This historic venue recently hosted an Italian version of Elizabethan dramatist John Ford's 'Tis a pity she's a whore (pictured), directed by Luca Ronconi. The show's lighting designer is Guido Levi, who has worked with directors such as Warner Herzog and Jonathan Miller.
The Farnese's steeply-tiered U-shaped seating influenced later theatre design, but this, combined with the fact that it's built almost entirely in wood and stucco, compelled Levi to run a series of strict tests on moving head fixtures, as the 3,500-seat venue's problematic acoustics amplified any noise from fixture motors. Levi selected SGM Giotto 400 and 250 units (10 of each) for their quiet operation.
He said: "I'd already used these fixtures on other productions, so was quite familiar with them, but chose them after comparison tests with others on the market, carried out in situ."
The rig also included 60 ETC Source Four profiles and a mixture of Robert Juliat 2k halogens and 2.5k HMIs. As the truss bars were flown from the bridge at a height of 22m, the moving head units had to ensure plenty of power as well as being noise-free. Levi added: "I'd opted for moving heads as they can be positioned from the console - in this case a Compulite Spark - and if need be, settings changed immediately as rehearsals proceed."
The set featured a large platform positioned obliquely across the centre of the stage and the lighting plot had to respect this set-up, ensuring well-defined, luminous lighting that maintained its character and depth. Since no backdrops were used, Levi used the Giottos to create various zones on stage with different brightness, colours and movements.
Due to strict architectural protection regulations, the theatre cannot have permanent acoustic treatment, but as sound designer and engineer Daniel D'Angelo explains: "In some cases, the sets have been of great help, as they've included sand on the floor and drapes flown from the 30m high ceiling."
To improve speech intelligibility, Ronconi had the actors perform as close to the audience as possible, designing a set that enabled them to express themselves without moving too far from the steeply-tiered seating.
In spite of this stratagem, the reverb's 'tail' was still so long it would've been necessary to leave impossibly long pauses between words. An alternative solution was needed. D'Angelo explains: "We had 12 EAW full-range systems and two subs behind the set for the play's music and 20 dB Technologies compact [3kg] L80 enclosures (two 5" full-range with phase correction and 65Hz-17kHz frequency response) strategically positioned on the set for the actors' Shure wireless mic set-up."
