QINGDAO, China — LD Sha XiaoLan of Feng Shang Shiji, who designed the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, specified 159 Robe moving lights for the Ocean Fantasy musical show at the 700-capacity Olympic Sailing Centre Theatre. The 70-minute Ocean Fantasy, performed nightly, is a five-part musical incorporating a series of stories from the sea, Wang XiaoLe. Lighting plays a key role in the narrative flow, helping to establish theatrical settings that include the beach, the ocean floor, mountains and various ships and vessels at sea.
Sha worked with set designer Sheng QingPing to develop the aesthetic to accompany the cast and soloists. The Robes — including ColorSpot and ColorWash 1200E AT fixtures — are rigged all above the stage, on side booms and on two advanced bars in the dome-shaped theatre. They were carefully positioned to light the egg-shaped stage and set.
The Robes are used throughout the show to produce color washes, beamwork and patterns as well as gobo projections. They are also used to keylight the performers —every lighting and special effect seen on the stage is produced by a Robe fixture.
Sha chose the Robe products based on their brightness, color mixing, reliability, features and service and support. Robe’s Chinese distributor is Leifull, with headquarters in Guangzhou and offices in Beijing and Shanghai.
Leifull supplied the fixtures to Feng Shang Shiji, which oversaw their installation and commissioning onsite. The theatre’s head of lighting, Fan AnWei, worked with Sha to program the show on a Hog 3 console. Fan and his team also run and maintain the lighting equipment day to day.
The Robe’s have been brilliant,” he said. “They are totally robust and work exactly as they should with no breakdowns.” He added that he also likes the range of colors.
For more information, please visit www.robe.cz.
