The Norwegian Theatre invests in Esprites
- Details
Also known for high production values, the theatre has recently invested in 15 Robe Esprite moving lights for its 250-capacity Scene 2.
The theatre’s resident lighting designer Torkel Skjærven, explained that they previously had Robe ColorWash 750AT Tungsten moving lights in the black box Scene 2 space, and these have worked hard and reliably for over 10 years. However, the time arrived to replace them with a more modern LED light source.
The drive to convert the theatre’s lighting to LED has been ongoing since 2013, but apart from that, replacement lamps were no longer available for those original Robe tungstens. In fact, they purchased the last five in the world three years ago, so this also prompted the upgrade.
Scene 2 offers a programme that embraces contemporary dramas and new works, from the experimental to the classics, so they need an adaptable lighting rig.
“The Esprites are primarily used as part of Scene 2’s permanent back lighting rig,” explains Torkel, “but as some of the principal lights used for several tasks, they needed to have multiple features.”
It was a team effort in choosing the replacement lights, comprising Torkel, head of lighting Eigil Aasen, Scene 2’s technical co-ordinator Per Willy Liholm, one of their in-house technicians, and three external collaborators - a lighting consultant, a lighting designer, and a lighting technician.
“The external input was very important, we needed feedback from others not just those working in the house,” he adds. The format and process of the decision-making was established before they even knew the budget allocation for the investment and the price of the individual product.
The solid relationship with Robe’s Norwegian distributor Norsk Sceneteknikk was a key factor. The company has been involved with the theatre for a long time. “They have always been efficient, friendly and easy to deal with,” says Torkel who particularly enjoys working with Norsk Sceneteknikk’s technical sales specialist, Lars Kristian Bakke.
Torkel’s first lighting design using the new Esprites was Strindberg’s The Father where he was mainly applying them as gentle back light. The design was “very subtle”, and he also used them as specials and for room dividers to isolate specific areas of the stage, as well as giving the colour correction options a good run. “They were brilliant to work with,” concludes Torkel.
