Creativity is at the heart of every engaging production design. But all the creative inspirations in the world won’t make it to the stage to transform a show without the one essential ingredient that brings every design to life—collaboration. Collaboration is the force that channels great ideas, and turns them into immersive, unforgettable shows. For rapidly rising (No. 1 on Billboard Airplay Charts) country star Russell Dickerson’s 2025 tour, the production and lighting design came from Scott Cunningham, Production/Lighting Designer at Cut2Black Designs, with support from IPS (Integrated Production Solutions).
Cunningham reflected on the collaboration behind the “Russell Mania” tour; “The teamwork behind the entire tour has been an inspiring collective, with many thanks to LD Nate Augustyn; tour PM Chris Lee; Associate Programmer, Luke Elrod; Video Programmer, Alex Talbot; and especially Nick Brown and his team at IPS. They made sure we had a rig that could travel well, handle all the different demands placed on it, and deliver powerful looks.”
“From day one, our goal was to provide a flexible, tour-ready rig that could support Scott’s creative vision without compromise,” said Nick Brown, CEO of IPS. “It’s been rewarding to see how the entire team came together to deliver a show that’s both visually compelling and technically sound.”
Playing a key role in delivering those looks are 19 CHAUVET Professional fixtures from IPS’s inventory. A collection of COLORado PXL Bar16 motorized battens, five units across the upstage truss, and eight across the upstage edge of the set, are creating big walls that border the top and bottom of the stage and make it stand out. The design team is relying on the color rendering prowess of the battens’ pixel mappable RGBW LEDs to create dynamic sweeps and accents that match Dickerson’s high energy performance note-for-note.
Joining the battens in whipping up fresh, original visuals are the rig’s six Rogue Outcast 2X wash fixtures. With its wide zoom range (8° to 66°), 2800 to 10000 K color temp range, and five pixel mappable zones, the high output wash is accenting the show’s creative set pieces, including its triangular movie-theatre-themed riser, while also bathing the stage in rich, realistic colors, most notably red.
“RD loves the warm red/amber tones as long as they aren’t too overwhelming,” Cunningham said of his palette choices. “So, as we were programming, we made sure to take a very intentional approach to our use of color. It’s one of my most ‘picky’ things about the show — using color to express emotion, energy and all the other intangible qualities that go into making a show like this.”
The success of this tour’s visual impact lies in the seamless integration of design, technology, and execution. Through precise coordination across departments and a shared understanding of the production’s creative objectives, the team translated abstract design concepts into consistent, high-performing show environments adaptable to every venue on the run.
For more about Chauvet, please visit www.chauvetprofessional.com
