28. Other crew members included Jim Mills, Lewis Willding, Niccolò Grigolato, Ben Tinniswood, Zac Saleh, Euan Odd, Charlie Strangeways and Holly Brightman working under crew chief Alan Fotheringham. Neg Earth’s team who assisted with all the prep, comprised Joao Magalhaes, Jack Prior, Fiore Fillarini and Greg Gadomsk.

Terry Cook credits the impact that the crew’s energy and teamwork made to the overall result of the show.

Photo credit: Ralph Larmann.

The post Stunning world debut as 168 GLP impression X5 IP Maxx join the AC/DC tour appeared first on A1 Lighting Magazine.

Sven was asked to light the high-profile concert after Pavlović’s show producers saw his lightshow for Croatian artist Gibonni – the previous year at Belgrade Arena – and decided they wanted to work with him. They talked to the artist who also checked out Sven’s work for herself and was suitably impressed! This show was extremely important, and all involved wanted to ensure it was a world class production.

Sven, who has an extremely busy schedule combining working as a commercial pilot with designing creative lightshows, was also contacted by the local show producers Ivan Jurić-Kaćunić, Katijan Knok and Goran Hucaluk, with whom he’s worked on other projects and was able to slot this one into his action-packed diary!

His starting point for the production lighting design was a set concept by Igor Barberić and Nebojša Milojević, which included three interconnected runways coming out from the front of the stage allowing Pavlović to get close to her fans. The screen design was an adapted version of the set developed for a Milica Pavlović gig staged at Belgrade Arena a couple of months before this one, but adapted versions of these were the only elements retained for Zagreb.

A troupe of dancers choreographed by Helena Janjušević boosted the visual dynamics of the performance, for which there was a good production budget.

Sven took this opportunity to specify his moving light brand of choice … which is Robe!

The lighting equipment and crew were delivered by MOJO Rental South-East Europe (ex-Promo Logistika), and this show was the first time that Sven had a chance to use Robe’s PAINTE moving light and Tetra2 and TextraX linear LED batten products.

Initially, the 24 PAINTES were not on the spec as Sven thought he would need something larger to cut through the LED video screens from the 20-metre trim height. However, after in-situ testing, he saw for real that the PAINTES were perfectly up to the job!

They were hung on front trusses and used for key lighting and positioned along the catwalks.

22 Robe FORTES were hung on the mid truss in a cluster formation and made excellent effects fixtures for special moments in the set. FORTE has been a go-to powerful luminaire for Sven whenever possible for the last couple of years.

Once these PAINTES and FORTES were in their designated positions, Sven started placing the various other lights and positions around them.

36 MegaPointes were dotted around the upstage trusses, together with 24 Pointes. MegaPointe is still one of Sven’s – and many other LDs’ – all-time favourite fixtures, and MegaPointes in some quantities are still on 99 percent of his designs.

Spiiders are another must-have.

On this show, 24 of Robe’s famous LED wash beams were dotted around the overhead trusses with some on the floor and used for washing the stage – exactly as designed – as well as for additional and secondary key lighting. “They worked harmoniously with the PAINTES in this context,” commented Sven noting that the Spiider’s zoom also allowed them to really cut through the MegaPointe beams.

Sven had always held back from using Tetras before, as he really wanted an appropriate project to materialise … and this was it, so 26 Tetra2s and eight TetraXs were added to the design, and he found the pixel mapping capabilities “completely mind-blowing!”

The Tetra2s were rigged in an arc around the main video screen and used sparingly – only around 10 times throughout the whole set – but when they did fire up, it brought maximum impact.

“The audience gasped with amazement every time!” declared Sven, clearly delighted with the effectiveness of his careful placement, meticulous programming and thoughtful execution of the ‘less-is-more’ philosophy of lighting.

This allowed the creation of moving seamless walls of light for accenting, a style of effect that is new and still rare for shows in the Balkans.

“It’s incredible to be able to take a fixture like an LED bar and create ‘beam-of-light’ effects that work in an 18,000-capacity arena – that’s just really special!” he stated.

