He first started using Robe in his work in 2010 on the P&O cruise ship Ventura, which had ColorSpot 700E ATs and DigitalSpot 7000s in the main theatre lighting rig. He was on-board for three weeks and in that time worked all of the lights extremely hard. He was impressed with the reliability which was spot-on.
Robe fixtures now figure regularly in Colin's designs. More recently, he has lit two shows at the Grand Theatre in Blackpool - Step Back In Time and Ooh La La, starring Canon and Ball.
The shows were a high energy fusion of dancing and international speciality acts, and the moving light rig was all-Robe, with a mix of Robin 300E Spots and ColorSpot 1200E ATs.
Throughout the seven week run, with two shows a day, there was not a single issue with any of the Robes.
For Colin, the 300E Spots were the real stars of the show, "They had a tough job fighting with a substantial generic rig .. which they cut through brilliantly," he declares.
He has also just lit a production of Annie at the New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, which by complete contrast to the Blackpool shows, needed quiet and graceful fixtures that could deliver warm and natural colours.
The majority of the moving lights were again Robe - Robin 300E Spots and Washes. "Once again they proved themselves to be 100% reliable and delivered at every level."
For both sets of productions, the lighting equipment was supplied by Blackburn based HSL and the shows were designed and programmed by Colin on Hog 4 and Full Boar 4 consoles from Pre Production Services.
"Without doubt" his favourite Robe product at the moment is the 300E Spot. "The size and light weight make it ideal for smaller venues, where weight loading is so often an issue, yet it packs such a punch in intensity."
(Jim Evans)
