Robe paints Northampton red
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Robe UK’s head of marketing Theresa Gibson coordinated all the permissions required to light these key Northampton sites as well as dealing with logistics and sourcing fixtures for which Robe UK partnered with rental and production company Clearsound Production from Shipston-on-Stour.
MLE Pyrotechnics lit the town’s famous National Lift Tower, a 127.5m former test tower for Express Lifts which is the tallest building in the town and is now grade II heritage listed.
The front façade of the magnificent stately home of Althorp House - home to the Spencer family for the last 500 years - was illuminated in striking scarlet with four Robe Spiiders LED and two LEDWash 600+ wash beam luminaires as the current Lord Spencer - a keen patron of the Northampton & Derngate Theatre and the arts – himself signalled support for the action.
Lord Spencer commented, “Althorp has held many live events, and I’m also proud to be patron of the Royal & Derngate Theatre in Northampton – so I was more than happy to show my solidarity with the live events and performance industries in the UK by allowing Althorp to be lit in red. I passionately believe in what #LightItInRed wanted to highlight.”
On the outskirts of the town at Delapré Abbey a charismatic neoclassical mansion incorporating historical monastery ruins dating back to the middle ages also looked resplendent in rich red.
The Abbey was illuminated with around 60 Robe moving lights - a mix of MegaPointes, Spiiders, LEDBeam 150s and Spikies, controlled via three consoles. Clearsound’s owner Dann Ridd, Steven and a crew of four - Daniel Gibbs and Tom Easton from Clearsound Staff and two freelance LDs, George O’Connor and Ryan Murfet, worked this site.
In the heart of Northampton, the Royal & Derngate theatre complex fully supported the action, with artistic director James Dacre commenting that this and actions like #SceneChange’s Missing Live Theatre barrier tape installations are a “reminder of the joy and spectacle that these venues normally bring to half a million audiences each year”.
Various aspects of the Royal & Derngate were illuminated in red with 12 x Robe Spiider LED wash beams including inside the main foyer entrance pumping through the glass atrium and the interlinking section between the Royal ant the Derngate together with the Derngate back entrance and the movie theatre, the Northampton Filmhouse also featured red lighting elements.
The National Lift Tower joined the party lit up with lasers projecting the #LightItInRed logo down the side, which was delivered by Daventry-based MLE Pyrotechnics.
Other entertainment venues supporting the action by turning their permanent lighting schemes red for the dark hours of Monday evening included The Roadmender live music and touring circuit venue; and The Deco, a restored 1930s cinema and theatre (AKA The Savoy) located in the town centre and now a regular venue for corporate events, social and theatrical productions. popped out in red with lighting from two Robe LEDWash 600s.
Theresa concludes, “It was really important to put Northampton on the #LightItInRed map for several reasons including the fact that we are based locally and also because I have lived here for a long time and really appreciate all the fantastic venues that we have here in the county. All the key organisations I approached have been incredible in their support.”
(Jim Evans)
