Howard Bird, executive director of the ABTT, opened the session and introduced a number of speakers, plus front of house demonstrations. Bryan Raven of White Light, Steve McAndrew, chief electrician at the Theatre Royal, and My Fair Lady's production electrician Alistair Grant together described the workings of the variety of equipment used on the show. Then John Hastie and Mike Sharp from Stage Technologies explained the show's staging automation system and Louise Tester demonstrated the DHA Digital Light Curtain, fibre optic starcloth and YoYo+ effects.
Things then moved behind the scenes as visitors explored everything from the dimmer rooms and lighting desk to the followspot positions and backstage scenery. Martin Gouier from the Theatre Royal took people up to the flys, Mike Dixon showed off the lighting desk and Steve McAndrew did a tour below stage. Jo Walker from the Theatre Royal was on the stage answering questions and, as White Light supplied the show's lighting rig, David Howe and Roger Hennigan were on hand throughout to answer questions.
The event presented the opportunity to demonstrate the range of DHA products featured on the show. The YoYo in particular was re-worked and re-launched as the YoYo+ specifically for the show: an indexing gobo yoyo moves a curved curtain swag image over a static window gobo and, fitted sideways into a Selecon Pacific with Wybron colour scrollers, creates the effect of opening curtains at varying times of the day. A lack of space above the stage due to the sheer quantity of flying pieces leaves little room for any overhead lighting and, as a result, the rig above the standing set is formed entirely from DHA Digital Light Curtains and Vari*Lite VL6Cs. Elsewhere, an AutoYoke with DHA animation wheel and indexing gobo rotator on the circle front allow a train window to follow a group of passengers as they are 'travellated' across stage, setting the scene aboard a moving train.
(Ruth Rossington)
