A large portion of the theatre's repertoire consists of iconic Tchaikovsky works, such as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Eugene Onegin, Iolanta and The Queen of Spades. Just before the grand reopening of the theatre, the facility was renamed in honour of Tchaikovsky, who was born in what is now the Udmurt Republic, where Izhevsk is located. "It would have been a shame to have given the old theatre the name of the great composer," says Philip Razenkov, the head director of the theatre, "but not now."
The first production to be staged in the renovated theatre was Swan Lake, danced by the entire 37 person troupe to sold out crowds. "What we saw in that production couldn't have been done with the old equipment," claims Marcel Arukayev, chief of the theatre's electrical lighting department. "We did that level of performance before, but only with rental equipment, which came at a significant cost. Now we have everything in house on a permanent basis, even the most advanced technology. It is all due to the hard work by Imlight's project installation department."
In the 699 seat theatre, Imlight installed a complete lighting system run by an Eos Titanium Eos Ti lighting control desk. The Ti is paired with a Universal Fader Wing, which adds additional hands on control. Programmers can also control the lighting remotely from their iOS devices, thanks to ETC's iRFR app. The rig is packed with ETC lights, including Selador Classic Lustr, Source Four, Source Four Zoom, Source Four Fresnel, and Source Four PAR fixtures. Some of the Source Four Zoom units are outfitted with Source Four Dimmers, which provide per-fixture, silent, distributed power control. A Unison Paradigm system is used for architectural lighting control, and networking is provided by ETC Net3 Gateways.
"Lighting in ballet is critical," says Nikolai Markelov, head ballet master at the theatre. He notes that the lighting has a strong effect on the mood of a ballet, that a hint of blue can turn a white-lit scene into an ephemeral fantasy that pulls an audience further into a story. That's why the theatre chose Selador Desire D60 Lustr+ LED luminaires for washlighting.
"The LED arrays produce an almost unlimited range of hues, from crisp white and soft pastels, to the brightest, most vibrant colours," says Nikolai Bykov from Imlight's lighting installation department. "Their colour can be adjusted to fit individual skin tones, ensuring that the performers look their best."
Since the renovation, the Tchaikovsky State Theatre of Opera and Ballet has become the cultural centre of Udmurtia, packing in crowds night after night. With the new equipment, they have been able to add larger shows, like modern musicals, to their schedule of operas and ballets. And the directors are looking forward to staging new adaptations of shows from their earlier repertoire.
(Jim Evans)