The TetraXs were rigged on small trussing sections flown just below the PA arrays. They were also utilised for some of the darker and moodier songs where even just eight fixtures offered serious punch!

Sven admits that he would have liked more TetraXs, but they were simply not available for the dates due to demand for other events!

Thirty CycFX8 fixtures (Tetra’s still popular predecessors) were used as the main floor up lighters and along the catwalks, a mission-critical task especially for illuminating the dancers.

Aesthetically, it was essentially a big glossy-floor pop show. Director Igor Barberić is also a choreographer with plenty of theatrical work under his belt, so A LOT of dynamics and plenty of drama was in play throughout the set, and having the CycFX8s on the stage in these specific positions really helped light the movement and flow of the show, commented Sven.

He has worked with Robe products for over 18 years now, and enjoys an excellent relationship with Croatian distributor, Davor Vujic of LAV Studio, who ensures he is kept updated with all the latest news and tech from the Robe universe.

He observes that while the LED chips have evolved and Robe’s concepts have changed over time, aspects like the fixtures’ colour configuration from the first LEDs to the current ones remain constant.

This consistency is particularly noticeable to him as he always does all his own programming and show console operation. “That excellent colour collaboration between the Robe ranges saved me at least 2 hours on site for this show,” when time was – as always – tight, and delivering to everyone’s high expectations was a major challenge.

Also on the rig were 24 LEDBeam 150s and 10 LEDBeam 350s which worked brilliantly as back of shot fillers for the multicamera shoot. The 350s placed upstage crisply sliced through the 150 square metres of LED screen.

Sven enjoyed many things about the concert including the scale of it and the theatrical moments even when it went dark. “Crafting a show that has a real emotional impact on the audience is also about knowing when to turn all the lights off!”

Photo: Benny Gashi.

The post Robe in the rig for Milica Pavlović show in Zagreb appeared first on A1 Lighting Magazine.

Eco-Friendly Lighting: The Crown Class lighting revitalization project included 69 ESPRITE Profile, 87 Spiider, 78 PAINTE Profile, 98 LEDBeam 150, and 48 ParFect 150 wash luminaires, which has reduced the Crown Class’ overall electrical consumption by an impressive 50 percent. This not only benefits the environment but also leads to reduced HVAC draw and overall fuel costs. Additionally, it significantly reduces operational and maintenance expenses. Princess Entertainment continues to invest in engaging and eco-conscious technologies to enhance guest offerings and sustainability goals.

Robe TE Technology: Robe’s revolutionary Transferable LED Engine technology allows for easy replacement of light engines, extending the fixture’s lifetime and avoiding costly and time-consuming full light engine replacements. This technology provides the flexibility to choose engines, including HP (High Performance), HCF (High Colour Fidelity), TGW (Tungsten White), or the MSL-TE™ (Multi-Spectral) engine. This ensures optimal color rendition for every performance.

Spectacular Performances: The new lighting system enhances Princess Cruises’ award-winning in-house entertainment offerings, including major original productions created in partnership with Stephen Schwartz, an Oscar, Tony, and Grammy award-winning composer.

The lighting rig upgrade for Crown, Emerald, and Ruby Princess was a significant undertaking in 2023. Robe Lighting delivered all fixtures on time for immediate installation, leading to reduced power consumption and maintenance, making the rigs more efficient for use. Working with EMF Lighting, the lighting design team was impressed with the innovative features and impressive output of the small form-factor, feature-rich fixtures. The enhanced color rendering across the TE Engines and Osram engines of the Spiider and LEDBeam fixtures has revitalized the shows, providing vibrant and saturated visuals. Onboard lighting technicians have praised the new lighting rig for its ease of use, ease of service, and its ability to enhance their designs and operational needs. Notably, the new Robe lighting system has reduced the operating noise by 53db, improving audio fidelity for guests and on-stage monitoring systems.

