It’s not the first time the RNT has turned to AVW: this latest project follows the success of the Impressario system in the Olivier Award-winning productions of A Streetcar Named Desire staged in the Lyttleton Theatre and other work carried out on Anything Goes in the Olivier Theatre. Impressario Advance! controls 13 flying bars in the Cottesloe, including four point hoists and three dedicated lighting bars, and with the amount of equipment set to increase on a yearly basis, it was deemed the best tool for the job. It was the use of the Impressario in the RNT’s production of Howard Katz that captured the interest of the Cottesloe’s senior operations assistant, Simon Cranidge. "The reason we bought the system is simple. Not only is it very easy for even the most novice computer user to operate, but it’s easy to install, it’s very effective in shows and there’s always the option of upgrading."
Cranidge also likes the system because it’s ideal for touring, easy to move and quickly adapts to suit any venue. This is confirmed by the fact that the Lyttleton is currently borrowing the system for its production of The Duchess of Malfi, where it controls a 250kg sheet of glass which moves across the stage at a staggering two metres a second, 14 times every performance. Work is also due to start shortly on the installation of a second permanent Impressario Advance! in the Lyttelton. It will be used for the much-talked about forthcoming production of Jerry Springer the Opera.
(Ruth Rossington)
