Lighting Designer Jack Creegan and Technical Director Jeffrey Kelly recently utilized Martin MAC Aura XIP fixtures in a high-profile role in the recent Hopewell Valley Central High School musical production of The Wedding Singer, located in Pennington, NJ.
A graduate of Hopewell Valley Central High School, Jack Creegan is currently studying Lighting Design at Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts. Creegan recently got the chance to return to his alma mater when Technical Director Jeffrey Kelly asked him to assist with the lighting needs for a student production of The Wedding Singer. Creegan and Kelly wanted a lighting solution that could perform a visible onstage role as the colorful DJ-style lights seen at wedding receptions in addition to providing more traditional lighting cues during other scenes. Upon examining their inventory, however, they knew they needed more versatile fixtures than what was available. Creegan reached out to Brad Schiller of Martin, who was more than happy to provide the Martin MAC Aura XIP fixtures they needed to bring their lighting design to life.
“We surveyed the school’s inventory of lights and realized we really didn’t have enough to do what we wanted conceptually for the show,” said Creegan. “I met Brad Schiller at a lighting demo event in New York a few months back. He was showing a bunch of new Martin fixtures, including the Aura XIP. He mentioned if we ever needed to borrow a lighting fixture on a project, we should reach out to him. I really thought the Aura XIP would be the perfect light for The Wedding Singer, so I reached out to Brad and he loaned them to us.”
Creegan and Kelly deployed the MAC Aura XIP fixtures mounted on a truss that is hung as a visible part of the set. The MAC Aura XIP is a premium moving head wash light with a radical aura filament effect and full pixel control with video mapping capabilities. Creegan utilized the fixture’s optical quality, balanced wash field, minimal stray light, and high intensity mid-air beams to deliver a wide variety of looks and effects.
“The Aura XIP fixtures were helpful because they provide a wide range of colors and zoom,” said Creegan. “I could use them to spotlight an individual person or wash the entire stage with light. The production involves a lot of scenes that take place at different weddings, so we needed to incorporate that little wedding band or DJ rig look into the lighting design. The great thing about these lights is that they were able to support that and we could use them as a visually stimulating element by pointing them at the audience. They have a lot of different effects that can catch the audience’s eye without shining the actual beam at them. For scenes that don’t need the concert style lighting, they could function as traditional theatrical lighting elements. It’s a very seamless transition between the two functional modes.”
Hopewell Valley Central High School’s 2023 production of The Wedding Singer was a rousing success, and Creegan expressed a gratitude for the opportunity to share his growing knowledge and experience with his beloved alma mater, all while learning new things along the way.
“This is the first full theater production they brought me back for. It was cool to put some of my newer skills to use,” said Creegan. “I wouldn’t have been able to program these Aura XIP fixtures without what I’ve learned at Rutgers. Everyone seemed to enjoy the musical, and some people said that the lighting was a highlight of the production.”
“With the Martin Education Outreach Program, we strive to support schools and students through the use of fixtures and other educational materials,” explained Schiller. “The program aims to provide the latest technologies to educational institutions around the country. We were very happy to share our MAC Aura XIP fixtures with Hopewell Valley Central High School as part of this initiative.”
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