Matt DeJong, Fleet Lighting Supervisor for the Princess Entertainment Project team, chose Robe Lighting due to the impressive range of fixtures and Robe’s global support system, ensuring on-demand assistance no matter where in the world any Princess cruise ship might be. Princess is always grateful for the quality engineering and QA provided by Robe as all equipment worked straight out of the box, which allowed the project team to complete these time sensitive, in-service installs, with minimal disruption to onboard operations.

In addition to the all-Robe automated lighting rig, the Crown Class lighting setup was complemented with additional conventional fixtures, strobes, and UV effect units.

Photo by Matt DeJong.

The post Princess Cruises selects Robe TE fixtures for immersive LED lighting and sustainability enhancement appeared first on A1 Lighting Magazine.

Boris Jacob, from Elation’s French distributor Best Audio & Lighting, handled lighting design on the project. He stated, “This show really gives pride of place to the Elation brand with the FUZE PROFILE and the KL PROFILE FC. The luminous flux and high CRI, the identical colorimetry between the FUZE and KL series, as well as the silence, make these fixtures the perfect choice!”

A flexible framing fixture for theatre and television, the FUZE PROFILE houses a 305W RGBMA LED engine with high CRI. Its 5-color homogenized LED array not only ensures accurate color reproduction with a beautiful mixed white, it also provides color manipulation features like virtual color temperature and Magenta/Green adjustment plus CMY emulation. Jacob used some of the FUZE PROFILES as keylighting to illuminate the artists’ faces using the built in framing blades and color temperature control with the remaining FUZE PROFILES set on stage to project gobos and cut out scenery elements.

Because the KL PROFILE FC ellipsoidal also houses an RGBMA LED engine, the designer was able to perfectly match color across the rig. Housing an integrated zoom that adjusts from 6 to 50 degrees, the KL PROFILE FC requires no additional lens tubes for fast beam angle changes. Its 93.5 CRI engine ensures accurate color reproduction, and full blackout manual framing eliminates any light spill. Both fixtures proved the ideal complements for “The Twist Years” production.

Atmospheric haze and mid-air projection canopy came courtesy of a THERMA TOUR 600 from Magmatic atmospheric effects. Producing an exceptionally fine, long-lasting haze, a water-based fluid was used to allow for total protection of the eight artists’ vocal chords, as well those of the accompanying musicians and technical crew. The 350W THERMA TOUR 600 creates a safe, clean and odorless haze effect that leaves no residue.

Stemming from the early 1900s, the Eiffel Tower Theatre was renovated in 2016 and reopened in 2017. Due to its exceptional historical heritage and a varied program of musical shows, comedy, and plays, it has managed to find a place among the pantheon of Parisian theaters. “The Twist Years” will be back at the Eiffel Tower Theatre in October and will be touring in 2025.

Production: Cabucho Production – Remy Caccia & Christelle Chollet.

Director: Lucy Harrison.

Choreography: Olivier Benard.

Musical Director: Gabriel Sarrou Vergnac.

Costumes: Claire Djemah.

Cast: Lou Nagy, Martin Heuzard, Marine Rouvrais, Quentin Aubert, Théophile Baquet, Victor Villafranca, Alexia Piovano, Pierre-Arthur.

Lemoine, Olivier Benard, Armonie Coiffard, Magali Bonfils, Thomas Boissy, Pierre-Alain Leleu.

Musicians: Gabriel Sarrou Vergnac, Frank Bessard, Maxence Naudet, Matthieu Durand Valerio, Edouard Dornier, Rodrigo Viana.

Photos:  Justine Lephay.

The post Elation FUZE and KL highlight “The Twist Years” at Paris’ Eiffel Tower Theatre appeared first on A1 Lighting Magazine.

The Vienna Philharmonic invited audiences to the open-air Sommernachtskonzert (Summer Night Concert) for the 20th time this year – and a massive 50,000 spectators didn’t need to be asked twice. In addition, the free concert – one of Austria’s largest classical music events, set against the backdrop of the impressive Schönbrunn Palace – was set for broadcast in over 80 countries.

The Sommernachtskonzert has become an established tradition and for many Viennese it is impossible to imagine life without it. Lighting designer Jerry Appelt has emphasised in the past how much this concert means to him. Therefore, he and his team continue their work – and at the same time have created new highlights in the production, thanks to the help of some new GLP devices.

