Hawthorn and Doughty have enjoyed a long standing working relationship for several years. So when Dave Slater, Hawthorn's head of hire was presented with a brief by the tour's lighting designer Andy Liddle, he knew the system would provide the flexibility required to fulfil the lighting rig requirements.
He said, "The initial brief for Doughty was to supply their Modular Rigging System. We needed a product that would not only deliver fantastic lighting and video design, but would also adapt to meet the needs of different venues and stage heights. What's great about the Modular Rigging System is that we can use the lengths of system to accommodate the differences in venues while remaining true to the overall design. Not only that but it's incredibly easy to use and so it delivers other efficiencies, such as reducing our load in time and the level or resource needed for the build."
Dave presented Doughty's Dan Phillips with a brief to provide a bespoke piece of kit. "To achieve the stage and lighting design within different venues, and to improve sightlines for the audience, it became apparent that we needed additional flexibility within the system to adjust the positioning of the rig. To deliver this, we asked Doughty if it would be possible to create custom made clamps which allowed us to flex the system further to achieve different onstage angles. Dan immediately understood our request and turned it around within an incredibly short amount of time, enabling us to meet an important deadline."
This bespoke new addition to the Modular Rigging range, joins a series of others which have been launched this year, enabling lighting designers to be more creative with their designs than ever before. "The possibilities for expanding the range are almost limitless", claims Dan. "We hope the system allows designers a free rein to create innovative new designs but equally we want them to dream big and come to us to help them turn their ideas into reality. So many of our products begin life as one offs for a specific client before becoming regular additions to our product ranges."
Dave continues, "Doughty is the only supplier that delivered a product that met our requirements for this tour. However what also sets Doughty apart is the level of customer service they provide. Nothing is too much trouble and they genuinely do go above and beyond to find the best possible solution for their clients. Doughty turned round our bespoke order in record time. We received an outstanding service from start to finish and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them."
(Jim Evans)
