Bandit lights Shaping Sound’s new production
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Bandit Lites is providing the lighting package for the spectacle which is cultivated under the artistic direction of Emmy Award winner Travis Wall and co-created with Nick Lazzarini, Teddy Forance and Kyle Robinson. The dazzling show follows the story of a man as he struggles to come to terms with the loss of his one true love, his struggle to find his creative voice and grasp the reality around him.
Co-lighting designers Nathan W. Scheuer and Teresa Fensler created a plot based on a typical dance set up, with four booms for side light and spreading out overhead electrics for high sides and a good down wash.
“In dance, the most important aspect of the design is obviously showcasing the form and movement of the dancers and secondary is creating that atmosphere that supports the choreography,” Scheuer said. “Shaping Sound is a unique company to work with, because not only does the show demonstrate the dancers technical ability, which I want the lighting to enhance, it also has a framing story that needed the lighting to help guide the audience through the performance.”
Drawing on Walls’s vision of an early 20th century, vaudeville feel, the lighting design features the warm, incandescent feeling and architecture of historic theatres to draw in the audience.
For the majority of the show, Scheuer utilized a range of warm and CTO based colours in addition to relying heavily on the beam and texture of 3500s to help in the recreation of theatres of years’ past, while LED lights at different moments evoke the era’s iconic footlights at the edge of the stage. “After the Curtain has many isolated moments,” said Fensler, “the ‘big bright looks’ don't happen very often, and we wanted it to be intimate.”
“For this show we also used some Clay Paky 20mm LED Panels to create a little super title screen that typed out character introductions, and key moments from the main character,” Scheuer said. “They are such a quick set up, and the ability to tell the audience some key moments or help remind them of each character’s dynamic really makes the overall show much stronger.”
In a departure from the previous iteration of the show, the entire back wall of has five tail downs of Sunstrips used for the ‘show within the show’ numbers.
After the Curtain also includes the addition of a midstage electric, and with characters literally flying, direct overhead lighting helped to hide the rigging hardware.
Gear supplied by Bandit includes VL 3500 Spots, GLP X4S, Chauvet Freed Par Quad 4s, Chauvet Color Dash Accents, Clay Paky Mirage 20 mm Panels, Eurolite STP-10 MK2 and a Grand MA 2 Ultralite with a MA 2 Command Wing for control.
“I want to make special mention of Robby MacLean and his efforts as production coordinator, as well as Brad Bauner as tour manager,” said Bandit’s vice president Mike Golden. “It has been my pleasure to work with these gentlemen over the past four years and I admire their efforts and focus. I had the pleasure of seeing this show recently and I would encourage anyone to go see it.”
“My experience with Bandit was great, as it has been every chance I’ve had to work with them,” finished Scheuer. “Mike Golden was so patient as we were first putting together the rental order as we were trying to find that balance between design and budget.”
(Jim Evans)