The GLP impression S350 Wash has been used for orchestra lighting for several years; this year 76 of the fixtures were deployed. The devices “impress with the lighting quality required by production for TV applications,” explains Appelt. “In addition, the light weight of these spots is an advantage, given the limited load-bearing capacity of the stage roof. That’s why they are an integral part of the lighting design at the Summer Night Concert.”

GLP’s impression X5 LED washlights have also been used for orchestra lighting for the past two years. As with all spotlights in the stage roof, the comparatively low weight also plays a role here. Sixty-one impression X5 Wash were part of this year’s lighting design.
However, 54 of the new, weatherproof GLP impression X5 IP Maxx were used for the first time, providing column lighting on the magnificent façade of Schönbrunn Palace. The impression X5 IP Maxx represents the much-praised colour quality of the X5 Series with an even higher output. The lighting designer favoured the new model in this application primarily for the “brilliant colours and the IP65 protection, which made it possible to forego additional rain protection in front of the historic facade”, he explains.

With 12 FUSION Creos, a completely new model also made its debut at the Summer Night Concert. The tiltable LED washlight with 18 40W RGBL LEDs, arranged in three lines, functions both as a single device and in combination with several other fixtures to create an overpowering LED bar. During the Summer Night Concert, all 12 devices were used on the Gloriette, which is around a kilometre from the palace, and is often seen by the TV cameras.

“The Creos impressed us both as architectural lighting and as single camera lighters,” says Appelt.

For the first time, the designer also used 52 of the ultra-compact and weatherproof (IP65) FUSION X-PAR 8Z LED PARs with zoom from FUSION by GLP to illuminate various statues in the extensive palace park. “The statues in the park were presented as decentralised highlights, concealing the necessary lighting technology in the foreground. The X-PAR 8Z can be used extremely effectively as small, inconspicuous uplights,” he explains. “They also have a very good zoom range for such a compact device in this performance class.”

Jerry Appelt’s design team additionally used eight GLP ArenaLED1 Touring for the ambient lighting at the Gloriette, which “were somewhat misused in this role, as they are actually arena floodlights, but nevertheless did a good job and were also very acceptable outdoor floodlights. We’re looking forward to actually using the fixtures in an arena context,” says the designer.

When a torrential thunderstorm began on the day of the dress rehearsal, the IP-certified fixtures from GLP demonstrated their reliability even under the presence of such heavy rain.

Finally, Jerry Appelt thanks the organisers of the event, as well as the Philharmonic Orchestra: “My team and I always look forward to the Summer Night Concert. This is not only due to the wonderful music in the unique open-air atmosphere, but especially to the constructive collaboration with the Vienna Philharmonic. In particular we thank Johannes Schneider, as our contact person, as well as the organisers, Anneliese Pontiller and Zigo Mutschlechner, who help make the Summer Night Concert a local highlight as well as a cultural export hit.” Appelt also thanks the ORF (the Austrian Broadcast Corporation), and particularly Roberto Berkembrock, for the close cooperation.

Photo credit: Jack Langer.

The post More than 260 GLP fixtures illuminate the stage, Palace and park at the Summer Night Concert in Vienna appeared first on A1 Lighting Magazine.

The show was directed by Mari Pogrebynska and Pavlo Zakrevskyi and included eye-catching lighting designed by Anton Semeniuk who utilised 32 Robe Spikie moving lights, six ColorWash 575s and a BMFL Follow Spot controlled via a RoboSpot system … among other lights, all supplied by Ukraine’s largest lighting rental company, Alight.

Like everything in Ukraine, the show, production and entertainment industry has adapted to the realities of wartime, and while Alight has moved much of its equipment inventory to Poland for the moment – for obvious reasons – Anton explained that he was still very keen to use whatever Robe kit was available at the time of the show.

“The stage space was too restricted to realise our initial ideas, so we found ourselves needing small but multifunctional devices, and Robe’s Spikie immediately came into my mind,” he explained.

