More details from Stage Electrics (http://www.stage-electrics.co.uk):
BRISTOL, UK – Stage Electrics’ lighting teams are working on a hectic season of theatre musicals, with four major touring and West End productions either on stage or in pre-production, as well as a slew of pantomimes and other shows already in theatres across the UK.
Oliver!, Phantom of the Opera, Chicago and Singin’ In the Rain head the stellar cast that sees a broad swathe of lighting technologies from conventionals to the latest-generation digital control.
Lighting for both Oliver!, a Cameron Mackintosh/Stage Entertainment UK production, and Cameron Mackintosh’s Phantom of the Opera is the work of multi-award-winning lighting designer Paule Constable.
Oliver!, which tours the UK for a year, also features a large quantity of generics and Martin Professional EvenLED panels for cyc lighting, the latter controlled via an ETC EOS using its new pixel mapping system. Stage Electrics’ Live Events technician, Nathan White, worked with the production team to ensure a smooth transition from West End to the road. Senior production electrician Gerry Amies, chief electrician Len Welsh and production managers Rich Blacksell for Stage Entertainment and Chris Boone for Cameron Mackintosh, head the production team for the tour.
The new production of Phantom of the Opera, overseen by Cameron Mackintosh and Matthew Bourne, is set to be unveiled at the Theatre Royal Plymouth in March 2012 ahead of a UK tour that’s booking until March 2013. The show’s extensive rig is currently being prepared in Stage Electrics’ pre-show facilities by the electrics team, ready for fitting up in Plymouth, with production managers Jerry Donaldson and Chris Boone.
The touring production of Chicago is also in pre-production at Stage Electrics’ headquarters. The tour, which Stage Electrics has supplied for many years, kicks off in mid February at Bradford’s Alhambra Theatre with producer David Ian Productions, lighting designer Ken Billington, senior production electrician Justin Cook and production manager Guy Ongley.
This tour’s design is a continuation of the last, with a heavy generic rig including over 190 Source 4s and 10 Vari*Lite VL2500 Spots. Stage electrics have fabricated the side lighting towers for the tour, which combine three sections in order to pre-rig the generic fixtures into the towers, minimizing the amount of time during the fit-up.
Stage Entertainment UK Ltd’s, Singin’ In The Rain has evolved from last summer’s Chichester Festival Theatre production and is helmed by production manager Richard Blacksell, lighting designer Tim Mitchell and production electrician Fraser Hall.
With the show opening at London’s Palace Theatre in early February, part of the rig was prepared at Stage Electrics’ London Bridge warehouse facility in the demo suite. “It was convenient for them to prep the control aspect and address and set-up the scrollers for the production in London Bridge,” comments Mark Burnett, Account Manager for Stage Electrics.
“It’s a great base from which to service the West End – and this is our first show at the Palace.” The rig includes Clay Paky Alpha Profile 1500, ETC Source 4 Revolution, Philips Vari-Lite VL1000AS and Martin MAC 600 Wash luminaires, controlled by an ETC EOS system.
On top of all these the start of 2012 has also seen Stage Electrics lighting a whole range of other shows including the Out Of Joint Theatre Company’s three-month Top Girls UK tour and the UK tour of the children’s play Horrible Histories. The team is providing both lighting and video for the Bring Him Home tour by Lancaster-born, Silver Clef-winning tenor Alfie Boe starting at the SECC Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow, as well as supplying a four week UK tour of Brendan Cole.
Says Burnett, “As well as all the above we supplied a lot of pantos for the 2011 season. It’s been quite a phenomenal start to the year for us and that’s just on theatre productions.”
