Based on the movie of the same name, and directed by the film's director, Stephen Daldry with his regular theatre collaborators, designer Ian MacNeil and lighting designer Rick Fisher, Billy Elliot opened at London's Victoria Palace Theatre in early 2005 and continues to play to sold-out houses there. The London production uses a lighting rig supplied by White Light. In addition, White Light worked with the show's design team to create a new falling snow effect that was quiet and reliable enough to be used downstage of the proscenium line.
The result was the White Light Snow Machine. This uses the same paper snow as other established snow effects, but with the advantage of DMX control of the machine's speed, allowing remote control of the level of snowfall from none to blizzard. In addition, the machine proved quiet enough to satisfy even the show's sound designer, Paul Arditti, who subsequently recommended the machines for use on other productions at the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Billy Elliot is now in rehearsals at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia - and the production has once again specified White Light Snow Machines. White Light has supplied 16 snow machines to the show's Australian lighting supplier, Chameleon Touring Systems.
(Jim Evans)
