LONDON — Praised
by critics for its lively and ingenious interpretation of a classic yarn, the
British National Theatre’s rendition of Treasure Island for the winter
of 2014/15 is both a dramatic and aesthetic success. Central to the family
production’s visual presentation, HARMAN’s Martin Professional fixtures were
heavily featured in Bruno Poet’s lighting design.
Running at the
Olivier Theatre from September 2014 through to April 2015, the production
features a set by Lizzie Clachan that takes the audience from a pub in
southwest England to Bristol docks, sailing to and finally on the titular
island itself. Instrumental in establishing the show’s atmosphere is Poet’s
lighting design, which works double-time fulfilling both form and function. His
designs accentuate the locations’ drama but also help tell the story by
directing the audience where to look in particular scenes.
“I was very keen
to use single-directional light sources as often as possible for a very clean
look, both in the air with haze and in terms of light and shadow on the stage,”
said Poet.
No stranger to
Martin fixtures, Poet deployed Martin MAC Auras on his recent projects for the
West End revival of Miss Saigon and Icelandic band Sigur Rós’s world
tour and in the process developed a curiosity for Martin’s MAC Quantum Wash.
“I’m very keen
on using HMI lights and 5Ks, so I was interested in the Quantum as an LED
alternative to those kind of sources,” he said. “While I didn’t think you could
really replace tungsten light, I discovered the Aura to be a fantastic
improvement on a small discharge source and wanted to see if the MAC Quantum
Wash, could replace the bigger discharge lights.”
Poet’s
preference for tungsten meant that he chose Martin MAC TW1s for lighting the
show’s characters and Quantums for a big single source, wide lens look.
Meanwhile, Martin MAC Vipers were used for areas where precise light was
essential.
“The Olivier
stage is fairly big and one MAC Quantum Wash can cover it while retaining a
good amount of punch,” he said. “When it’s on the wide setting you get a lovely
5K-like source and beam in the air. The MAC Quantum’s broad color palette also
worked especially well for the night and storm scenes. I see it as a 2.5k HMI
replacement with a huge electricity saving as, unlike the HMI, it is drawing
very little power when not in use.”
Poet is equally
enthusiastic about the MAC Viper fixtures.
“The MAC Viper
Wash DX is wonderful because it’s bright enough to cover the whole stage but
the internal barn door effect is incredibly useful,” he said. “There are
moments when actors have to sneak onstage from the back without being seen and
the internal barn doors help me cut the beam off at a precise place and with a
beautiful soft edge. I like their punch, I like the color mixing. In fact, I
like everything about the Wash DX. It’s absolutely my favorite discharge wash
light at the moment!”
Working
alongside the Olivier Theatre’s Lighting Supervisor & Chief Electrician
Andy Taylor and Programmer Daniel Haggerty, Poet and his team are more
than happy with the choice of Martin fixtures for the show.
“The MAC TW1 is
probably my favorite moving light for illuminating actors and the Vipers and
Quantums were great complements to the rig,” he said. “They gave me the flexibility
of different effects for different moments, plus they’re reliable,
very light and straightforward to rig. We had to mount a couple of the Quantums
in odd positions but the process was easy.”
Martin equipment
·
MAC Quantum Was, 8 pcs.
·
MAC TW1, 12 pcs.
·
MAC Viper
Wash DX, 10 pcs.
For more information, please
visit: www.martin.com
As a world leader in the creation
of dynamic lighting solutions for the entertainment, architectural, and
commercial sectors, Martin lighting and video systems are renowned the world
over. Martin also offers a range of advanced lighting controllers and media
servers, as well as a complete line of smoke machines as a complement to
intelligent lighting. Martin operates the industry’s most complete and capable
distributor network with local partners in nearly 100 countries. Founded in
1987 and based in Aarhus, Denmark, Martin is the lighting division of global
infotainment and audio company HARMAN International Industries. For more information
please visit: www.martin.com.
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