In a European exclusive, Liolà became the first show outside of the US to be lit with ETC's new Source Four LED CYC fixtures, powered by the ETC Source Four LED Lustr+ engine.
"The ETC Source Four LED CYC is a game-changer," says Austin. "At last there's a high quality, low-energy alternative to the most electricity and gel-hungry section of theatre lighting. There were looks I was able to achieve on the cyclorama for Liolà that would not have been possible with any other method of lighting - not even my beloved tungsten."
Says Erik Larsen, market manager for ETC Ltd, "The Source Four LED CYC is the perfect tool to give smooth coverage to any projection screen or painted cloth without any visible seams or gaps. Source Four LED's variable white point and HSIC (Hue-Saturation-Colour-Intensity) settings also provide the designer with more creative opportunities than before.
"We worked closely with Neil and the lighting crew at Lyttelton to make sure they got exactly what they needed, and to make sure that Neil got the best out of the CYC attachment. The 15m wide cyclorama was elevated 2.5m above the ground, which meant the fixtures needed to be carefully positioned in order to provide smooth coverage. He used ten on the floor, and ten in the rig - they worked so well that one reviewer wondered if the cyc was in fact lit with computer generated projections."
The Source Four LED CYC can be seen first-hand either at the Lyttelton Theatre at London's National Theatre until 6 November, or for free on the ETC stand at PLASA London 6-9 October, where a huge 7m x 3m cyclorama will be lit with the fixtures.
One side of the ETC stand cyclorama will be a desert scene cloth with blues, reds and oranges lent by the Design Realisation students on the Technical Theatre Arts programme at Guildhall School of Music and Drama - the other side is plain white - in order to show the full potential of the seven colour mixing system.
(Jim Evans)
