Biaggi noted that “one of the owner Marco Cerutti’s basic requirements was to create a stage that could be adapted to different types of show: concerts, conventions, theatre and dance. In view of the various different purposes the structure needs to serve, my first concern was to set up widespread convenient suspension points for any future shows, and an adequate number of power and signal distribution points for the entire stage.
“The second part of the project involved designing the lighting so that it would be useful for the various possible applications a structure like this must have,” Biaggi continued. “The stage design came first. The idea was to find trusses that, besides providing simple and effective support for hanging spotlights, would also become a true decorative component of the stage.
“In consideration of the characteristics of the place, I chose to use three enormous circular QX30 truss structures, at a slope of about 30° to their axis in order to facilitate the positioning of the lights. At the back of the stage, there is another ring of trusses, four meters in diameter, which acts as a central scenic element.”
After that came the choice of lights.
“I opted for the new Clay Paky 300s as motorized lights, specifically the Alpha Spot HPE 300 and Alpha Wash 300 versions. I chose them for their high performance in terms of effects and brightness, with a careful eye to the non-negligible factors of dimension and weight,” Biaggi continued. “When they told me the place was also to have a theatrical stamp, I had no doubts about the choice of motorized lights. I had already used Clay Paky models for theatre and conventions and knew I could trust them.”
Because Biaggi had not yet seen the Alpha 300s in use in a performance setting, he visited the Clay Paky showroom in Bergamo. “I was immediately impressed by the quality of the effects, their speed, and the really low noise levels,” Biaggi said.
Since the fixtures have been installed, he noted that they have received a good response from observers, including a few colleagues who work in musical productions and were impressed with how bright and energy-efficient they were. “No one believes they are 300W lights,” Biaggi noted.
Biaggi is using an MA Lighting console to control the lights. To meet the needs of the complex, he added 50 additional power sockets on the ring and has 12 DMX lines ready for any additions to the existing equipment (a Micro MA, which deals with controlling the whole system, using more than 700 DMX addresses split between the two controller lines).
Roberto Isotta’s Isolution service Srl from Castelletto Ticino handled the gear purchasing and installation for the project.
For more information, please visit www.claypaky.it.
