Summer at the Royal Academy of Music

Rob has just finished lighting the Royal Academy of Music's summer musicals, this year Working, directed by Kimberley Sykes, and Sweet Smell of Success, directed by Hannah Chissick.

Rob has been a regular at the Academy over the last nineteen years, lighting a remarkable range of shows including A Catered Affair, A Little Night Music, A... My Name Is Alice, Cabaret, A Chorus Line, City of Angels, Into The Woods, Jane Eyre, Oh What A Lovely War, Promises Promises, Sweeney Todd, Sweet Charity, Tommy and others.

However, this year was the opening year of the Academy's new Susie Sainsbury Theatre, built in the same space as the previous theatre and connected to the same (though enlarged) stage - giving the somewhat unusual experience of sitting in a completely new auditorium looking at a very familiar stage (and, in particular, a very familiar, very distinctive theatre back wall!).

Designer Basia Binkowksa took full advantage of the opportunities offered by the expanded stage, however, and the lighting made use of the latest technology purchased as part of the refurbishment, including ETC's Lustr2 LED spotlights and Martin's Mac Encore LED moving lights. 

Rob was supported by RAM's fantastic technical team of Michal 'Skip' Francis and Anthony Hannah, by the technical students from Rose Bruford (particularly production electricians Liam Rudd and Stephen 'Legs' Carter and programmers Jonny Myers and Josh Musgrave), and was delighted to be working once again alongside sound designer Mike Walker and his team, and with RAM's Musical Theatre Company Manager Katie Blumenblatt, Events Manager Gilly Schofield, and of course by the Head of Musical Theatre Daniel Bowling.

It was a pleasure to be back, and to be involved in two such fantastic productions.

Working
Royal Academy of Music, 2018
Director: Kimblerley Sykes
Choreographer: Aline David
Designer: Basia Binkowska
 

RIMINI 2018: Making Giudizio Universale

Rob was delighted to be invited by Clay Paky to speak at this year’s Music Inside Rimini trade show at Rimini, Italy - a show he’s heard about since he first started working in lighting, but which, until now, he’s never visited.

Rob spoke about the making of the show Giudizio Universale, the Balich Worldiwde Shows production which is playing now in Rome and which uses a rig equipment from Clay Paky and sister company ADB, including fifty of ADB’s classic, but still remarkable, Svoboda fixtures.

However the talk wasn’t just about the technology involved, but about the challenges of designing shows such as this, and then making them work in challenging venues on tight schedules while still achieving the initial vision for the lighting - and having a good time doing so! Having a good selection of snacks (healthy and unhealthy) on the production desk is just one of the tips Rob shared.

The talk was well attended, and well received by all those who were there.

Giudizio Universale: [link]
Music Inside Rimini: [link]

Return to the Royal Academy

Photographer: Jake Wiltshire

Rob is delighted to have been invited back to the Royal Academy of Music in London, to light the first of their annual musicals to appear in the Academy’s brand new theatre - the Susie Sainsbury Theatre.

Rob has been lighting the Academy’s summer musicals - two shows playing in rep - for most of the years since 1999. Amongst the many great productions, favourites have included Tommy, Follies, Sweet Charity, City of Angels, A Chorus Line, Cabaret, Into the Woods and a remarkable production of Jane Eyre. He lit the last musicals in the old Jack Lyons theatre, Little Me and A Catered Affair, in 2013. After that the theatre was dis-mantled and an entirely new theatre created in the same space.

This year’s shows will be Working and Sweet Smell of Success, performing through June.

RAM Summer Musicals:
Working: [link]
Sweet Smell of Success:  [link]

Open In Rome: Giudizio Universale

Photographer: Luca Parisse

The night of Thursday March 15th saw the opening night of the new show Giudizio Universale in Rome, with the lighting co-designed by Rob and Bruno Poet.

Telling the story of Michelangelo and his work in the Sistine Chapel, the show is at the Auditorium Conciliazione, next to the Vatican, and is produced by Balich Worldwide Shows. The show's lighting supports a dramatic immersive design by Stufish centred around stunning projections by Luke Halls that allow the audience to examine Michelangelo’s work in much closer detail than is possible even by visiting the Sistine Chapel itself!

Rob and Bruno designed a rig which spans the ages of technology, from Clay Paky’s brand new Axcor Beam 300 (an LED version of their popular Sharpy fixture), to a spectacular feature created from 49 of the legendary Svoboda lights - complete with one new trick never before seen in a Svoboda.

Rob was supported in Rome by a team including assistant lighting designer/assistant programmer Robin Senoner, production electrician Daniele Giuliano, technical director Giandomenico Barbon and production manager Paolo Quarino. 

Giudizio Universale is a production by Marco Balich, co-directed by Lulu Helbek, with choreography by Fotis Nikolau, music by John Metcalfe, the main theme song by Sting, stage design by Stufish, video design by Luke Halls, costumes by Giovanna Buzzi and sound design by Mirko Perri. 

Produced with the scientific advice of the Vatican Museums, the show is a production of Artainment Worldwide Shows. Running now, with performances in Italian and English, the show is looking forward to a long run.

Giudizio Universale: [link]

Tree of Codes: Now Olivier Nominated

Tree of Codes, the internationally acclaimed dance show which Rob created with director/choreographer Wayne McGregor, visual designer Olafur Eliasson, composer Jamie xx and sound designer Nick Sagar, has been nominated as Best New Dance Production in the 2018 Olivier Awards. The nomination follows the show’s run at Sadler’s Wells in London during 2017. [link].

Since Sadler’s Wells, the show has been seen in Aarhus, Melbourne and Sydney. New dates for the show during 2018, 2019 and 2020 will be confirmed shortly.

The 2018 Olivier Awards will be presented at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday, April 8th.

Photo: Joel Chester Fildes

Tree of Codes: Sydney

The acclaimed dance show Tree of Codes which Rob created with director/choreographer Wayne McGregor, visual designer Olafur Eliasson and composer Jamie xx, is celebrating the new year at the Sydney Festival in Australia.

Once again, Rob was supported by a great team, including Australian production electrician Dale Mounsey, console operator Nathan Daqunha, and the teams from the Sydney ICC and Sydney Festival.

The show is playing at the new Darling Harbour Theatre, part of Sydney's re-built International Convention Centre. Four performances only, from January 6th to January 10th. Catch it while you can!

Tree of Codes at the Sydney Festival: [link]
Tree of Codes in CX magazine: [link]
Tree of Codes in LSi magazine: [link]

Photo: Ravi Deepres.

Another Chance To See Tree of Codes

Turns out, Aarhus wasn't the last chance to see the remarkable dance show Tree of Codes, on which Rob collaborated with Wayne McGregor, Olafur Eliasson and Jamie xx, originally at the Manchester International Festival and subsequently in New York, Paris, London and Denmark.

The show has another confirmed date, this time in Australia as part of the 2017 Melbourne Festival. 

The show will play at Melbourne's Lyric Theatre from October 17-21st. 

Further details and tickets are available via the Melbourne Festival website [link]

Photographer: Joel Chester Fildes

Show Three at Storyhouse

Rob returns this week to Storyhouse in Chester, to light the third show of the opening season - A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The show is directed by Storyhouse’s Artistic Director, Alex Clifton, and designed by Jess Curtis, continuing the collaboration from the theatre’s opening show, The Beggar’s Opera; that show continues as part of what will soon be a four show rep season.

Rob also lit the second show in the season, Alice in Wonderland, and is delighted to be part of the hugely successful opening of this exciting new theatre.

[Storyhouse]