The pantomime season has been building up since early December, with White Light dispatching a wide range of equipment as specified by a variety of lighting designers to theatres around the UK. The show tally includes five Aladdins, seven Cinderellas, two Dick Whittingtons, one Humpty Dumpty, two Jack and the Beanstalks, seven Peter Pans, one Pied Piper, three Sleeping Beautys and four Snow Whites. The show's producers include First Family Entertainment, Evolution and UK Productions as well as independent productions in Camberley, Hayes, York, Runcorn, Hammersmith, at the Barbican Theatre, and in the Peter Pan tent first seen in Hyde Park during the summer and now re-located next to London's O2 Arena.
Unusually, non-Christmas shows are also in production during the holiday season, with White Light also supplying the complete lighting rig to the new touring production of Les Misérables, now playing in Cardiff, and to Eddie Izzard's Stripped tour.
At the same time, White Light has been providing lighting for corporate events at Kent House, the Natural History Museum, the Royal Courts of Justice and other venues across London, many companies choosing to reward their staff after a challenging business year.
"According to our dispatch team, over 120 tonnes of equipment has left White Light over the last three weeks, which is a quite remarkable total," notes White Light's managing director, Bryan Raven. "We've been delighted to be able to support the work of so many lighting designers on so many shows over this festive period - and wish them, and everyone else involved in entertainment lighting, best wishes for Christmas and the New Year beyond."
(Jim Evans)