The History Boys, a multi award winning play by English playwright Alan Bennett, originally opened two years ago at the Lyttelton. After touring the UK, and then internationally, it enjoyed a successful run on Broadway earlier this year. Another UK tour kicked off this past August - this time with Martin's tungsten halogen wash as an important element of the rig. The History Boys will play at Wyndham's Theatre in the West End before the TW1s settle into the Lyttelton.
Simon Fraulo, chief lighting technician at the National Theatre, reproduced the lighting for the tour, making adjustments to lighting designer Mark Henderson's original design (who has also specified TW1s for a revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, The Sound of Music, which will open at the London Palladium on 14 November.) Henderson won a 2006 Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Play for the Broadway production.
"It's safe to say that we are very impressed with the unit," says Fraulo. "I've opened it up and it's a stunning piece of kit. First and foremost we chose the MAC TW1 because it is silent. Our director, Nicholas Hytner, is very studious about silent technology and can't bear fan noise. At the opening in Birmingham he was very happy and very impressed with the fact that he couldn't hear any fan noise. As far as movement goes, it is also exceedingly quiet.
"Secondly, it is very accurate in reproducing its pan and tilt position and is programmed very quickly. The next crucial element is colour mixing. If I mix 201 to one unit and copy those DMX across the other units for example, they are absolutely identical. And I like how I can get from one colour to another without passing through unpleasantness. At one point in the show I have to get from 201 to Rosco 85 and unlike another Tungsten fixture I have used, with the TW1 I don't have to go through a disgusting colour, which is just fantastic. The zoom capability is something that has really impressed me as well.
"I haven't had a need to use any of the fixture's internal timing channels, the light moves so smoothly I don't have to worry about it. Likewise with the colour mixing. I do live colour changes and live moves and they are really nice. And the light is bright. That's another consideration obviously and the fact that they are tungsten is just a joy."
The National Theatre owns 14 MAC TW1s with 11 and a spare used on the tour. Fraulo has them located at several positions - on stage, in the overhead rig and at FOH. "Overhead we can flood the TW1's out or isolate and highlight areas. I use them to focus people's attention, really. On the whole they are used for wash lighting but we also drop the whole lighting down and pick out people for a monologue. We're not bringing somebody out on a hard spot or using a PC type special on them, but use the washlight to do a large spot down and change colour. I'm also using the internal dimmers which save us a lot of cabling and aggravation." Lighting control is from a Strand 500 series console.
The History Boys is currently playing seven shows a week, across the UK. The TW1s were supplied to the National Theatre by White Light.
(Chris Henry)
