PHOENIX – This year, Arizona Opera, which stages productions in Phoenix and Tucson, premiered Riders of the Purple Sage, composed by Craig Bohmler and featuring Western landscape paintings by artist Ed Mell on an LED screen measuring 56.5 by 26.5 feet (WxH). Clearwing Productions provided the 248 Mega Systems Dicolor Phantom 5.9mm video panels from Helotes, TX-based Mega Systems Inc.
More details from Mega Systems (www.megasystemsinc.com):
Riders of the Purple Sage made the debut of Arizona Opera’s first worldwide production with its brand-new, state of the art production equipment. The new equipment provided by Clearwing Productions included a video wall, upgraded LED lighting system and console.
The Opera initially designed a system utilizing projection mapping to display paintings by Ed Mell, the creator of the set and backdrops for Riders of the Purple Sage. After partnering up with Clearwing, the Opera creative staff and design team met with Clearwing Manager of Business Development, William Irwin, and decided on a video wall. “Once we sat down, I realized projection wasn’t the best way to achieve what they needed,” says Irwin. “ A video wall is a more effective means, allowing the Opera to integrate into the future, using the latest technology.”
A total of 248 Mega Systems Dicolor Phantom 5.9mm video panels were used to create a 56.6’W x 26.6’H wall that had complete success at the world premiere and drew national attention to the Opera. “With stunning backdrops that can be considered characters themselves, Phoenix native Ed Mell is displaying his artwork on a large scale for the first time in his career,” states Green Living Magazine in a review of the show.
Greg Hirsch, Resident Lighting Designer & Director of Production at Arizona Opera was one of many that enjoyed the success of the Arizona Opera’s first world premiere. “The combination of the video wall, the LEDs, and the ETC gear made such a strong artistic impression on our audience and on critics, that there has been nothing but positive word-of-mouth and press since the opening,” says Hirsch.
