The location for the Aqua Opera, directed by Angelo Gobbato, is exquisite: the stage is set on a barge at the V&A Waterfront and enables the audience, seated on land, to view the breathtaking backdrop of Table Mountain and the ocean. As the tide would cause the barge to steadily rise as the tide came in during the show, meetings with the Harbour Master established a perfect time for the Aqua Opera to commence with the least amount of interference from the ocean.
Once the natural phenomenon had been taken care of, the technical aspects could be put in place. André Rossouw, lighting designer for the show, had the mammoth task of ensuring a lighting feast for both the live audience and viewers at home, who would see a televised version of the show at a later date on station SABC2. Kurt Du Preez from Upstage was called in to combine the theatre lighting with the requirements of television. Together Rossouw and Du Preez transformed a stark stage into a canvas washed in colour.
The Maxedia Digital Media Composer provided images that captured the attention of the outdoor theatre-goers. Capable of handling a multitude of digital media, images, video, 3D graphics and more, Maxedia - a media server with DMX control - gives the lighting designer full control of both the lighting and video elements of a show. At the Aqua Opera, Maxedia was controlled via the Maxxyz Control Desk.
Robbi Nassi from Martin distributor Electrosonic SA spent the week in Cape Town with Du Preez for support on the product. "Maxedia is an AV product that runs with lighting. It is simple to use and did work well for a product that had never been used by any of us before," said Nassi. "We had some software problems and we were trying to get the video format into the right format. It was a learning curve and now that we know what needs to be done, it will get better. Maxedia's a brilliant product and is going to do very well."
Along with Maxedia, lighting naturally played an enormous role. Supplied through Electrosonic, 26 MAC 2000 Profiles, eight MAC 2000 Wash, 12 MAC 550 profile spots and 5kW TV Lights and scrollers were utilized. Reflecting the surrounding ocean, the animation in the MAC 550s was used to create water and fire effects. The result was stunning, contributing to the ambience on set.
(Lee Baldock)
