Projection design was by Imagination's Chris Slingsby, who joined a formidable creative team including Ian Talbot (director), Will Bowen (set), Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen (costumes), Durham Marenghi (LD) and John Del Nero (sound design). Projection ran for the whole show, overlaying the top and sides of the impressive scenic false proscenium arch, covered in grey gauze, which was specially installed for the production by Unusual Rigging. This transformed the Royal Festival Hall from a concert hall into a more 'traditional' style theatrical venue for the duration.
For Peter Pan's first scene, a full front cloth was flown in front of the whole stage, and the projection also worked right across that surface. All projection material was researched and created at Imagination before being sent to E//T//C UK for processing into scrolling artwork. The projection films were made in black and white, and were based stylistically on the engraved illustrations found in Victorian children's books, some were referenced to original pictures, others specially created for the piece.
The projection artwork brought the show alive with a wide variety of magical and intriguing subject matter including jungles, trees, crocodiles, ships, skulls and crossbones, etc. It acted as a powerful in-motion location changer and a journey and time passage indicator as dictated by the stage action. Colour was added to the monochrome images via the lighting, the two visual mediums merging to imbibe the stage with a rich and textured layering.
The projectors were rigged in the back row of the circle. They were keystone corrected and soft-edged together in the middle to form one seamless 30 metre wide image. The on-stage area within the pros arch was 'removed' from the projection image by masking. Control was achieved via a PC running PIGI 6 control software, and Karen Monid oversaw the projection department.
(Lee Baldock)
