Ukraine - The National Opera of Ukraine – officially known as the National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre of Ukraine, named after Taras Shevchenko – in capital city Kyiv, has invested in a new Avolites D9 lighting console, replacing the old Diamond 4 that had been in residence since 2002!
Known for its elaborate architecture, rich performance history, and leading role in Ukrainian culture and arts, the current National Opera building was designed by architect Victor Schröter in Neo-Renaissance style and opened in 1901.
The new D9 console was delivered by Avolites’ Ukrainian distributor – MegaShow – who also supplied the D4 23 years ago.
The new console was purchased with funding from Japan and officially presented to the Opera by the Japanese Ambassador to Ukraine, Masashi Nakagome, in a press briefing that included Ukraine’s acting Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications, Tetiana Berezhna; chairman of the supervisory board of the Charitable Foundation Big Family, Vira Ulyanchenko, and general & artistic director of the National Opera of Ukraine, Petro Chupryna.
The funding was part of the Kusanone programme aimed at helping to preserve Ukraine's cultural heritage, of which the National Opera is one of the highest profile elements.
The Opera is operating a full repertoire schedule despite Ukraine being engaged in war since 2022.
Approximately 500 show files were created using the old D4 over its installation lifespan, many of which have now been transferred to the D9 over the summer, explained MegaShow’s Oleksandr ‘Sasha’ Mayakushko, who co-ordinated the delivery together with his brother, Sergii.
The Opera’s in-house lighting rig comprises 16 moving lights – Robe Tarantulas and around 400 conventionals, and will rent in special packages for some productions as required. The purchase of eight Robe T1 Profiles has also just been confirmed.
The new season will also see an Avolites Q3 video server added to the control setup running Ai software, and all the video and lighting will be integrated via Avolites’ Synergy software. The old ShowSafe backup system is also being replaced with an Avolites Quartz console.
Igor Samarets, one of the Opera’s lighting designers, comments: “Once we changed to the Avolites console, computerisation completely changed our workflow, and everything became a lot quicker and more efficient.”
The schedule is hectic. All shows are produced in-house by the Opera and typically 30 shows will play over the course of a season, plus the Opera also does touring work, both domestically and internationally.
The first show to be run on the D9 was the premiere of ballet La Fille mal gardée (The Wayward Daughter), and it was operated by Sasha.
There are many constraints and challenges during wartime operations that are being dealt with via a combination of lateral thinking and practical application. Shows must start early so everyone can get home before the curfew kicks in, and they can only sell as many tickets as they can accommodate people in their bomb shelter. In the event of an air raid, the show is stopped and everyone evacuated to the shelter.
The opera employs around 800 people covering production and administration, with the lighting department currently at 25 full-time.
Like all entertainment spaces in Ukraine, serious staff shortages are an issue presently, particularly on the technical side as many have joined the military and are helping defend the country. For the same reason, there is also a shortage of artists and budgets are lean, so productions have ramped up their ingenuity to ensure that audiences can still experience quality performances.
LSi recently covered the situation in Ukraine for live events professionals – read the full report by Louise Stickland here.
