As anyone who’s been involved in the profession knows, a lighting designer isn’t always asked to create more light. Sometimes the client’s request veers more toward darkness. Such was the case this December when Pierre E. Roy was called upon to light the acclaimed holiday show Parapapam at the elegant la Maison Symphonique.
Roy explained how it transpired. “At the request of the director, we held back on some brightness. He wanted the stage to be kind of dark — but not black — to make it dramatic. He also wanted to make the solo artists more prominent by having most of the stage a bit subdued. When the soloists weren’t singing, the orchestra, and or choir, became more prominent and brighter.”
More dramatic? More prominent? Absolutely! But the darkness also created challenges when it came to key lighting a cast that included 30 musicians and more than twice as many chorists. Complicating matters further, the soloists often roamed the stage.
“When the solo artists came to do their numbers, they had specific places to sing, but of course, they never stayed on the X, so I had to follow spot them on the show,” said Roy. “I had to rely on the fixtures on the FOH to follow them. In other words, I had their starting X and I had made myself an override sub that moved the fixtures from stage right to stage left, in addition to being focused on the operation of my show. Nevertheless, this was a very fun project and all of us were happy with how the five shows in the series turned out.”
Roy’s inspired use of color was a big reason why the show turned out so breathtakingly beautiful. Throughout the concert, he created different depths, tones, and auras on stage through color changes. “I used the colors that I felt best represented each song,” he explained. “Another designer might have chosen different colors. The choice of colors is a personal signature for every designer.”
Helping Roy write his color signature in bold, vivid strokes at la Maison Symphonique were 38 CHAUVET Professional COLORado 2 Solo RGBW LED washes, supplied by Solotech. Arranging the fixtures on three levels: the stage, Balcony One, and Balcony Two, he filled the entire venue in deep, vivid colors from cool blues and greens to soft ambers and purples, to powerful reds that popped beautifully against the relatively subdued stage. At some points, it seemed as if the stage itself was floating in a sea of color.
Beyond setting the tone on stage, the colorful lighting from the COLORado fixtures accented the distinct architectural features of la Maison Symphonique with its curved balconies and walls and Quebec beach wood façade. “This venue is already magnificent,” said Roy. “So, all I had to do was choose the colors for each song with my COLORado fixtures, and the magic was done.”
Further information from CHAUVET Professional: www.chauvetprofessional.com
