In recent years, the lighting design for Garsington - a challenging brief that involves incorporating the ever-changing outdoor lighting into the design for each production - has been handled by Bruno Poet. When putting together the package for this year's season, which includes Mozart's La Finta Giardiniera, Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Richard Strauss' Die Schweigsame Frau, Poet and the season's chief electrician, Vic Smerdon, decided to approach a number of lighting hire companies, subsequently selecting White Light North as the sole lighting supplier.
The company will supply a rig based around four Martin MAC 2000 Performance moving spotlights and 12 MAC 600 moving washlights, as well as 100 PAR 64s, 40 ETC Source Fours, 12 x 5kW fresnels, a single 2.5kW HMI fresnel, 14 Strand Coda floodlights and two High End Dataflash strobes, plus haze machines, smoke machines and fans. Control will be from a Strand 520i console with back-up and hand-held remote running a 72-way Avolites Art 4000 dimmer rack, plus 12 ways of 5kW dimming and 54 ways of non-dim control.
White Light North will also supply all of the electrical infrastructure for the season, including site power to all areas, exit boxes, music stands, cue lights, walkie-talkies, video relay and show relay and paging. The company will also be supplying a vintage Patt 793 followspot, to be used as a prop in one of the operas.
(Ruth Rossington)
