Drive-In Comedy returns with Chauvet
- Details
Lighting the stage in the car parking lot where Longfellow and fellow comics Joe Carden and Mike B Dapper performed was a collection of Chauvet Professional Rogue and WELL Fit fixtures supplied by Creative BackStage. John Garberson, who served as the LD for the show, relied on the fixtures to help enliven the stage and create a comedy club feel with deeply saturated colours and a few well-chosen ‘ballyhoo moments’.
At the same time, the lighting also ensured that attention was focused on branding material from the evening’s sponsors, Rick Bronson's House of Comedy and the High Street Association.
“This was a first, a very different experience,” said Garberson of Creative BackStage. “But it was also a lot of fun. You could feel the energy in the air. People were excited. We had the WELL Fits on trees stage left and stage right to create a nice warm glow. The Rogue R2 Washes were also on trees. They gave us evocative stage washes, in addition to creating some punchy aerial patterns at key moments.”
Garberson placed additional WELL Fit fixtures in front and behind the stage. Those in front were used to keep constant light on the prominent sponsor banner. The rear fixtures provided back lighting and also set an inviting tone by lighting the trees behind the improvised stage.
Keeping the stage well lit and maintaining good sight lines was critical, given the distance between the stage and some of the fans at the event, which adhered to strict social distancing guidelines. Cars had to be kept six feet apart and fans were not permitted to get out of their vehicles. The performances were transmitted to vehicle radios over an FM signal.
Although there was no admission charge for the drive-in comedy, fans had to obtain tickets and were encouraged to make a donation to a local food bank when doing so. These tickets “sold out” soon after they became available.
Restaurants of the High Street district had takeout food available for fans, providing their businesses with much-need revenue. The event also boosted Creative BackStage’s fortunes, being its first paying project since the COVID-19 lockdown began.
