With shows ranging from Watershed Live to the Baxter Theatre's production of Blue/Orange it was always going to be a challenge for the festival technical director, Michael Broderick, to supply the right equipment for such a diverse programme of events.
He appointed Durban based Black Coffee, headed by the irrepressible Brandon Bunyan, to take care of all the technical requirements. Add to this some top-notch freelancers, many of whom have been working at the festival for many years, and you have the smoothest running arts festival around.
Despite the very wet weather, usually a power nightmare for technicians, the festival ran without a mishap.
This all provided the background for MA Lightings latest product to make its festival bow. Four MA Dot 2 Core consoles were used, one in each of the main venues. Handling anything from stand-up comedy to dance, the consoles proved a hit with all the lighting operators.
Not only did DWR supply the consoles to the main venues, they also helped stage the One Man One Light show, recently seen at Mediatech. Nick Britz reprogrammed some of the scenes, under the watchful eye of lighting designer Michael Broderick, to make sure it was suitable for the festival venue. The star of the show, Robe's flagship product, the BMFL, certainly created interest amongst the festivalgoers, the attendance at the performances exceeding all expectations.
Having an arts festival as a proving ground is a tough assignment. The Dot 2 came through with flying colours. Said Michael, "What a pleasure it was to have the MA Dot 2 at the Hilton Arts Festival, not just one but four! Its intuitive software is a thing of beauty enabling first time users to just 'get on with it' without having to ask for assistance at every turn. Having Dot 2'a in the four major venues made my life so much easier as I never lost time making the mental shift to accommodate alternative software when moving between venues."
(Jim Evans)
