SOUTHAMPTON, U.K. – The four primary entertainment venues aboard P&O Cruises' new 290-meter-long, 3,500-capacity cruise ship, Azura, have been equipped with more than 120 Robe moving light fixtures. Carnival UK's entertainment sound & lighting manager Philip Yeomans specified the fixtures, and the package was delivered via Robe UK with Blackburn, UK, based HSL undertaking the installation and providing the ongoing technical support.
Yeomans, Mick Hannaford from Robe UK and Simon Stuart from HSL directed the project, which required some customization. The venues include the 800-seat Playhouse Theatre, the Manhattan and Malabar lounges and the open deck area by the forward pool.
The Playhouse is to be used for drama, cabaret and musicals to comedy and rock bands. Currently there are seven full production Playhouse shows taking place over the standard 14-day cruise period, all produced by Steve Bee for an in-house company, Headliners.
Yeomans worked with Bill Haven of Nautilus Entertainment Design on the technical design for the venue, and lighting design for the different shows is created by a combination of their in-house team and external theatre designers.
Robe's ColorSpot and ColorWash 700E AT Series proved to be the ideal choice for the venue in terms of brightness and size, with 40 ColorSpots and 35 washes spec'd to cover all areas of the stage which is 14 meters wide. These are hung on overhead trusses and FOH lighting bars.
In addition to these, there are six ColorSpot 575E ATs and 12 ColorSpot 1200E ATs, plus six of the new Robe ROBIN 300 Beams.
The ColorSpot 575E ATs are attached to side stage ladders in the stage wings, their compact size is well-suited for the space and their output is used for cross stage lighting at all levels.
The ROBIN 300 Beams are in chrome housings and built into the set. They are used for a variety of looks, from fast-paced production numbers like Pinball Wizard to the more decorous Swing show.
"The tight beam and the output is incredible, it cuts right through everything else in the air," Yeomans said.
Projection is an extensive feature of most of the shows staged in the Playhouse, so
Robe's DigitalSpot 7000 DT is used for front and back projection onto the Playhouse's moving screens and scenery pieces, such as those used for the James Bond section of the current house show.
The moving lights, conventional gear and content that Mark Anand of DMI produced for the DT7000s is all controlled from a grandMA full size console.
The 300-capacity Manhattan lounge is to the aft of the ship and is used for disco/club nights, cabaret shows, presentations and lectures. It's lit with six Robe ClubSpot 250 CTs, four Scan 250 XTs and four ColorSpot 170 ATs with an MA ultra light console for control.
A comparable rig lights the Malabar Lounge, used for events ranging from classical piano recitals to party nights with a seven-piece house band. Most of the fixtures are in the air, but two of the ClubSpot 250 CTs are on the floor at the back of the stage for beam-work effects.
Several shows are staged up on the top deck by the pools while Azura is cruising through warm climates. There, Yeomans specified four ColorSpot 700E ATs and four ColorWash 700E ATs.
Robe also provided a customized followspot version of their ColorSpot 2500 unit with grab-handles at the back and a small control/playback desk for the operator to use to select color and iris, which disconnects the pan and tilt. These fixtures are also DMX-controlled so the desk operator can do the on/offs and blackouts if desired.
"I spoke to both Robe and HSL about what was needed here," said Yeomans, "And they came back with a solution which is now also available as a production model."
Other general customizations undertaken by Robe included changing the gaps in the prisms on the ClubSpot 250 CTs. They also tweaked the dimmer curves on some of the fixtures, and custom gobos were produced for all the installation areas. "Robe listened to what we needed and wanted," said Yeomans. "They were a pleasure to deal with on all levels".
Robe worked with UK rental company HSL's Simon Stuart, who arranged demos so Yeomans could see the fixtures in action before he committed to a purchase.
HSL is also handling technical support for the Robe gear used on Azura, and they installed all the Robe elements onto the ship with a site team of five led by Ryan Hopkins. HSL's project manager Mike Oates was also integral to formulating the tech support package.
"HSL have been amazing, and I can't speak highly enough about them on this," said Yeomans, crediting the company for helping house technicians complete the install in just three of the five days allotted for the project.
The installation took place at the Fincantieri Shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy.
For more information, please visit www.robe.cz and www.hslgroup.com.
