Carrying its own production onboard, the Masted Mobile came through its London initiation with flying colours, its onboard production facilities enabling CT to take the incoming digital feed from the Royal Opera House, interspersed with locally inserted graphics, VT playback and live camera work. Boasting the largest rotating mast screens in the European market, the 15mm pixel pitch screen itself provides almost twice the resolution of CT's leading competitor.
A bonus for the crowd was that since the relay performance was delayed by 15 minutes, the cast (having taken their curtain call in the house) were able to stage a repeat in front of the Trafalgar Square screen to coincide with the end of the broadcast performance. Although CT Screenco have been providing relay displays to the company for a number of years, the Royal Opera House launched its Open House programme last year - marking a five-year commitment by sponsors BP to use big screen relay in an attempt to reach audiences who would not normally watch ballet or opera.
Other collaborations between CT Screenco and the Royal Opera House include a new production of Gounod's Faust (broadcast into Covent Garden's Piazza) and a performance of Puccini's Tosca on 13 July, which will feature the company's second Masted Mobile - based with sister company JVR in Holland - which will be sited at Center Parcs in Sherwood Forest.
(Lee Baldock)