Mari, Pavlo and Anton collaborated on the stage set design which included LED tubes rigged to create an abstract but interesting space. Within this were the band and their music which captures some of the spirit and the moments of Ukraine in 2024. The set concept was to have the three walls of lighting wrapping around the band leaving the fourth wall open at the front, inviting the audience in to join them.

Anton used Spikies for several tasks, including in an almost architectural context … to change the shape and meaning of the performance space as the band played through their 18 album songs. “The fixtures were a brilliant solution for setting and changing the look and styling,” he declared.

16 Spikies were hung on two rear trusses rigged in the roof and the other 16 were deployed across four vertical truss towers – stage left and right – on the deck.

Having a good number of Spikes in these different positions brought great dynamics and vibrance to the stage which radiated out into the packed audience.

He appreciated the speed of the fixtures and their ability to “create impressive effects”. He loves Robe’s patented multi-coloured Flower Effect which “perfectly complemented” certain points in the song lyrics and show narrative, helping to make each song distinctive.

He notes that Robe’s colour saturation and colour mixing in general is excellent and nicely matched across all the different fixture types.

For smooth high-quality key lighting and specials on lead singer Ivan Marunych, the BMFL FollowSpot was another great result. A standard follow spot would have been impractical and consumed a lot of space in the venue, so RoboSpot was “a logical option,” confirmed Anton.

The BMFL FollowSpot was rigged on a separate front truss, with the RoboSpot operator located backstage.

The six ColorWash 575s – one of Robe’s best sellers from the noughties and still going strong so many years later – are a testament to their great build quality and Robe’s reputation for engineering excellence. They were hung on the front truss and used for general stage washes.

The biggest challenge for any show or performance staged in Ukraine right now is unwanted interruptions – typically by air raid alerts, missile and drone attacks or power outages.

Thankfully, none of these occurred during this show and the band delivered a fantastic set that delighted their fans.

The opportunity to work on this show alone was the most enjoyable aspect for Anton. “When the whole team unites to realise a great show and you see everything perfectly harmonised with band and audience on the same wavelength … it’s very special! It’s such a great feeling,” he says with passion.

He is also the first to compliment the great technical team from Alight who helped make everything happen, including crew chief Andrii Konovalyuk.

For audio and video, the band utilised the Bel Etage in-house systems.

Anton’s first interactions with stage lighting started when aged 9, operating a follow spot for his father Fedir, who is also an LD, and was a big inspiration for him to make lighting his professional career. In 2015 he became a freelance LD working with a variety of artists both in Ukraine and internationally, and he now designs lighting for clubs, bands and theatre shows.

He first worked with Robe in 2018 at a club in Prague, “It was an extraordinary experience!” he recalls, and he has specified Robe products ever that time since whenever possible.

He’s also recently used Robe fixtures on projects at the new Leoland complex in Lviv, installed last year by Robe distributor Sound House from Dnipro, and at the Lviv Opera and Ballet Theatre.

He thinks Robe’s marketing and communication channels are very strong in illustrating how the products are used worldwide – from small clubs and art installations to huge tours and television shows, “enabling everyone to stay abreast of the latest news and trends in our field!”

Photo by Andrew Kharlamov.

The post KARTA SVITU finds ‘The Space of Important Things’ with help from Robe moving lights appeared first on A1 Lighting Magazine.

Next to the vehicle itself, the highlight of the Team X-produced reveal, was a performance by Travis Scott. The Grammy-winning, platinum artist didn’t appear on any ordinary stage, either. Instead, he was driven out in the new Mercedes on a platform that appeared to be floating in the lake! For good measure, he performed some songs while standing atop the shimmering blue vehicle.

Seeing a world-class artist and a stunning car on a stage surrounded by water in a canyon that oozed natural beauty was a breathtaking experience. But, as always, this magical moment, was backed by a lot of hard work and brilliant technology.

