Philips Lighting brings magical effects to Wicked
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In the role of both lighting designer and technical supplier was Gareth Kays of GK Productions, Tasmania's leading performance technology consultancy. His brief was to create an impressive, Broadway-style production on a comparatively small stage.
"One of my main challenges was disguising the ground support system which allowed lead character Elphaba to take flight during the number Defying Gravity," Kays explained. "I used Philips Showline SL BEAM 300fx moving head luminaires at full zoom for back lighting Elphaba as she rose into the air. Light radiated out from her, masking the mechanics and giving the impression she truly was flying. I used Philips Showline SL LEDSPOT 300 luminaires to light the downstage in a dappled gobo wash, which added to the radiating backlit look."
Kays also used the Philips Showline SL LEDSPOT 300's advanced effects system and CMY colour mixing to bring the staging to life.
"In a lot of the scenes I used very strong colours and large gobo effects to create a magical storybook feel. I found the stock gobos in the Philips Showline SL LEDSPOT 300 gave me plenty of creative options; I used the brick gobo for a not so subtle yellow brick road, and utilised the same gobo with a cyan for the interiors of the castle scenes to break up the stage floor. The framing shutter system is also fantastic for my theatrical work."
Kays also selected Philips Selecon PLfresnel1 MKII high output LED Fresnel fixtures for front of house lighting from the 'box boom' position. He commented, "The fixtures provided a great colour palette from natural skin tones through to saturated deep colours."
Colin Kavanagh, general manager Philips Entertainment Lighting said, "We are committed to leading the transition to energy efficient entertainment lighting and Wicked in Hobart was a perfect example of how our LED technology is a formidable match for tungsten in a theatrical environment, at a fraction of the power consumption. From precision shutter framing to sophisticated colour rendering, our theatrical LED luminaires offer designers true energy-efficient creativity."
Wicked ran from 27 January to 11 February. The production also won several awards at the Tasmanian Theatre Awards on Sunday 12 March 12, including Best Production.
(Jim Evans)
