These were among several other Robe moving lights in a rig that was specified by Talib Alsouri from end clients, the Abu Dhabi Association for Culture & Heritage (ADACH), who is also the technical manager for the Al Raha Theatre. The Robes were incorporated into a lighting design by Sono AB from V Design.
Prince of Poets - this was the fourth series - has become a phenomenon in the Arab world. It is produced by Pyramedia and aims to promote and enhance classical Arabic poetry, reviving its positive role as a medium of expression, discovering young talent and offering them the chance to develop and grow.
For last year's Prince of Poets event, Sonu worked as the programmer and operator with German LD Harvey Scherer, and this year, Pyramedia brought him in to design the lighting rig.
ADACH also own the lighting equipment that was utilised for the show, and have been investing steadily in Robe over the last 18 months. Talib Alsouri comments, "I first saw the CitySkape 48s that we used on this show at the PALME Dubai show last year and was impressed with the quality and brightness of the light output". The purchase followed a short while later, at the same time buying some ColorBeam 2500E ATs."
As soon as the Rbin LEDWash 600 was available, Robe's Middle Eastern Regional Sales Manager Elie Battah demonstrated them to Alsouri who thought they were "An amazing fixture" and placed his order for 24 units.
The lighting rig consisted of 48 Robe ColorSpot 700E ATs, 24 Robin LEDWash 600s, six Robin 600 Beams, 12 ColorWash 750 Tungstens and 32 CitySkape 48 LED fixtures. They were positioned above the stage utilising the theatre's flying system, and on the deck, where they were used to illuminate some of the decorative elements and served as wall washers and back lights.
Yemeni poet Abdul Aziz Al Zaraei was crowned the 2011 Prince of Poets by Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed, following a five- contestant finale.
(Jim Evans)
