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The theatre market in Israel is proving to be a big success for Robe moving lights, and in particular the new award winning ROBIN Series, which includes the LEDWash 300, 600 and 1200s and the new MMX Spot.
Two recent major productions in Tel Aviv have used Robe fixtures as key elements of the lighting design: the Willy Russell classic “Blood Brothers” at the Beit Lessin Theatre and the ongoing “I Gave You My Life,” which details the life and music of singing star Danny Sanderson at the Rubina venue of the Habima (National) Theatre.
The show’s lighting designers are Meir Alon (I Gave You My Life) and Uri Morag (Blood Brothers). The Robes were supplied by Israeli distributor, Danor Theatre & Studio Systems, based in Hod Hashron.
Habima Theatre is the oldest theatre in Israel. It has four different venues of which the Rubina Theatre is the largest with a capacity of 900. In the last four years, the whole theatre has been undergoing a major refit and upgrade throughout, including a substantial investment in new lighting technology.
For their new moving lights, Habima Theatre’s house LD Meir Alon chose 18 Robe MMX Spots and 18 LEDWash 600s.
They decided on Robe for two major reasons. The first was the brand’s reputation for reliability compared to any of the other alternatives, and secondly, because of the excellent service and support that they receive from Danor, who also supplied all the conventional elements of the Theatre’s new lighting package.
Before committing to the purchase, Habima had hired in Robe fixtures for several productions, so Alon and his crew also all had plenty of first-hand experience of using the products.
‘I Gave You My Life’ is the first production to use the Habima Theatre’s new Robes – with six MMX Spots and 12 LEDWash 600s included in the design for the show which is playing an initial run of 50 performances.
The MMXs are positioned overhead at center stage and to the front sides of the stage each side, with the LEDWashes dotted around the overhead rig to flood the stage with colors.
The MMX dual animation wheels and gobos are used extensively, and the intensity of the LEDWashes covers the large area easily.
Lights for the production are being operated by Yaron Shosh and Alon Cohen using Compulite Vector Red and Vector Violet consoles.
Blood Brothers’ LD Uri Morag specified eight Robe MMX Spots and 12 ROBIN 600 LEDWashes for this show, having used them previously, and knowing what creative value they would bring to this production.
He likes the light weight of the fixtures, which enabled him to maximize the theatre’s flying facilities.
The 900 capacity theatre was established 25 years ago, and has often rented Robe moving lights for larger productions in the past, but not these particular ones.
The LEDWash 600s were rigged in two separate positions; six were upstage and used to wash the back wall of the set, while the other six were overhead center-stage, to flood the area directly below with a variety of colors.
The MMX Spots were also rigged in the central area and used for key lighting actors and for special effects and spot-cues for some of the songs.
Morag made much use of the dual animation wheel in the MMXs, with its selection of gobos and numerous possibilities for creating intricate and subtle effects.
A Compulite Spark 4D desk controlled the lighting.
Danor’s Erez Hadar says, “Robe has brought the right products to the market at the right time for all types of theatre shows. This is not just restricted to theatre shows, we are finding a huge demand for Robe new products, specially the MMX and the LEDWash series’ on every type of stage performance, whether it’s a rock concert, a TV show or any other live event. The new ROBIN line of products gives great value for LDs and operating companies, the fixtures are light weight and with powerful output.”