Seth Bernstein, who led the lighting team, used 68 CHAUVET Professional Color STRIKE M motorized strobe-washes supplied by Volt Lites. He described what went into making this memorable experience a reality:

“This was an impressive accomplishment. Scuba divers built an elevated stage in the park’s decommissioned reservoir. This presented immense challenges, as we didn’t want to distract from the beauty of the environment with excessively visible fixtures or positions.  Also, the audience walked in during the last hour of daylight, so we wanted to keep the rig discrete so people would be highly surprised by all the show elements. Since this was the world premiere of the all-Electric G Wagon, lighting the vehicle reveal was a huge focal point for the show planning. Niklas Bildstein Zaar and his team at Sub Global in Berlin, our talented creative directors, chose a piece by lighting artist Boris Acket called “Sunrise For Sleepers” which consists of a simulated sunrise in an indoor environment.

“Boris and I collaborated on adapting this idea in the canyon setting, using a 24,000-Watt Tungsten Fresnel fixture on a 55’ techno-crane,” continued Bernstein. “As the car drove out, the ‘sun’ appeared to rise over the lake. The amount of technical planning and blind luck that went into making this happen was staggering. Boris was a pleasure to work with. Killswitch Rigging and Volt Lites put their heads together to mount and power the huge fixture on the crane and StrictlyFX provided all the atmosphere to render the sunrise and hide the techno arm and base.”

With the exception of a few selectively employed keys lights, Bernstein relied exclusively on color washes and strobes from his Color STRIKE M fixtures, along with laser effects. “The creative direction called for a huge amount of atmosphere, which needed to be colour toned for each song,” he explained.  “Because we were using these very pure and bold Laser effects, I wanted to be careful about using any fixtures that would create visible beams that would clash. The Color STRIKE Ms had that perfect brightness and colour range, but also didn’t distract the Lasers.”

Technical directors ST. ROBO, Nik Evers and Markus Eibl recounted how the fixtures helped make the even run smoothly, even with uncertain weather conditions. “Given that the Mercedes-Benz electric G-Class Premier took place at an outdoor venue by a reservoir, the weather was unpredictable — and indeed it went from intense sunlight to sudden rain showers. Thanks for the all-weather IP65 capabilities of the Color STRIKE M, we didn’t have to worry about covering or protecting them constantly. Their reliability and durability made the event seamless and visually stunning despite the challenging conditions. We frequently deploy and specify these fixtures, appreciating the consistent performance and robust design.”

The Color STRIKE M fixtures were positioned “everywhere they could possibly go given the complexity of the lake bed” noted Bernstein. There were only two spots where the soil could support towers being build. So, Killswitch constructed 24-foot towers in a space nestled between the trees on the shore. There were also some boom lifts on the access road where fixtures were lifted above the tree line. Aside from that, the production team installed a row of  “Color STRIKE M footlights” for Travis Scott on the base of the guest deck (which was also build in the lake), while other fixtures were scattered in clearings on the perimeter walking path.

Speaking of the Color STRIKE M units in his rig, Bernstein said, “How strong is this fixture? It took only 68 Color STRIKES to light an entire canyon. At one point someone standing on the access road told me that we changed the colour of the sky!”

The high output Color STRIKE M fixtures were used to create a variety of colour washes that played off brilliantly against the shadows and dark spaces. “Red was a huge element of the show, due to the artist material and the way that red makes water look other-worldly,” said Bernstein. “Cyan, amber and the white center cell of this fixture also played very prominently in the colour choices.”

With limited dark time available in the canyon, the entire production team had to bring its A-game to achieve these results. “We had no timecode and no artist rehearsal,” said Bernstein. “So, a huge credit goes to the programmers Joe Watrach on lights and Nick Meyer on Lasers, as well as our pre vis model builders at Earlybird. We also couldn’t have done this without Blue Revolver, our lead fabricator, and the Mercedes team, including Clair Global, ST. ROBO, and Bullitt Productions.”

Bernstein described the entire project as “a huge team effort.” That ingredient — along with some powerful technology, will make magic happen every time.

Photo credit: Jamal Eid/Getty Images.

The post Seth Bernstein lights Mercedes-Benz Electric Vehicle World Premiere with Chauvet Professional appeared first on A1 Lighting Magazine.